How this all started...
The idea of Painted Porch Fitness was born in the pandemic of 2020, when fitness was simultaneously at its most necessary and also at its hardest to find. As someone whose personal fitness journey began as a way to combat depression, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of exercise to dramatically impact a person's life for the better. I was determined to create a way to bring a safe and affordable fitness solution to the people when they needed it most and thus, Painted Porch Fitness was born!
My goal with Painted Porch is to provide you with everything you need to succeed in one hour (or less) per day, five days per week. That means giving you a well balanced workout program, complete with warm ups, cool downs, and personalized coaching to keep you safe and motivated. To get an idea of how this works, check out this free introductory workout!
Your health and fitness are incredibly important to me, and I'd be honored to be your Coach!
- Adrian Aguilar, Founder and Coach
ADRIAN AGUILAR
THE FITNESS COACH
he / him / his
Adrian Aguilar is a Level 2 Certified CrossFit Trainer, with over 12 years of experience as a trainer and coach. He is obsessed with helping anyone and everyone, and his dedication to teaching functional fitness has changed countless lives. Adrian currently serves as Head Coach for two Anytime Fitness locations in Chicago, and was previously the Head Coach of Hardware CrossFit. Prior to that, he ran his own personal training company. Adrian is a husband and father, an Evanston resident, and yes, he has also performed on Broadway.
BRIANNA BORGER
THE BUSINESS MANAGER
she / her / hers
Brianna Borger is an accomplished singer, actor, vocal coach, and office administrator. While Adrian is writing Painted Porch workout programming and helping out members with their questions, Brianna handles the website, social media, accounting, advertising... all the fun businessy stuff. Brianna has dabbled in all sorts of fitness modalities, but she especially loves taking long walks at a freakishly fast pace and olympic/power lifting. Her favorite pastime is spending time in the kitchen, cooking and baking for her friends and family.
IAN AGUILAR
THE CO-COACH
Ian loves to help his dad write workout programming for PPF. His favorite things are Star Wars, baseball, drumming, LEGO, and overhead walking lunges.
What's with the name?
Back in Athens in about 300 BC, there was a philosopher named Zeno of Citium. Zeno taught a new branch of philosophy from a place called the Stoa Poikile, or "Painted Porch." Because the followers of this philosophy always met at the Stoa, they became known as the Stoics, and eventually that new branch of philosophy became known as Stoicism.
In my long journey with health and wellness of the body AND mind, two daily practices have easily been the biggest game-changers for me: exercise for the body and Stoicism for the mind. Why Stoicism? Well, here are some of the Stoic principles and practices that have very much changed my life:
▸ Practice gratitude daily.
▸ Your life could end at any moment; live it that way.
▸ Wherever there is a living creature, there is an opportunity for kindness.
▸ It is impossible for someone to learn what they think they already know.
▸ What stands in the way, becomes the way.
▸ Anything is what you make of it.
I could go on and on, but I'll leave you with this quote from Marcus Aurelius, which may be very appropriate for those who are looking to start up this fitness program: