March 20, 2024
Billy Williams visits the West Virginia University Fitness Court® almost every day. As he is about to celebrate his 50th birthday, we reached out to hear from him directly on why he feels healthier and stronger now than he has previously and how the Fitness Court® has played a huge role in his wellness routine since 2021.
Q: Why is living an active life so important to you?
A: For me, living an active life is important because I have two small children, and I want to be able to enjoy activities with them and my wife for as long as I am able to move. In addition, I've found that an active life enables me to have greater capacity in every other arena of life. Because I have been disciplined to do hard physical things, I am better equipped than I would be otherwise to handle other challenges in life whether they be at work, at home, or in the community. I'm about to celebrate my 50th birthday, and I'm proud to say that I am healthier and stronger at 50 than I was at 40.
Q: What is it that drew you to the Fitness Court®?
A: For several years, my wife (who is an exercise physiologist), children, and I would regularly walk or run an approximately three mile loop near our house that took us past WVU's campus. We witnessed the Fitness Court® being constructed, and our curiosity was piqued. When it was officially completed in August of 2021, we wanted to make this Fitness Court® a part of our fitness routine. We looked up information online, and thought "These National Fitness Campaign people seem like our kind of people." We have also been fans of Mark Lauren and had been using his Bodyweight app for several years prior as part of our fitness regimen, especially when we needed to travel for work. When I saw Mark had done some workout videos for the Fitness Court® App, it helped seal the deal for me. I love being able to incorporate exercises that I might not be able to do as easily at home (pull ups, ring rows, box jumps, etc.). I really love the fact that I can flip between following guided workouts or developing my own routines.
Q: How do you incorporate the Fitness Court® into your wellness routine?
A: I include the Fitness Court® as a regular part of my wellness routine. Depending on the path I take to the Fitness Court®, I can have a 1-1.5 mile run or walk as a warmup before I get there, and then I can do a few circuit workouts before heading back home. Over the last few months, I've been inviting a few friends to join me. I love the accountability and the fact that our workouts are in the open air, rain or shine. Some days, I will focus on one area (e.g. pull ups), while other days, I will use the box jump area to do some stretches or I'll mix up a few different exercises to build capacity toward a bigger goal. I love the variety of exercises I can do on the Fitness Court®, and I also love the fact that it is so close to my home. On occasion, I've been fortunate enough to find a Fitness Court® nearby when I've been traveling as well, so I feel like I can work out with familiar equipment while on the go.
Q: Anything else you’d like us to know?
A: I'm so grateful for groups like National Fitness Campaign that are providing tools like the Fitness Court® to enable people to have free access to a really high quality workout space, and I hope more people will take advantage of these tools to improve their health and wellness.
