My name is Jeffrey A. Mills. I have a wonderful wife, 5 children, and too many pets to count. I majored in computer science in undergrad and then went to veterinary school. I graduated vet school in 1998 and have been practicing ever since. I focused on academics and pizza for most of my life, so by my mid-thirties I was weighing in at around 190 lbs, which is a lot for someone who is only 5' 6" tall.
Sometimes around 2010 I joined the YMCA. I could not run a mile or do a pull up. At various times in my life I had thought of myself as a runner, or at least someone who was capable of running 2 or 3 miles without stopping. I was sad that I could no longer run a mile. My original goal was to be able to run a 5k. I accomplished this in July of 2011.
My buddy challenged me to train for and enter a Tough Mudder. I researched the event and decided that yep, it was definitely for me. I had to up the mileage of my runs so that I could run 12+ miles. My other goal was to be able to finish all of the Tough Mudder obstacles---especially the Funky Monkey (aka the monkey bars). Even though I had lost nearly 50 pounds by this time, I was not able to cross a set of monkey bars on the playground because I had done zero training other than running. I was skinny and weak.
In order to train for the Funky Monkey, I built a set of monkey bars in my backyard. While I was building it, I was also avidly watching the television show American Ninja Warrior and the original Japanese version as well. I thought, "well, I could build that" every time I saw an obstacle. So, I filled my backyard with Ninja Warrior inspired obstacles. I shifted my training from just cardio to bodyweight exercises. When I ran my first Tough Mudder, I successfully completed all of the obstacles, including the Funky Monkey.
I applied for a spot on American Ninja Warrior and was accepted to run the course for season 6. I fell on the second obstacle, but the experience was amazing. I have maintained my focus on whole body training---strength, cardio, endurance, flexibility, balance, etc. that can only be achieved through bodyweight exercises.
Over the last several years, I have also trained at a Crossfit gym and with a variety of equipment in and out of gyms: barbells, dumbbells, weight machines, treadmills, exercise bikes, elliptical machines, sandbags, kettle bells, etc. You name it and I've likely tried; however, my true passion always returns me to bodyweight exercises and Total Fitness and Nutrition.
I received my Certified Fitness Trainer certificate from ISSA in 2014. Continuing Education certificates since then include The Essence of Dumbbell Training, Fitly-Building Healthy Lifestyles for Kids, Effective Strength Training, Muscular Fitness and Assessment Prescription, Internal Association for Worksite Health Promotion (IAWHP), Marathon Training, and Bootcamp Complete.
In 2015, I decided to get organized and created the No Gym, No Excuses Total Fitness and Nutrition bodyweight bootcamp. My plan is to make it fun, effective, and truly personalized to meet your individual fitness goals within the context of an outdoor, group, training program.