Success story/Bill Stiebs

Moderation is the key to exercise

A few Sundays ago I couldn't sleep. I felt sick.        My niece Shannon and I thought we would go for the world record and use a whole bag of powdered sugar on top of my birthday brownies.      I couldn't help but sample a few and added one more -because, you know, it was my birthday. Later my stomach de­clared "I am angry with you, my friend."     I recalled an old lesson that too much of a good thing is not a good thing.     Bill Stiebs can relate to that. He found that too much of something as good as exercise is just not a good thing.

Bill Stiebs learned firsthand that too much of something even as good as exercise wasn't a good thing. Special to the Press-Gazette

Fitness file Name: Bill Stiebs Age: 42 Family: Wife, Lynn, and children Kyle, 17, and Keagan, 14 Career: Pastor Program: Jog three days a week, karate instructor, calisthenics three days a week, stretching seven days a week. Favorite place to work out: Home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q. Bill, how did you get going with working out? A. I became interested in fitness is 1975.1 started tak­ing karate classes and after a few months I was hooked on it. In 1985, I began to train very in­tensely. I was going to open a karate school and knew I had to be in great shape. I started jogging five or six times per week for one hour. I jumped rope for 20 minutes, worked the heavy bag for 30 minutes, the speed bag for 30 minutes, stretched for 20 min­utes, did 100 push-ups and 1,500 sit-ups.

Q. What happened next? Did  you open the karate school? A. A By 1986, I Opened the  karate school feeling that I was in great shape. In 1988 I bought into a partnership and became owner/manager of the Nautilus Fitness Center in New London. At that time, I added lifting free weights and speed lifting on the Nautilus circuit to my daily workout. Over the next year we went from 300 to 500 members; The karate school had 50 students.

Q. How was that working for you? A. Everything was looking very successful in my life. I had a beautiful wife and two kids and I was in great shape. From 1988 to 1991 fitness be­came like my god. I was living to exercise. I worked out with many world karate champions. I was featured in newspapers, on the radio arid on several TV programs. I passed a national exam for personal fitness train­ing and also passed my fourth-degree black belt testing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q. Did you crash? A. My wife and I drifted apart. Other women began taking notice of me. I began to get involved with one of them and was on the edge of divorce. I couldn't believe I was failing at something. I was more con­cerned with fitness than family. At one point in an argument my wife looked at me and said, "Bill what are you going to do with your life?" I began to cry.

Q.   What happened then? A. From that day forward we began to rebuild our mar­riage and I cut my workouts in half. I began putting God first, then family, then fitness. I started Bible school in 1994 and was ordained in 1998. I am the pastor/founder of Cornerstone Christian Church in New Lon­don. I teach a Christian karate ' program for ages 4-8 and another for ages 9 to adult.

Q. Quite the turnaround Bill. Any final words? A. I have learned how to balance life and experience great joy. Jane Birr is a fitness consultant and life coach for Powered Up. If you'd like to be featured or know someone you'd like to see profiled, write to Birr in care of the Press-Gazette. P.O. Box 23430. Green Bay Wl 54305-3430. Or e-mail her at janiebirr@aol.com.