Mountain Man Fitness

08/05/2025

07/11/2024

The United States will exist tomorrow and the next day and the next. And sure, there's a chance that the era of the most dangerously cheesey president in history will cause a great catastrophe but likely it won't happen and I cannot live in fear of such an event.

Good people do actually exist on both sides of the political spectrum. No different than good soldiers serve in militaries all around the world fighting for the "good" guys no matter what the outside perspective is. And yes. There can be a line drawn in the sand. I don't need or want anyone to agree with everything I think. I can choose to live how I want to live and so can others and as long as we don't impose on one another, great.

This means choice of religion or lack there of. Choice of value systems. Choice of sexuality. Choice of opinion on any given topic. Where, seemingly, things have gone wrong is the idea that everything is right or wrong. Not all red states are the same. Nor are the blue. We have to fight radical left and radical right belief systems because both end up in chaos. And yes. Trumps previous presidency lead to chaos. It's undeniable. Trumps party is the party of religious guidance by a bunch of people not out there actually living the word of their god. You people(watdoyamean you people?) been paying your tithes, helping out widows, sheltering the homeless and feeding the poor? No? You want rid of illegals looking for hope? Sure sure, live by god's word. But do it in your own space, not on mine. And I can choose to do the same.

What's seemingly the impossible is what needs to happen: political reformation. There are Republicans that switched and Democrats that switched but currently it seems voter turn out was massively down and Trump swung enough to win! Both parties suck. And I personally believe you're full of it if you think not. And one thing Trump is right about is media. Social media and news media. They also suck. They put us in a perpetual stage of angst and overload of opinionated viewship bias. We end up seeing what we want to see because media are allowed to perpetuate lies ON BOTH SIDES. News isn't about news. Dems want clicks for their tribe and Republicans the same. Polls are biased similarly. Kamala supporters had some false hope that she was going to win because of these polls. Polls that targeted who? Righttttttt. We need to work together. Media, politicians, and most importantly all the humans walking the earth. I own a business where I'm certain lots of widely different view points on any given topic might be held. Great. We all come under the same roof every day to make ourselves healthier and none of those stupid political opinions matter, right? I'm grieving, truly, in some ways. There are things, I believe, that will be damaged and cause hurt. But unfortunately if some people on the left and right won't work together, none of this gets fixed. So try not to alienate others because (and here I go alienating 😂) when you do... you become the problem. Left meet Right, now get to work.

I'm appalled that Trump won. But I don't live in the United States anymore and I'm out of time to care about what's going on. But I stand with anyone willing to stand for others trying to live a longer, healthier, happier life in harmony with the rest of the world. We are all humans at the end of the day... except Trump... he's a cheeto. ♥️

28/08/2023

We are all on a journey. I started taking the base of mine more serious. I wasn't a complete bone head but the base of the pyramid that we see recommend is nutrition. I started taking mine more seriously and have more work yet to do but in 8 weeks I lost a little over 7 kilograms eliminating sugar and subscribing to a keto based diet.

It was a decision to try and conquer food and body image. Two massive hurdles for me. I've always just performed no matter what. And while I was fairly fit for being 113KGs, I wasn't my best. Emotionally, this was hard. But I had support the whole way from those closest to me. I had favorable input and I tried to begin using simple structure and instinct. Fasting from 8pm until Noon. Lots of water and a keto based eating guide. I had snacks and meals I enjoyed. I didn't really "miss out" on anything, I just found creative ways around it.

It was my decision. I talked to my partner and said "I'm cutting sugar and going on some sort of diet. Want to try?" Nothing but support and with her suggestion of keto, off we went.

No task is to big. It's one step. Sometimes you might be uncomfortable but you have to make a decision if that comfort is worth its own heartache. This applies to diet, fitness, that new job, or any other unfamiliar situation. Take the leap.

CrossFit did this. The base of the pyramid, followed by intelligent conditioning, gymnastics, weightlifting, and sport. Putting my body through ever changing scenarios with a solid foundation. Through injury and rehabilitation.

This journey isn't over. Let's see about 10 more kilograms.

