Bryan Matott

What was your level of activity in school when you were growing up? I was a high level competitive athlete. I played Division 2 Soccer for the state through my teen years and varsity all of highschool, simultaneously. I also played varsity hockey at the same time. Most of my time outside of school was spent training or traveling for competition. Weekends were always filled with games. I was at the top shape of my life at that point.

Did you play team sports? When did you first start exercising? I played sports all through my younger years, about 21 years of soccer, straight, and then transitioned to hockey at the latter portion of those years. I was 3 years old when I joined my first competitive team.

Do you remember any of your fitness benchmarks from your early days? Due to sports being my fitness avenue, there were many benchmarks and accomplishments along the way in the form of tournament winnings, season leaderboards, etc. Many time my team finished with 1st place medals. These were team benchmarks, though. I think individually, I maintained 'fastest sprinter' for many years.

What challenges did you face along the way, and how did you overcome them? My junior year of highschool I broke my shoulder. It was a 3rd degree clavicle separation. Pretty severe at the time, and occurred during a soccer game. For 6 months I was down, not able to participate in anything, but I gradually eased myself back into playing as it was my passion and all I knew at the time. Currently, some 20 years later, it still gives me some pain, but I have learned to live with it and compensate for the weakness.

How did your family, friends, or the place you lived affect your lifestyle choices? I think I was fortunate to live in a situation where my parents could afford to keep me actively in sports, at that high level, for so long. Both myself and my brother. It is expensive. But that 20 years of constant activity put me in a better place today. Overall, I am still fairly healthy and support the same body type as my previous athletic years. All of my friends at the time were also active, so no mater what I was doing, I was surrounded by activity.

Have you tried different workout routines or fitness programs? If so, which ones have been the most effective for you? Not really, after sports, which was very structured, I slowed down on personal training and activities. I go to the gym sometimes, its a routine, or becoming one - but what is most effective is consistency.

Are there any lessons or insights you've gained from your fitness journey that you'd like to share? As I said above, Consistency. If you slow down your fitness activities, you will see the consequences of that quickly. Being consistently active will keep you perpetually healthier.

Do you have any role models or sources of inspiration within the fitness community? Im not real big into the fitness community, but I do know a few people who are. They are motivated to be and stay healthy, they are actively working on themselves and keep track of their progress. I think that is inspirational. Seeing dedication to a almost free way of being healthy motivates me to work harder to maintain a consistent fitness lifestyle.

Free entry (write more about yourself here). I am not ashamed to admit that currently I am not in the best shape of my life. It has been 10+ years since I was competitively active. You could say that I have almost ceased physical activity due to my current work and hobbies. I like computers, and making art and music on computers, and thats fine, but it doesnt get my blood moving like a good exercise. I do hike, somewhat often, or I try to, but my days of being a top athlete are far away from me. Though, despite my current status, I do hold the current top score on the Global Fast Fit Leaderboards. I had to train a few rounds before recoding and scoring myself, and now Im trying to stay active in the case that anyone wants to try to beat my score, they will have some competition.