My name is Dallas Longshore, and I am human, just like you. January 1, 2003, at 216 pounds, I found myself the heaviest I have ever weighed in my life, and I resolved to do something about it. Over the subsequent year, while bouncing from one extremely restrictive diet to the next, I lost a whopping 71 pounds to find myself at a somewhat frail 5'9”, 145lbs. I did not exercise: I restricted calories, then fats, then carbs, then more calories and as a result, I easily lost 12 - 15 pounds of muscle along the way. Had I not made a drastic change of lifestyle at the completion of my weight loss, I would now likely weigh 250 pounds, my body fat would be alarmingly over 50% of my total body weight and my health would be in dire straits. Had I chosen instead to live a reasonably healthy lifestyle and participate in moderate, regular exercise from the beginning, I could have maintained the muscle AND lost the fat in the same amount of time, or less. Be that as it may, 2004 was the year I spent regaining health over straight weight loss.

In the new year, 2004, I began working with a Certified Personal Trainer, reading everything I could find and becoming reacquainted with the virtues and benefits of exercise and a moderated diet. I began a program of resistance and cardiovascular training, and by year-end, I regained the lean muscle I had lost, added a bit more and felt better than I had since I was in the military some fourteen years before.

2005 would be my year to pursue a career change. Soon after completing my Army service in 1991, I began working for a school district while seeking my bachelor's degree. Ultimately, I wound up as a Network Administrator with the district and had fallen—quite by accident—into a tidy little career. The trouble with my job was that I never actually chose it, it just worked out that way. Now, I have chosen to help others as they endeavor to improve their levels of fitness and well being, and I am excited to be on this path!

I received the National Strength & Conditioning Association Certified Personal Trainer, NSCA-CPT, accreditation in August of 2006 and completed the Fitness & Human Performance graduate program at the University of Houston Clear Lake in December of the same year. Having been a long time fan of massage, I then attended The Texas School of Massage and became a licensed massage therapist, LMT, by the State of Texas in July of 2007 while continuing to train individuals and small groups privately. I studied under Dr. Laura Perry DC, The Institute of Trigger Point Therapy, to become a Certified Trigger Point Therapist in 2008. I am currently enrolled in the Esthetics program at College of the Mainland and will be licensed for skin care this summer (2010). I left Bergamos Spa Retreat, Friendswood, after a very successful two years to pursue a private practice exclusively and may now be seen for massage & bodywork at my Alvin location or in your home.

Feel better...exercise and try massage!