Meet Aaron Chaney of Aaron Chaney Fitness in Eastlake/Chula Vista

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
They say your twenties are the years to have the time of your life. I definitely took that literally, and even extended it into my early thirties as well. You see, I was a nightclub promoter for roughly sixteen years; where creating the party was my job. My “work week” was Tuesday through Sunday, and my “workday” generally took place between the hours of 9 pm to 5 am. During this time, I was not only creating the party but was part of the party as well. In this seemingly endless cycle, you can imagine the amount of partying, alcohol, eating junk food late at night, and bad decisions that were tied up into this lifestyle. While I knew I needed to be healthier, the money I was making, friendships I’d made, and routine I’d fallen into all made it easy for me to continually put my health on the backburner. My desire to make lots of money was greater than my desire to really focus on myself and be the best, healthiest version of me. It wasn’t until I took a good look at myself that I realized time was ticking away, and I had spent it being unhealthy, at times unhappy, and unsatisfied with my career and life overall. I knew something needed to change, and I couldn’t do it halfway. It needed to be all in or not at all.

The years of partying and eating unhealthy were becoming visible on my body. I was at my heaviest weight of 235 pounds, felt fatigued, and let’s just say my eating habits were helping to keep fast-food restaurants in business. I wanted to have the energy I used to have as the high school athlete I had once been. I know that may seem silly, but I knew deep down that if I had been that athlete once, I could tap into his determination and athletic drive once again. I just needed to get my mind right first.

In the midst of realizing I was at my heaviest, my mind wasn’t right either. I was overly stressed, often looked at life with a half-empty perspective, and felt anxiety creeping in on almost a daily basis. It was the perfect storm to keep someone, like myself, anchored in depression. While most people around me would have never known, deep down, I knew a drastic change was needed as soon as possible.

Leaving a career you built from the ground up is hard, but leaving a successful career that encompasses most of your habits, social life, and entertainment can feel next to impossible. Once I made my decision, it took me months to devise my escape plan out of that industry and start fresh on my new path. During those months, I asked myself what is speaking to me, what do I enjoy, what inspires me. I wanted to not only help others but also be completely separate from patterns of my previous industry. So, I chose to dive into the fitness world, and start my journey of a healthier, happier, and more fulfilled life as a personal trainer and nutrition coach. I didn’t have nor did I know where to start, but I knew it was going to be better than where I once was. I knew it was going to take hard work, lots of studying, hands-on experience, and extreme focus, but I was up for the challenge.

Maybe it was my subconscious, maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe it was just life’s way of getting me ready; but a few months prior to making this life and career change, I decided to go cold turkey and stop drinking for a few months to see if it made any impact on how I was feeling. What I found was interesting. My thinking became much more clear, but that also led to me realizing things on a different level. I was still in the nightlife scene, and still throwing events, except now I was throwing events for people who were out partying while I was sober and seeing everything from a sober point of view. Energetically, this caused a huge inner conflict. I LIKED not being the drunk one, and I started to become increasingly aware that there was going to have to be a major shift in my life because this lifestyle no longer served me. Mind you, this feeling of not being on the same page as everyone else in the room night after night; went on for months… until I finally realized that I wanted out and I wanted to start fresh in the fitness industry. I continued with my sobriety and took the next step of working out on a consistent basis. This combination cleared my head more, but with change comes doubt, and I still felt twinges of anxiety about embarking on such a huge change. The third step came on after I took a good look at what else was missing from this new equation; I needed to calm the negative thoughts and anxiety that were still creeping in from time to time. For this, I turned to meditation. At first, I didn’t really know what it was, but after doing some research and downloading some apps, I wanted to give it a try. I read Russell Simmons’s book “Success Through Stillness,” which was the key to me implementing meditation into my life. Soon after, I was taking time out every day to meditate, and instead of fighting the thoughts swirling around in my head, I was finally breathing and listening to my inner voice. The final piece of this new puzzle was the eating aspect. I was sober, working out, meditating, and trying my best to eat healthier. I learned a lot over the next year about the importance of what you put into your body and the effect it has on your workout, energy levels, and so much more. I developed my own set of nutritional guidelines based on body composition and many other aspects, and started designing plans for my clients based off of it; the results were amazing for them and myself. The only thing is that even though I was now a few years into this new version of me, and while my eating was healthy, I started to notice that I would still feel very sluggish, extremely bloated, and cramped after eating certain things. So, I once again dove into as much research as I could find, and what kept coming up is cutting out any and all animal products; aka becoming a vegan. I didn’t know too much about it, but I thought it was worth a shot to see if those nagging pains and extreme bloating would subside. Even though it wasn’t easy at first, I can honestly say it was and still is the crucial piece to me changing my lifestyle around. My energy was back, the bloat was gone, and I wasn’t in pain after eating. Did it take some getting used to? Sure. Was it confusing at first to figure out how to get enough protein, etc.? Sure. But it led me to the healthiest version of myself that I’ve ever been.

