June 2021 Cover: He's dialed in!

Austin Smith, of Mason, has found his drive and path to a better life

Be your best. That’s the mantra Austin Smith, 29, of Mason, uses as motivation to work out. “I have a good friend who is a strength and conditioning coach,” he said. “He teaches that exercise is an evidence-based way of improving physical, emotional, and mental health. My spiritual health is better when I’m in an exercise routine.”

He said his active lifestyle, which includes heavy weight lifting workouts, competitive hockey, and volleyball games is possible because of exercise. Plus, he’s discovered other benefits.

“Exercise, strength training specifically, is an injury reducer,” he said. “It can help increase quality and quantity of life. Working out is a commitment without an immediate payoff. I believe in doing things that are good for me, especially in relation to things that are not immediately gratifying. I believe that has enormous carry-over to the rest of life.

I work out because I want people to take me seriously as a strength coach. I think I also work out because, at some phase of life, I have became addicted to it.”

Smith, who works in finance and real estate, makes sure to eat at least one serving of vegetables a day, with fruit and lean meats like chicken, eggs, and fish. He said he makes sure to keep unhealthy food out of his fridge to avoid temptation.

“I really like greasy pizza, ice cream, donuts, and other sweets,” he said. “As long as they’re not in my fridge or pantry, it’s a lot harder to eat them. A smart diet starts at the grocery store. It’s a lot easier to walk past junk food in the first place.

Don’t tempt your self-control muscle by bringing “cheat” foods into your house. You’ll never win that game.”

Smith’s advice is to accomplish simple steps daily.

“Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day,” he said. “Wake up before the kids and the workday starts and do something active. Try it one time and see how it feels. You will likely find that it feels amazing to accomplish something before the emails start coming in and people/ work start demanding your time.”