Hunter Warne: His Prey is Helping Others

4th of January, 2023

No, he's not dead. He's actually very much alive. He's back in Iowa after being in Charlotte for a bit. I met Hunter at Anytime Fitness a while back. There was a change in General Managers, and he was selected as the new one. I didn't know he was the new GM; in fact, I didn't know we had a new one until I talked to another one of the trainers. At the time, I didn't pay much attention to the GM position. Don't get me wrong; I said hi and bye, but that was about it. I did my workout, and I left. I usually went before work. I went a lot. At least twice a day at that point. It wasn't to impress anyone nor was it to just be there. I went in to sweat and, you know, maybe bleed. I hadn't been going to AF too long. I had just started my journey of fitness. When I got to the gym, I was lost, but I knew I needed to be there. I was shy at first because I joined toward the beginning of the year. Many times, people see critics of those that start going to a gym at the beginning of the new year. They always say that the new members won't last. I did last for 2 or 3 years.

Once Hunter was made GM of AF, he made his presence known in a good way. He's helped me out so much. Like I said, I didn't know who he was at first. I can't remember what I said to Tyler, but it was something to the effect to help me make sure I'm here after hitting a slump. Hunter came from around the corner and said "I will make sure you're here." He went back into the office as the phone, and I asked the trainer he was talking to who that was. Tyler explained to me what was going on, and that's when I found out about our new GM.

Hunter has kept track of my progress throughout my journey. He always gave me encouragement during workouts when he knew I wasn't happy with them. He gave me advice every time and would just talk to me. He cared what every person that went to AF did while they were there. He would do whatever he could to help everybody reach their goals.

Hunter was in the gym when I had my cardiac episode. This, I won't speak for him because I wasn't conscious. What I was awake for was when he and a few from the gym including Tyler came and visited me. I never expected anything like that. They even brought a shirt signed by a bunch of the gym members (pictured below Tyler on left Hunter on right). Some I have talked to, and some I haven't. They even told me I beat the body squat record.

That period was tough for me. I didn't like just being at home not being able to do anything. Especially stay home from the gym. He did his best to try to get me to be patient. In the meantime, I was taking walks, long walks. One walk was 10 miles. I just couldn't be in the house anymore. Hunter stayed in touch with me through Facebook the entire time. Depression was hitting hard as expected by some, but not me. I didn't know what to expect, and I'm not sure if Hunter did either. However, he knew what to say to keep me on track. And I don't like saying that he knew what to say. I think he really meant what he said. I wanted him to show me the video of my cardiac episode, but he wasn't going to show me. I really wished I had seen it, but I trust his judgement. He didn't necessarily like the long walks I was taking because he didn't want me to overdo it. I understood that, and he understood that I didn't want to be in the house too much. I couldn't be still for the longest time. Hunter understood that. He didn't want me to use the same machine that I dropped off of when my episode happened, but he knew I wasn't going to let a cardiac episode stop me. I made it my bitch when I got back.

When I got back, he kept a close eye on me (not stalker eye, just concerned friend). He had me stay out of group classes for a couple weeks just to make sure everything was firing right. Once I got back into the group classes, he kept up the encouraging words that I needed to hear. Between he and Tyler, I knew what they were telling me was geniune.

Both Hunter and Tyler would move onto other adventures in their lives, and my world fell apart. Not because of them moving on but because I forgot everything that they taught me. However, they stayed in touch. Even when I had my stroke, Hunter messaged me asking about me. It caught me by surprise because I knew he was doing his own thing in Charlotte. He still took time out of his day to cheer me up. If the depression didn't hit hard enough from the cardiac episode, it hit hard here.

A year after the stroke, I had to have open heart surgery. He still took time out of his day to offer help. I didn't take it, but I probably should have. If the depression didn't hit hard enough the last two times, BOOM!! It did this time with a vengeance. After about a year after the surgery, I was going back to a gym, just not AF. It was on the other side of town. It wasn't the same. I had left AF not long after Hunter and Tyler for reasons I probably talked about in another article. However, focus. This is about Hunter. I needed help bad. I messaged Hunter three words: I need help. We talked, and I learned that AF was not only under new management, but it's under new ownership. Now, I'm back at AF, and it's not the same without Hunter. However, I remember what he taught me, and I remember everything he's said. He still shows he cares, and I know he gets it from his mother, who runs the Food Bank of Iowa, Michelle Book.

Thank you, Hunter, for all you have done for me and for all that you do. You don't know how much it means to me. I know I'm not the only one. Bless you, Child.