Member Spotlight: Matt Krug
Q: Tell us about your family life – kids, spouse, pets, employment, location, etc.
A:
There are three lovely ladies in my life: my wife,
Tira
, and two daughters,
Kimberley
(8) and
Christine
(6). Tira is a
Chagrin Falls
alum, class of “I’ll leave it to your imagination”. We are animal lovers; we have a horse, a pony, a dog, a cat and two goldfish. We all live in
Bentleyville
….all of us except for the horse and pony because seriously? Let’s pump the brakes. I don’t need a barn and a pasture.
I own two companies, a concrete recycling plant in downtown
Cleveland
and a commercial moving/office furniture installation company in
Highland Heights.
Tira is a very well-known area psychologist and has a practice in
Solon
. I’m very well known for being married to
Dr. Tira Stebbins
.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your history – where you grew up, went to high school, college, etc. If you are not from here, what brought you to this part of the country?
A
:
I grew up in
Mentor
, graduated from
Hawken
and went to the
University of Virginia
(Final Four!, Go Hoos!). After college, I lived briefly in
Nashville, TN
and
Washington D.C.
, but the allure of family and my hometown pulled me back here in 2001.
Q: When and how did you first meet Mark Derry and Living Lean?
A
:
It was fate, kismet, serendipity all in one…..I met Mark when I met Tira for the first time – at Mark’s birthday party (they are step brother/step sister). It was love at first site...between Mark and me. While it took Tira a while to come around to me, Mark and I hit it off right away. We have so much in common. We’re bald. We work out, sit on the couch, drink beer, eat food. Like I said: it was fate. I did a few private workout sessions with Mark at the tail end of his time at Elite Fitness and began Living Lean in earnest when it was usually just 9 women and me crammed into his garage.
Q: What are some specific changes that you notice about yourself since you began working out at Living Lean?
A:
I grew up playing football and swam in high school. These days, I’ll play basketball when asked. I’ve tried to stay in shape most of my life. Until I started at Living Lean, I was a runner and lifted weights to stay fit. I tried one marathon in 2007 and wow….I admire
Mary Hipp
and
Kristen Thalman
and all the tri-athletes and marathoners. I ran to stay in shape, but there wasn’t much about running that I liked.
I loved Living Lean from my first workout. It kicked my ass in a way that running never had. In the group workouts there were these weird dichotomies: one was a sense of competition and camaraderie between the people working out; and the other a deep respect and exasperation for what Mark was doing to us.
Physically, I immediately saw changes in my posture, core strength, leg strength, and muscle tone. Mentally, I became more confident in what I could do and Mark changed my outlook and approach to lifting heavy weights.
Q: Any hobbies, interests, passion projects?
A:
I’m a nerd and a home body. I’m a movie buff and I love music, all genres especially rock n roll. Above all, I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I like opportunity and risk and projects. Exploring those things occupies some free time.
Q: What would you tell a new person who is thinking about joining Living Lean or who has just started their 21-day trial?
A:
That it’s going to be hard. The first day, the first week, you will feel sore, tired, confused. The next two weeks you’ll feel more comfortable, but you’ll still be out of sorts. GIVE IT TIME! GIVE IT TIME! BE PATIENT! Everyone in the room has been a beginner at some point and everyone is willing to help. Into your second month, you will see dramatic results in how you look and feel. The workouts will still suck.. But in a good way.
Q: What keeps you coming back to Living Lean?
A:
Rachel Johnson.
She’s more entertaining to listen to than any music the trainers could put on, but I try not to talk to her because, do that and you’ll lose half of your workout. But seriously, the trainers are great. The workouts are so challenging. The best parts about LL for me are the other members. Everyone is so mentally and physically strong. And they all push, encourage, and inspire each other.
Q: What is a little-known fact about you (that you are willing to share)?
A:
I have a strong work ethic in all my pursuits, a relentless attitude in whatever I do. But my work ethic pales in comparison to my wife’s. If I had the dedication and diligence that she has in her little finger, I’d be a world leader.
