Topher Harless

Easter shenanigans2026

In 2016 my father had a massive heart attack and then a quadruple bypass. The surgery was a success, but Dad never truly came back and in 2019 he passed away. After his heart attack, he told me he’d been eating fried chicken at least three times a week.

When he passed, I made a decision: I wanted to be better. I started marathon training and ran the LA Marathon twice, but I kept injuring myself. It’s frustrating to know you need to make a change, but not know how.

So, I made another decision: I wanted to change my life and the lives of my boys by learning what it really means to eat well and exercise without hurting yourself. I googled “What’s the hardest personal training program?” and came up.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to finish the course and really understand the content, but on Saturday, I passed the final exam. I am officially a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. (Special thanks to my beautiful wife for all of her love and support making this happen.)

Now I have the tools to teach my kids how to be healthy. I’m breaking the cycle.

I miss you, Dad. I wish I could have helped you too.

https://credentials.nasm.org/ae330592-41d5-4cb9-abac-5b594d2d672b?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social

We haven’t been on a proper vacation since before Crosby was born. This was the break we needed. I am very thankful.

Okay, this is a cool trend. I’m into it.

I keep these in a special box with some of my favorite memories from different points in my life. These classes meant so much to me, and I had an absolute blast taking them. UCB will always be the greatest. ❤️