About Me
Hi, I Am Jim Blue
Originally from Ohio, my family relocated to Fort Worth, Texas when I was just under 17 years old. I spent several years in the restaurant business, but at age 25, I decided I wanted to pursue an earlier dream of going to college and becoming a psychologist. I returned to college and proceeded to march through three straight degrees over the next 11 years. I earned my Ph.D. in 1998, was fully licensed in 2001, and have been in some level of private practice since that time. Along the way, I also became a Certified Personal Trainer and a Beachbody Fitness Coach, and I’m a big believer in the Spirit-Mind-Body connection.
As a kid in Ohio, I participated in youth sports, primarily football and baseball, but that was the extent of my “organized sports life”. As a young adult, I was a typical “weekend warrior”, playing intramurals and pickup games for many years. I stayed fairly physically fit by becoming a runner, participating in numerous short runs (5K and 10K). I also took up snow-skiing in 1981 and have been on about 40 great trips over the years. I was a very average tennis player, but then started playing racquetball, left tennis behind, and improved to become an “A” player. I was always a member of a gym of some kind, but never the most consistent or knowledgeable about really having a routine and being truly fit and strong. Additionally, I have fought a long battle with discipline when it comes to healthy eating and other dietary habits (aka alcohol and soft drinks), so I sabotaged myself more than once over the years!
A huge shift occurred in 2008. I was approaching my 49th birthday, was drinking too much, eating poorly, was at my highest weight ever, and was experiencing some medical problems related to all of that. Watching TV one day, I saw an infomercial for this crazy, impossible workout program called P90X. I was mesmerized by this production and even though I doubted whether I could do it, I told my wife, “If you want to get me something for my birthday, I have a suggestion for you!” She bought it for me, and shortly after my birthday, fat and out of shape, I started doing it. Rather than writing it out, you can see the transformation video here.
But here’s a summary: lost nearly 40 lbs, off of blood pressure meds, cholesterol down to the 130s, body fat down from over 20% to under 12%, and feeling great. In the ensuing years, I completed a couple of marathons, several half-marathons, a bunch of small triathlons, several biking events, and a Tough Mudder. I also became a fitness coach and got certified as a Personal Trainer and Kettlebell instructor.
Fast forwarding to present day, while I’ve stayed mostly fit, I have admittedly allowed “age”, work, bad diet, and a few injuries derail me from where I want to be. Because of that, I decided to whip up this website and start up a blog again, not only to use it for my own personal accountability, but also to reignite my original intent and desire, which is to help other people improve their lives through overall wellness, including physical, mental, and spiritual health practices. If you’ve read this far, I thank you for being here and I welcome you to join me on this road.
My Home Gym
The majority of my workouts over the past 15 years, including virtually ALL of the my “P90X Transformation” workouts, have taken place in my home gym (formerly known as my garage), affectionately nicknamed the Pain Cave or (in the Texas summers) the Sweat Lodge! It started with pretty much just a pull-up tower and a set of adjustable weights (Power Blocks), but has evolved over the years to include a full set of dumbbells, TRX straps, rubber flooring to minimize the pounding, a Total Gym (used to rehab after a couple of surgeries), some Les Mills barbells, etc. I maintained a gym membership, but that was almost exclusively for racquetball. But everything you need to do for great fitness can be done in a very modest home set up, especially with BODi/Beachbody on Demand Programs!
Fun Facts
I really enjoy my work, but I enjoy my outside interests as well. These include ongoing practicing of my guitar and piano skills, downhill skiing (a long-time passion), reading, spiritual and emotional growth, plenty of exercise – with a current focus on defying “the clock” with all-around wellness (peace of mind, physical fitness, healthy eating, mobility, flexibility, and balance). I also very much enjoy spending time with my wife, my pets, and our wonderful circle of friends and family.
