Patrick Heins didn’t just join our gym—he arrived and immediately became part of the story we’re writing together. Our April Committed Club Honoree moved here from Tucson only a couple months ago, but you’d never guess it from the way he slid right into the 6:15 crew, struck up conversations like he’d known everyone for years, and even brought his wife along for the ride. Patrick shows up with intention, curiosity, and consistency—using every workout to learn a little more about Pittsburgh and a little more about himself. His journey is a reminder of how quickly someone can weave themselves into the fabric of this community when they show up with heart and purpose.
Why is fitness important to you?
My approach to fitness has always been mostly based in practicality. I don’t necessarily enjoy waking up at 5 am so I can start the day sweating it out in the gym (although I understand some do), but rather I value my long term mental and physical health. It’s important to me to maintain those so that as I get older I can continue to pursue other activities I find enjoyable without worrying about whether my body is up to the task.
What motivates you on the days you don’t feel like working out?
I’m pretty effective at guilting myself into doing things, especially something where I’m paying to be there.
Mostly it’s habitual for me though, I’ve built working out into my routine in such a way that I start to feel off when I don’t go for extended periods.
Also it helps to have a partner who is very supportive and active herself.
How do you stay consistent during busy and stressful times?
For me, “busy and stressful times” usually correlates with work or the hustle and bustle of the holidays; and during those hectic times it’s easy to put exercise on the back-burner like it’s a bit of a chore and just another thing that needs doing. But, I’ve also found through experience that during all of the stress, going to the gym and exerting myself helps calm my nerves a bit and settle my mind. So I’ve learned to prioritize it, and to continue going because those are the times I when actually needed it most.
Also, that feeling when you get back after an extended time off where you suddenly can’t catch your breath and the weights feel heavier than they did before SUCKS. So I try to avoid that if I can.
What is your biggest obstacle you face in staying committed?
Laziness and general apathy. It’s no surprise to most of us that staying in bed in the morning can be very enticing. However, that’s why I like to make going to workout as convenient as possible for myself so it lowers the height of that hurdle a little to get out the door. Which is why I like this style of gym; I don’t need to plan a workout, I don’t need to go very far, and I don’t need to bring much. Makes getting out of bed a lot easier when all I have to do is show up.
How do you balance fitness with the rest of the things in your life (work, family, friends, etc)?
I prioritize myself and set up appropriate boundaries. The thing about work is that there seems to be no shortage of it, and if you give it extra time out of your day that doesn’t usually mean that the next day won’t also be able to be filled by it. So I make a point to be off at a certain time every day regardless of what’s on my plate (most of the time*).
Additionally, I’m a morning person – so I like to front load my day with difficult or strenuous things so that when I’m finally off, I’m off no strings attached and then can spend time with family or go out without feeling guilty about picking that over something else I maybe should be doing because those things are done.
What role does mental health play in your physical journey?
They go hand-in-hand and I’ve experienced the spiraling effect they can have on each other when one of them takes a hit.
For example I injured my knee a few years ago, had to take time off from working out, and take physical therapy. Unfortunately, it’s never fully recovered to how it was before. During the first few months of struggling with that injury I developed some chronic pain there as well as some grief for a lost sense of youthfulness. I spiraled a bit. I didn’t want to workout because my knee hurt, which made me feel incapable so my motivation dropped so I felt like working out even less, which meant I wasn’t active and instead was just sitting all the time which made my knee and my mental health worse.
Counterintuitively though, working out actually helps calm a lot of the inflammation around my knee and makes it feel better. When I finally started getting back to a better routine which looked a little different than it did before the injury, lots of yoga not as much impact workouts, I immediately felt better mentally as well. I’m still capable, still youthful, but I got this one bitch-ass knee now.
What role does diet and nutrition play in your fitness commitment?
My wife and I love good food, it’s something we bond over. Which means… we need to workout so we can eat what we want without feeling too guilty about it.
That being said, most of the work week we try to eat responsibly avoiding processed foods if we can and doing simple things like not having soda in the house. Kind of like how I make it convenient to go to the gym, I try to make it inconvenient to make bad choices. I gotta really want that soda to leave my house to get it.
What advice would you give to someone struggling to stay committed to their fitness goals?
Hey we’ve all been there. Take it easy on yourself, try to make the healthy choices easier and more convenient and do the opposite for the bad choices.
If you’re trying to hit a goal, make a plan to get there. Know that plans change, and that’s ok too.
