About Me

My name is Fareed Cooks.  I started my fitness journey at age 15 when I began playing high school football.  I was always overweight as a child and football helped give me the discipline I needed to slim down and get in shape.  Once I graduated from high school, however, I once again struggled with my weight and was very undiciplined with my diet.  I finally decided on a six day a week routine: 3 days weight training, 3 days cardio.  I went from and out of shape 270 to a very fit 190.  At age 20 I decided to join the US Navy.  My workout again needed to change to incorporate the high volume of running and calisthenics  required.  At age 23 I started training in boxing and Mixed Martial Arts which, once again, required I change my approach to fitness.  Upon leaving active duty I became very undiciplined with my diet.  I focused on college and neglected my diet and exercise.   After graduating from college with my bachlors degree in psychology in 2014, I weighed 330 pounds; the most I had ever weighed!  For the next couple of years I worked in appylied for grad schools, and pretty much abandoned my health and fitness.  My like changed, for the worst and eventually better, in 2016 while working as a security guard.  I had been regulary harassed by a transient that I had encountered during one shift and had asked to leave the property.  One day, the transient, with a group of friends, decided to carry out a sneak attack on me while I was performing my duties as a security guard.  I was able to fight off the attackers and severely injured one of them.  I was arrested by the police and charged with 2 counts of attempted murder and 5 counts of assualt with a deadly weapon.  I spent 2 years locked up and fighting my case, and I was eventually able to get the charges dropped.  Being incarcerated, while a major set back for my education and career, put me back on the path to health and fitness.  I excercised every single day for the next 2 years.  I went from and unhealty 316 pounds to a very fitness 190 at the age of 33; the lowest I had weighed since I was 19!  I have since maintained my exercise habbits, however I encountered a new problem: my diet!  When I was younger, I experimented with many different diets.  keto diet, paleo diet and vegeterian diets.  I could never stick to them.  At the age of 35, I noticed that no matter how much exercise I did I was always low on energy. 

I was 235 pounds; not terrible, but not ideal either.  The problem was my energy levels and constant stomach problems.  At this point I decided to remove most of the unhealthy foods from my diets.  I decided on a strict diet of oats, bananas, almond milk, green vegetables, fish, limited cheese, and lactose free protein powder.  I took an intermittent fasting approach to dieting: I ate after my mournign workout, fasted all day and ate in the evening.  On off days from work, I fasted all day and ate at the end of the day.  As a result my energy levels improved.  My physical fitness is comparable to my 20's even though I am almost 40!  I have made a lot of dieting and physical fitness mistakes in my 2 year journey.  My decided to become a certified personel trainer, fitness coach, and nutritionist to better counsel and consult others on the right path to fitness.  I also decided to become a certified life coach to help those make better lifestyle choices.  I have made many mistakes in my life and have been through some hard times.  Those experiences have made me who I am today, and I seek to counsel those who wish to better their life.