Matt Shade- Influencing the Wellness World

By: Emily Lehner

 

Matt Shade is dedicated to pursuing health and fitness, and creating individual and corporate atmospheres that encourage others to reach their health goals.

team-profile-mattStaying in top shape has always been an important goal for Matt Shade. He began his basketball career at Carmel High School, in Carmel, Indiana. After college, Shade had the desire to continue his basketball career collegiately. He visited Indiana Wesleyan and loved the mission mindset the coach and team possessed. “I immediately fell in love with the school and campus. IWU presented me with the opportunity to play ball while getting a good education,” stated Shade. He believes that if he had attended a larger university, he would’ve gotten lost in the shuffle. IWU provided him with the accountability necessary to thrive.

“Many of my college memories revolve around basketball. The program was intense, but some of the best memories of college I have are from basketball,” said Shade adding that his classes were phenomenal and smaller, which allowed him to stay on track and learn more. He was a member of the 1995 NCCAA championship team and received the NCCAA All Tournament award.

Shade graduated with a degree in Recreational Management. With basketball still as a major goal for Shade, he moved to California after graduation to play in an NBA summer pro-league. He ended up returning home, realizing that his path was more than basketball. Shade received a position at a doctor’s office.

After a few years of working in the doctor’s office, he decided to pave his own path in the health world. Shade started a personal training company, which eventually transformed into a corporate wellness company, and currently, he runs a company called Fit Livin’. Fit Livin’ gives employers and their employees the opportunity to take control of their health goals.

Fit LivinShade and his coworkers have created an app that allows users to set personal health goals and be encouraged by others using the app. “The app focuses on five things:  Community, Goal Setting, Nutrition, Movement, and Health,” explained Shade. The app brings about recipes, workout plans, and positive peer pressure. It resembles social media, but with resources. Participants can post updates, meals, and exercises they are doing throughout the day, and their followers can encourage them throughout the process. Goals are chosen based on what the user is passionate about, and then a community is selected to provide accountability.

 

Shade said, “Indiana Wesleyan provided me with a lifestyle that I teach my kids on a daily basis- to have priorities. They start with faith, family, friends, and fun. We talk about that a lot. Those are the experiences I took home with me from IWU.” He places these priorities into his work, using his health platform to influence his friends and family and likewise, allowing his friends and family to shape the way he does his job.  

http://fitlivinteam.com/athlete-spotlight-matt-shade-2/

Visit Fit Livin’ on Facebook or Twitter @FitLivin. Download the APP FitLivin.

 

Written by Emily Lehner, a writer for the Alumni Center and a sophomore Writing major at IWU. She is active on the cross country and track teams. She is passionate about using her writing skills to share the good news of Christ with others and writes often on her personal blog at www.emilylehner.wordpress.com.