Finding a way without the bullshit excuses
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place.
Today’s MCM title belongs Benjamin Artz who has surpassed possibly all of life’s obstacles and has followed a simple life motto to bring light and health to other’s lives.
Artz, 38, was born in Melbourne, Australia. Since 2005, Artz has been a personal trainer and even had his own business working through a gym in Melbourne. Today, he is currently residing in Torrance and helping other’s reach their fitness goals.
During his time in Australia, he also worked with GNC Livewell and after six years with the company, he was able to purchase a GNC Franchise Store and had one store in Melbourne and one store in Sydney and worked in both from time to time.
Growing up, Artz played sports as a child including football, cricket and basketball. “I was blessed with talent and was able to play at elite levels for my age in all sports,” he says.
Furthermore, he explains he was always a gym person and loved being fit. At one time, he was an electrician apprenticeship and could not wait to finish work so he could get to the gym each day. He says, “I even started early and worked through my lunch to leave early to go workout out, yeah I was nuts.”
One day his boss came up to him and said, “You’re always working out, why don`t you become a personal trainer?” The next day, Artz resigned and says the rest is history. “It was as simple as that,” he says.
Although he does not have a particular fitness inspiration, he is always researching the latest science and finds it intriguing. “I am a nerd, if you will, and crave knowledge and I love to teach and spread the knowledge I learn,” he says.
He is infatuated with the human body internally more so than the external so he prides himself on his ability to help get his clients healthy mentally as well. He seeks to help them become a better human through health and fitness.
Artz has several mottos he lives by, but his clients know him most for, “Find a way,” and “No Bullshit excuses.” He says that the sayings mean that no matter how hard things are, “to never give up and just dig deep and find a way to get through a tough workout or exercise.”
He enjoys fitness because he has realized that when he is fit, healthy and training, he feels frees. “I can handle life’s stresses better and feel much more content with life and self,” he says. He also values that he can be a small part of what helps change his client’s lives in a positive way. “Be it through training or nutrition, advice or just being a support base and an ear to listen to and maybe offer advice. That`s what makes me truly tick to change others’ lives in a positive way,” he says.
Artz wants others to know that, “Fitness is not all about ego driven bathroom selfies and all about my ab`s or how many times can one person take a picture of themselves half naked each day.” He believes that fitness is health care and health care prevention and no one ever got well by looking at a fitness ego person posting pictures or their ab`s each day.
He believes that training is like life, you will be challenged and you will grow from it and evolve as a person as an individual. He also thinks that healthy eating is a lifestyle and that results come from consistent effort from doing the right things.
In the next five years, Artz hopes to open his first ARTZFIT health & wellness center where he can focus on health & wellness in many aspects of the human body. “I want it to be a place that you come to not just to train but to get well to create a better a life for yourself,” he says.
Artz has great knowledge in nutrition, naturalistic medicine, sport supplementation, along with his fitness and training knowledge so he hopes to create a 1 stop shop for others.
When he is not working, he loves spending time with his wife who he says is his best friend. He also enjoys playing with his two cats and dog who he calls his “fur babies.” “They’re everything to me. It’s my true happy place,” he says.
Artz’s greatest passion outside of fitness is to make the world a better place through love and happiness. He says that he came from a tough road, was raised by a single mother with five children and both parents were alcoholics. In addition, he lost his business due to a deceitful business partner and lost everything at the age of 35.
He moved to CA with the last few dollars he had with hopes of starting a new life. “None of it has made me bitter, if anything all my life`s experiences has made me more understanding and love as an individual,” he says. He supposes that’s why he follows the motto of finding a way and making no excuses.
Today, Artz is training out of Systems Training Center in Hawthorne. He teaches a group fitness boot camp style of training on Wednesday 7 pm & Sunday 9:30 am. He is also available for one on one training by appointment only and can be contacted through the following:
E: artzb78@yahoo.com
FB : ARTZFIT
IG : Benjamin Artz
Thank you, Benjamin for being a wonderful contribution to the South Bay community by not only helping locals reach their fitness dreams but offering a lending ear to all.
“I don`t aspire to be anything else than a better me- mind, body, soul.” –Benjamin Artz
