Gary Berglund

GARY BERGLUND

When Gary Berglund became an adult, he turned to drugs and alcohol as a social outlet .

“I grew up very sheltered, so the friends I made, well, I thought everybody did drugs and drank,” said Berglund, 33. “I thought that was just what you did.”

Before long, Berglund was addicted.

“I was 26, and I found myself working three jobs and selling everything I had and even things I didn’t own to pawn shops so I could avoid withdrawals and so I could get high,” he said.

Fortunately, Berglund’s girlfriend, who is now his wife, invited him to join a gym with her.

“I immediately loved the feeling that lifting weights gave me,” he said. “I automatically knew it would be a replacement for my negative behaviors.”

When he started going to the gym, he was already in an addiction treatment program. Going to the gym turned into running, which turned into yoga, which eventually motivated Berglund to get three personal training certifications — from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and from the National Federation of Professional Trainers. He uses those certifications as a personal trainer at Life Time Fitness in Collierville.

“I was at the gym so much, I lived at the gym, I thought I might as well get a job there,” he said. “I’m interested in sharing fitness with others the same way someone shared it with me.”

Berglund is studying health and human performance at the University of Memphis. He hopes to eventually earn a doctorate in physical therapy.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries in my life and had to do physical therapy,” he said. “I thought, ‘how cool is that to have a connection to your body, so it can actually heal itself ?’ ”

Berglund tries to do something active every day, even if it’s walking or raking leaves, and hits the gym six days a week.

That is, when he’s not suffering from a back injury, as he is currently. He was injured years ago in a skatebord accident.

“It’s a huge challenge for me,” he said. “As a former addict, my mind automatically goes to, ‘Well, I can’t work out, so what do I have now?’ Age: 33. Home: Memphis. What he did: After recovering from an addiction to drugs, Berglund is committed to living a fit and healthy life and sharing that lifestyle as a personal trainer at Life Time Fitness. He is working toward a PH.D. in physical therapy.

Information: Life Time Fitness, 3470 Houston Levee Road, (901) 8539393, lifetimefitness.com, or e-mail Berglund at gberglund@lifetimefitness.com.

Advice: “Changing your life is not something you want to procrastinate about.” The past few months have been some of the hardest months for me.”

He sees the silver lining in his adapted workouts.

“It’s making me a better trainer,” he said. “It’s really something else to be in someone else’s shoes. It’s made me a lot more sensitive to the needs of others.”

Have you lost weight and kept it off, started exercising or had success living a more healthful lifestyle? E-mail your story to sunyata00@gmail.com.