Looking to get fit? Let me guide you | Mind of Mad Dog

Published 4:21 pm Thursday, June 14, 2012

My name is Tom Schneider, owner and operator of Mad Dog Boot Camp Fitness of Auburn.

I grew up in the north Seattle area and served more than 20 years combined in the U.S. Army and Washington Army National Guard. I spent time with the Active Guard Reserve, fulfilling duties as a training sergeant, company Army master fitness trainer and unit readiness sergeant and recruiter.

I am a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan (2004-05), where I received the Joint Forces Commendation Medal for meritorious service. It was while deployed to Afghanistan that I not only earned the nickname “Mad Dog,” but I started to become more interested in running my own fitness business one day.

While in Afghanistan, I was fortunate enough to teach college classes between missions and began formulating the ideas and business model for the aforementioned Mad Dog Boot Camp Fitness. My whole fitness business and life model is about three simple words: plan, execute and control – similar to what all of us in the military are accustomed to when planning or executing missions.

By 2008, with my years of military, health and fitness and business experience, I started my fitness camps. They have been running for almost four years – outdoor at the Chinook Elementary School playfield and indoor year round for the Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation Department.

More recently, I also began free fitness camps to raise donations for the Auburn Food Bank. These camps run on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month through the month of August at Chinook Elementary.

In this weekly column, I’ll explain ways you can improve and live a healthier lifestyle. I will discuss areas ranging from workouts and diet tips to staying motivated and achieving balance in your life.

Since my camps started, I have not only tried to help people achieve balance but to do so with my mantra: “Dig Deep, Zone It Out, Have Fun and Never Quit.”

I look forward to guiding readers in their quest to find that balance in their life, to improve their health and fitness, and to help everyone become more resilient, which will improve other facets of their lives.

Tom “Mad Dog” Schneider, of Auburn, is a certified Army master fitness trainer and small group leader with more than 30 years of combined military and civilian fitness experience. For more information, email thomas.b.schneider@us.army.mil or call 253-736-5740.