06/05/2023

Achieving something great or significant in life is not supposed to be easy. In fact, it is meant to be difficult and challenging because that's what separates those who are truly committed to achieving their goals from those who are not.

If something were easy, everyone would do it, and it would not be as valuable or rewarding to accomplish. The difficulty of a task is what makes it worthwhile and meaningful. The obstacles and challenges that one must overcome in pursuit of a goal build character, resilience, and determination. The process of overcoming these difficulties, and eventually achieving the goal, is what makes the accomplishment great.

We should not be discouraged by the challenges we face in our pursuits, but rather embrace them as opportunities to grow, learn, and become better versions of ourselves.

07/03/2023

What do you see? We see others differently than we see ourselves.

Individually, we have a different context.

Acquaintances will see me different from people that see me in the gym. And different again from friends. And even again from those close to me.

We cover up scars with tattoos, clothes, and even our own skin.

That's one of the most difficult aspects of life. We walk around a battlefield. The woman at the coffee shop lost a child during pregnancy. The man at the crosswalk was abused as a child. The tech support on the phone was bullied.

We are all walking around carrying this weight. And it's hard. It's real fu***ng hard. It's not about credit..it's not about who's got it worse. There is no need for a judge. We see what we see, not what might be the truth.

Worse yet... what if the person looking in the mirror sees lies.
Me. Michael Marlow. I see a fat dude that's been working hard but maybe not enough. I see a person with shortcomings. A man trying to live up to "something." "Something" is an ever-moving goalpost.

I know my strengths and weaknesses. I try to do better. My childhood and how I feel about myself is strong conditioning. I JUST WANT TO BE ENOUGH.

I'm competitive only because no matter how much I've ever won, I felt discredited. When's my time? When would I ever get the love everyone else got? I'm in the arena, always, ready to do the work. Sometimes I'm really bad at listening to my "fans" cheering. I get buried under the idea of the task. My inner voices drown out the cheering.

That same experience is why I love being a coach. It's why I love being loud. It's why I try to drown that little bastard voice out from everyone else's head. I lift others the way I didn't feel lifted. I try to show them the light of success. Because I only see what I see. I don't always know what battle they are fighting. So I come equipped and ready to stand tall beside them.

There's no smoke and mirrors. I want everyone to win. To be a little better. To be considerate of other people's stories. The one they might not know, especially.

We don't have to sacrifice our time and effort to be nice to others.

09/01/2023

Out with the old. In with the new.

One year ago we had a massive party. We celebrated a year or unknowns to come.

The birth of CrossFit Awaken.

Hundreds of people served and being served still. A year or goals. Some complete and some not.

But the doors are still open. These walls are still waiting for you. What's stopping you?

01/01/2023

Over 11 hours spent running nearly 87 kilometers. This was not an easy journey, by any stretch. I was humble enough to walk the last three legs bringing my average pace down to about 8 minutes. But I gave it everything.

I didn't want to quit but I thought I might need to. Self preservation was important. I can champion the cause without running.

I've been adamant about my approach to mental health but the year 2023 will be even bigger.

I'm going to listen. I'm going to learn. I'm going to try to understand. I'm going to continue trying to make the world a better place. But most importantly, I'm going to be shaped by those in need and not project. My experiences can be a help. But they are mine to own. So, I need to be ready to be shaped to help others. That's what 2023 will be about.

I hope you can find some spare money and donate to and help fight this fight with me and the many people you might not even realize are going through it. The link is still live. Thank you for your love and support.

31/12/2022

I'm a story teller.

Tales of mountains to climb.
Dragons to slay.
Demons to conquer.

I tell these stories because I lived them and, in my own way, I've used them. Life is by no means perfect. I have to fight my conditioning every day, even when things are good. But I use those fights for others. I lead with what is in my heart, as imperfect as that may be.

I might not be a su***de statistic, but I fall under a variety of other horrible categories. So, why not use that? Why not teach love, when love was so foreign to me. Why not teach trust, when everyone I was supposed to trust abandoned me.

