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| Thom Seehafer |
Thom Seehafer is a businessman, bodybuilder, personal trainer and martial arts enthusiast in addition to being one of the newest MileHighGayGuy bloggers. Starting this Thursday, March 1, Thom will be writing about health and fitness and providing training tips and exercises in addition to healthy recipes and cooking ideas.
Says Seefhafer, "What makes me different in the personal training arena is that I don't just follow the standard exercises or routines. I take the basic things and tweak it up. I always keep my clients guessing about what's coming next."
I had the chance to talk to Thom about his personal and professional interests including his experiences living in Colorado Springs, his 12 bodybuilding competitions, his many pets, and his favorite people, places, and things in Colorado.
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| Daniel and dogs |
Thom: I will have lived in Colorado Springs for five years this October. I spent the first three years living in Woodland Park where I owned and operated Phoenix Tanning. It was a tough business area in Woodland Park, so once I closed that business down, I started working down in the Springs. Eventually the 45 minute drive each way got tiresome so my partner Daniel and I found a nice rental in quiet little suburbia.
What originally brought me here was the chance meeting of my partner online. I was in North Carolina and he was here in Colorado. We started our chats early summer of 2007, which led to texting and hour-long chats at night. We met physically at Raleigh Durham Airport on our way to St John USVI, I had invited him to take a vacation with me. In a short time, I sold my house in NC, he flew back from CO, we loaded up my Cherokee Jeep and five dogs, three cats, attached the 8X12 trailer and made the drive that I NEVER want to make again. But the journey was fun and easy and it made it clear to me that this was very right.
Colorado Springs has the reputation of being an unfriendly place for gays. What has been your experience with that?
The way I look at it, we are all here for one reason and that is to be happy and enjoy life. If it's between man and woman, man and man, woman and woman, who cares?! When we first moved to Woodland Park, I didn't even give it a second thought, not that I ever did. I worked in a restaurant and when they met my partner Daniel, he was welcomed just like any other customer who would walk through the door. They was no labeling, or titles or any of the sort. He was just a person, he was my partner and they know he made/makes me happy.
What is your opinion of the gay community in Colorado Springs?
We are all people, God's creation in one form or another. The fact that I don't look or act the way you want me to is what gives us our individuality. Personally, I say live and let live! If you don't like me for one reason or another, there is plenty of space to walk around me, walk away from me or just plain ignore me. I don't care.
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I did my first competition in Virginia when I was 25 years old. Again, my philosophy is this, if you are interested in something or if you question something then try to find the answer to it.
So I just decided to do a contest to see what it was all about - bright lights, tiny suit, LOTS of energy. And it doesn't hurt that I am a BIT of an extrovert, so walking around on stage in front of people really wasn't so hard.
I have done about 12 contests or so and each has been fun and always a learning experience, but for me, the goal was more about me and what I can do to make myself healthier as opposed to getting the biggest trophy.
Winning first place, that's all fine and good, but should NOT be your primary focus. You get so much more out of this besides a trophy. You get confidence, you get pride, you get energy just by altering the looks of your body through the physical aspect of training and watching what you put in your body.
What it has shown me is how I can control my body's appearance through exercising, eating right, carbing up, or carbing down, depending on the case. It has also made me a better cook because I now do more food preparation/making things from scratch as opposed to box mixes.
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Communicate, don't hold things in. Nothing ever gets accomplished when you allow a boil to fester. Talking allows it all to be exposed and then from there, you move forward.
What are some of your favorite people/places/things in Colorado?
Favorite places for me would be the restaurants and the parks here in Colorado. So many.
I have to say there is only one favorite "people" in my life and it's my partner, Daniel. I have many good friends and acquaintances, but feel blessed to have my one favorite person.
My favorite things in Colorado are sort of synonymous with favorite places. I like walking through Manitou Springs and Old Colorado City, and even walking downtown Colorado Springs either on a snowy night or a full moonlit night.
When was the last time your were shirtless in public? Oh hell, I will do that any chance I get. But I don't get too carried away. A tank top usually shows off a far amount of physique, but I probably should go shirtless a little more to keep up my overall tan. I can do shirtless really, really easily.
How and when did you come out?
There was no big celebration. We sent out a Christmas card photo the first year we were together, and whether people heard my voice on the phone and saw my bright smile in a photo, they knew I was happy so the fact that I was in love with another man really didnt mean squat to them. They saw and heard me and they knew I was happy.
What's your favorite food/book/TV show?
Love sushi and chocolates, and they can be eaten separately and also together. My favorite book is 'Art of War' -talk about a book of strategy. And yes, call me typical, but nothing can beat reruns of 'Will and Grace' or 'I Love Lucy'. Both are great shows and one is a great classic.
Thom Seehafer is part-owner of Body Solutions Rx, a company which he says helps people release excess weight in a short amount of time, but in a healthy, safe way with the use of Hcg.
