Joe Anderson
Founder
I did not come to fitness because I wanted to look a certain way. I came to it because my health and my life were not going in a good direction.
In 2017, I was at my heaviest, felt my worst, and was living a very sedentary lifestyle. I did not feel good physically, and I did not feel confident about where my career or my future was going. Years before that, I had my large intestine removed due to my ulcerative colitis, and I had always been told that digestive issues simply ran in my family.
For a long time, I accepted that explanation. More recently, after reading and learning more about nutrition and health, I started to question it. I began to understand that many conditions we think of as hereditary may actually be influenced heavily by diet and lifestyle. That realization changed how I viewed my own health and what was possible for me long term.
Like many people, my early attempts at improving my health were extreme and unsustainable. At one point, I tried copying what someone else was doing by eating only vegetables, eggs, and deli meat. It burned me out quickly and did not work for me. Later, after my first job out of college, I realized how uncomfortable I felt in my own body. I was eating fast food regularly, never felt good afterward, and had very little energy.
Things began to change when I joined a local gym. I first tried playing basketball because I had been good at it in high school, but I quickly realized my body was not prepared for that level of activity. Instead of quitting, I started researching workouts and learning how to train properly. I committed to lifting weights twice a week, then three times a week, with very little cardio at first (that was a mistake).
The results surprised me. Strength training alone made a noticeable difference. When I later added cardio and began tracking my calories, I lost a significant amount of weight in a way that felt controlled and repeatable. I went from around 250 pounds to maintaining a comfortable weight between 190 and 200 for nearly nine years. More recently, I dieted down further, restored my energy and glycogen levels, and now sit at a comfortable and sustainable weight around 180, feeling stronger and healthier than I ever have.
That journey shaped how I think about fitness and nutrition.
I believe I can help anyone who is open minded and willing to try something new, especially people who want to improve their health without giving up the foods they enjoy. I do not believe in cutting out comfort foods completely. I believe in balance, portions, and frequency. You do not need pizza every night, but you also do not need to reinvent pizza to enjoy it. Food should support your life, not control it.
One of my biggest frustrations with the fitness industry is how narrowly nutrition is often presented. Protein is important, but it is not the only thing that matters for people who want to function well, feel good, and live a long life. Health is built on balance, not extremes.
I continue to learn because I believe good coaching requires humility and curiosity. I spend time reading, studying behavior change, nutrition, longevity, and resistance training, and I continue pursuing formal education so I can better support the people I work with.
The belief I stand by, even when people tell me it does not work, is simple. If you track your calories accurately, you will lose weight. Calories in and calories out matters. The real challenge is learning how many calories your body actually needs and building habits you can maintain long term.
That belief, combined with consistency and resistance training, is what changed my life. It is also the foundation of everything I do at Ascent Health.