The underlying theme, nagging voice, aka the conflict I had at each step of the way was not knowing how to do it at first. I don’t know why, but I think as adults we sometimes become conditioned to think we know everything, and when you embark on such a drastic change, it’s a monumental self-awakening to how much you really don’t know. While some would have felt defeated and given up, I didn’t let that get in the way of the life I was creating. At every turn in this process; I would research and ask many questions because the nagging voice was saying “I don’t know how” and I wanted to silence it. At first, I didn’t know how to be a personal trainer, but I started interning at a gym while simultaneously studying for my NASM certification. I learned so much and grew tremendously from this starting point. The next step in the equation was my meditation; it sounded like a great idea, but again, I didn’t know HOW. So to squash the inner conflict of not knowing how to do it, I dedicated another portion of my time to learning as much as I could about it. Then after reading “Success Through Stillness,” finding the right app that fit my style, I gave it a shot, and it quickly became a game-changer for me. My creativity, drive, and focus were increasingly heightened; which poured into other areas of my life as well. Four years into my daily practice of meditation, I decided to study Transcendental Meditation, and this awakened and helped so much more with my practice. My biggest conflict came with the nutritional aspect. Becoming vegan was hard at first, like many changes, but being vegan in the fitness industry brings it to another level. I did as much research as I could when I decided to become a vegan. And while my body was feeling better internally, I couldn’t help but notice that after a year of being vegan, I felt like I was still not looking like I wanted. That old voice of not knowing something crept in, and I realized that I needed to adjust my macro-nutrients. This one component opened up a plethora of new knowledge for me. I realized that I could be feeling better in most ways, but if my macros and calories were not where they needed to be, I’d never see the results I was working hard for. After correcting that aspect, and combining it with what I was learning about intermittent fasting, it was as if a whole new me was waiting to emerge.

After combining all the research, knowledge, certifications, and experience from this journey, I can honestly say that they all led to the best version of myself that I’ve ever been. From this, I have made it my mission to change others lives and guide them on their mind, body, and nutrition journey. Having lived it, experienced the different changes along the way, and having that feeling of accomplishment; I know what it’s like to start at the beginning and think it’s nearly impossible. I started at 235lbs and went down to 165lbs, and went from 26% body fat down to 8% body fat. This was a cumulative process that combined changing up my lifestyle, my nutrition, my mindset, and all while becoming a husband and then a father. It wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it. I am devoted to guiding the way and coaching busy vegan moms and dads to a healthier mind, body, and nutrition so that they too have more time, energy, and more to give overall to their families.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. While making various life, nutrition, fitness, and mindset changes, different struggles came up and presented themselves in a variety of ways. The common denominator in each of these changes was that it was taking me outside of my comfort zone, but that’s where the growth happens. I started to realize that the discomfort in the changes was only a temporary. Surprisingly, the fitness aspect; getting in shape, was the lesser of the struggles, and the nutrition aspect at first was a lot to figure out for the vegan lifestyle.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
My company is Aaron Chaney Fitness. I’m a NASM certified personal trainer, online fitness coach, and nutrition coach. I specialize in helping clients get healthy in mind, body, and nutrition. I’m most proud of helping over 200+ clients transform their bodies to a healthier version of themselves. I think my overall approach from the first strategy session, and throughout the journey with each client, sets me apart. I don’t see it as just a job; I see it as my mission to help my clients reach and surpass their personal goals so that they can live a healthier and longer life. I’m genuinely invested in each of my clients and their individual goals.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I may be a little biased, having been born and raised here, but I think San Diego is a great place for businesses like mine. I’d definitely encourage someone just starting out to have faith in themselves and their goals, and surround themselves with people that they can learn from, will inspire them, and encourage them to continuously move forward with what they want to do.