This time last year, Brian Gray weighed 250 pounds. Today? His nieces and godchildren tell him, “Whoa! You’re skinny now!” Here’s Brian’s story.

What was your starting point, and how did you find The Studio (MDR)?
I started at The Studio (MDR) in July of 2012. At the time, I was probably around 250 pounds. I had just lost 20 pounds from changing my diet, going to the gym regularly, and doing some light running, but I felt I had hit a wall and I wanted to add something to my workout routine. My friend Beata Czechowski told me about the Studio (MDR) and introduced me to Lindsay. So after going on YouTube and looking up videos of people doing “Pilates” on a mat, I figured, I can do this. Mind you, I didn’t see anything on YouTube about using a reformer. So Lindsay invited me to one of the introduction classes, which she happened to be teaching. When I walked into The Studio (MDR) and saw these medieval machines, I thought I was in the wrong area. I was looking for the “pilates” room, but the only other door I saw was for the bathroom. Then Lindsay walked in and informed me that I was in the right spot. I was thinking, “What the fudge?! What did I sign up for?!” I soon found out it was the best workout of my life.

You work in the music industry. How do you make your workouts a priority and sneak away from the office in order to make it to class?
When I made this life change a year ago, I decided to make my body a big priority. I just have to put forth the effort to make sure I get my workouts in. Scheduling classes definitely helps keep me focused. If I have to travel, I make sure I have a class scheduled as soon as I get back. If I make long trips, I have Ky’s “at home workout” videos locked in my iPad! And since there are late classes in the evenings, I never have trouble making it from work on a daily basis. Also, I’ve been running a lot more, so when I plan a road trip, I try and find a nice running trail in the city I’m going to. This keeps my runs interesting and I always discover new things and see wonderful new scenery in each of the cities.