One more story to finish this journey and to give insight in to the change I want to see and I will work towards. At the peak of my depression, I opened up. I told someone I thought I could trust that I was having feelings of su***de. I had dreamt of my death every night for over a year. My opening up in a drunken moment ended up with me in a mental hospital. I was treated like something I wasn't for days on end. I had one phone call like I was in prison. And many people just want others to "speak" about their issues. Remember, speaking is scary and VERY unsafe for many of us. And.... what if you don't want to share that burden? What if you use your perception on the issue and it leads to a darker path? Sure, we can speak of hope. But not everyone is the right person to talk to. And that's ok. It is just another of the complexities of this horrible condition.

I hope my journey these last two days has shed some light. I hope you can understand more, You can't feel what I feel, it is impossible. But you can UNDERSTAND that I feel. That your friend or loved one feels. I'm not done with this fight against mental wellbeing. I hope you aren't either.

Follow the link in bio to find out how to donate to the

31/12/2022

1 in 5 of us will experience symptoms of mental illness in any given
year. In Australia that’s around 5 million people. And roughly 50% of
these people won’t seek help.

Follow the link in bio to find out how to donate to the

31/12/2022

This challenge is hard. IT was hard the first time I did it. It is harder now. It could be 2 weeks post COVID or the humidity (last time it was just hot, not humid). It could be the emotional weight of what I am doing. I've added pressure by sending a message as I am doing it.

I am struggling. Bad. I've thrown up multiple times. Cramps. My entire body hurts.

I still have 2 more runs after this one.

I've always been willing to step up to the plate for "hard" things. Physical and mental challenges. An hour of burpees, a marathon row, running a half marathon (for a 100kg dude, thats a lot of running), or this 4x4x48 Challenge that I decided to make harder to coddle my ego. I'm running 600m extra per run to make it a clean two marathons worth of running in two days! Theres a theme. This isn't for me. IT never is. If one person sees this and believes they can fu***ng do that hard thing... it was worth it. IF one person can try to clean the cob webs out of their mind just a little, it's worth it. I'm torturing myself. I'm at my absolute limit, physically and emotionally.

On my 3pm run yesterday I was devastated by the heat and humidity and running with He was pushing me. Keeping me moving. Talking me through, The demons were there. The physical pain was there. I wasn't even 4 runs in and I'm feeling defeated. But I didn't know defeat. I needed help. I wanted to throw up and I was exhausted. We were on the back kilometer of the run and I seen a water fountain. I was desperate to stop. Desperate for an excuse and water was the perfect one. I pushed the button and out came the hottest water you could imagine from a fountain. I literally cried. If anything could have broke me, that was it. I could have thrown up, rolled my ankle, or anything else. That truly set me up for failure going forward. Now, I had to rekindle the fire. Tap back in to why the hell I'm doing this. After day one, I thought about quitting. Every run was a test to see if I should continue. Now, I can see the finish line. I'll run at whatever speed. I'll walk. I'll fu***ng crawl if I must.

I won't quit.

Follow the link in bio to find out how to donate to the

31/12/2022

One in five Australian adults experience a mental illness every year.
About 45 per cent of Australian adults will be affected by mental illness at some time in their life.
Anxiety, mood disorders (such as depression) and substance use disorders are the most common mental illnesses experienced by Australian adults.

Follow the link in bio to find out how to donate to the

30/12/2022

Conditioning is hard. You're fighting against what has become instinct. To change it requires deliberate work but any number of things can set off triggers.

Example: I'm having a harmless conversation with someone (not recently) and we are talking about dieting for them. Making the changes. And the person knows I want to make some changes too. So they mention keeping ourselves accountable together.

I froze. Initially, I couldn't move. I was lost in the million thoughts and my body moving was not a function I was capable of performing. They said nothing hurtful but my brain went to childhood deprivation. Which lead to adulthood overeating. Feelings about my body dysmorphia. "Am I enough and am I doing enough?"

The complexities associated with mental health are deep. Are scary. Are complicated. Very complicated. Someone can be doing the work but that doesn't just mean it goes away. Trauma takes no prisoners and has no judge of how "big" or "small" the trauma is.

Follow the link in bio to find out how to donate to the