Four years ago, Mayor Sylvester Turner named Samir Becic, the founder of Health Fitness Revolution, the “Fitness Czar” of Houston. Since then, Samir has been on a mission to make Houston a healthier and more fit place to live!
And you know what? It’s a title he’s earned—and continues to earn—every day! Samir has over 20 years of community service in Houston, and he continues to do incredible work for our city.
Over the last four years, he’s worked tirelessly to make this city healthier and fitter. We’re proud of his work, and what he’s accomplished for this community!
When Samir was named the “Fitness Czar” of Houston in 2018, he knew he had a big job ahead of him. A city of this size would need a lot of encouragement, creativity, and perseverance to get the residents of Houston healthier and fitter.
In his time as the “Fitness Czar” of Houston, to date, he has:
-regularly participated in fitness events throughout the city
-motivated and educated 20,000 city employees to live healthier
-visited the Houston Police academy to discuss cadet training
-given speeches at schools
-ran 8 marathons in 8 weeks wearing a 75 lbs weighted vest
-coordinated vitamin donations to first responders at the start of COVID
-encouraged Houstonians to stay safe and get vaccinated
-ranked the fittest celebrities including actors, actresses, rock stars, late night talk show hosts, celebrity chefs…
-ranked politicians in an effort to motivate them to promote more health and fitness to their constituents including Heads of State, Governors, Senators, U.S. Congressmembers, and Mayors.
-sent over 1000 dedicated copies of his books to Governors, Senators, U.S. Congressmembers, Mayors, Texas Congressmembers, Texas City Council Members, and Texas County Judges.
-sent letters to motivate corporations to implement more wellness programs to employees; including the Fortune 500 companies based in Texas, and the 100 largest companies headquartered in Houston.
-sent letters to the largest 100 school districts in America, the 100 largest school districts in Texas, all the school districts in the greater Houston area, and the 80 largest private schools in Texas in an effort to increase physical activity among students and youth.
However, Samir Becic is a man of many feats. Here is a look back at what he’s done as “Fitness Czar” over the past 4 years:
2022:
Most recently, in celebration of his 4th anniversary as the “Fitness Czar,” Samir tasked his team at HFR with releasing a series of articles called “Healthy Houston.” These articles highlight places to go that promote a healthy lifestyle, including parks and campsites, healthy restaurants, along with fun family-oriented events and places to visit! It aims to inform and encourage Houstonians to participate in activities that will promote a more active lifestyle. Click here to see the list of articles on places to visit in the Houston area.
Throughout his tenure, Samir Becic has continued to inspire Houstonians to take control of their health by creating several accessible and achievable fitness goals. If you’ve been following his story, then you know that getting fit takes a lot more than just running laps around the track or lifting heavy weights at the gym. It takes dedication, effort—and most importantly—a specific plan for success.
Samir’s goal is to show people that they can achieve their goals with hard work and dedication. He works to set manageable examples for individuals who want to achieve big goals, but who may need more motivation. Because he knows that sometimes the work it will take can be overwhelming.
Earlier this year, he completed a 464-mile hike wearing a backpack that weighed an additional 55 pounds. He hiked on terrain with an incline that ranged all the way to 47 degrees as a way to push himself further. And if that isn’t inspiring enough, he is working to break his own personal record by completing a 3-mile walk with an extra 200 pounds (he previously did 2.87 miles)! Yes, you read that right! Samir’s fitness regime is like a finely-tuned machine, with each component working in sync to produce results.
Samir started training for the challenge on July 7th by wearing a 75-pound weighted vest. After that, he continuously increased the weight by 25 pounds each time until he finally reached 200 extra pounds. Aimed at raising awareness about obesity within the community, this mission sought to empower people to partake in their own fitness journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
Alongside his own fitness goals, Samir’s impassioned efforts to increase awareness of obesity in Houston and around the state have continued. Samir has always been passionate about fitness and nutrition, but he is also passionate about spreading awareness of obesity prevention.
Following the CDC releasing of new data that now a staggering 42% of American adults are now obese, Samir has channeled his frustration with this news by sending letters to politicians, school districts, and corporations. He has worked tirelessly to write powerful and motivating letters to the 500 largest school districts in America, and over 1000 politicians nationwide (including all 50 governors, the mayors of the 100 largest cities, etc) in an effort to initiate real change.
In his letter to 500 Texan politicians, he asked them to take action against obesity by emphasizing that they have the power to implement healthy changes for citizens of Texas by making their voices heard. The letter explains why obesity is such a major concern that we simply can no longer ignore. He continues to emphasize that as politicians, they have the power to implement healthy changes for citizens of Texas. He believes: “politicians have the opportunity to motivate their fellow Texans to pursue a healthy lifestyle through their words, deeds, and actions.” Click here to see the letter he sent to the 500 Texan politicians.
In April of 2022, Samir wrote to the 300 largest companies in Houston as part of his fitness campaign in 2022, knowing that our corporate leaders have the power to make changes that can improve people’s lives. They have the power to and should implement ways for their employees to participate in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Employees who are healthier make for a happier workplace, thereby creating a better place to work. It’s truly a win-win situation for both parties! Let it be noted that studies have shown that, “every dollar spent by employers on wellness programs returns an average six-fold decrease in employee absenteeism and health care costs.” In financial terms, this perfectly illustrates how companies can still win by helping their employees eat right, stay active, and live a healthier lifestyle. Click here to see how Samir pushes for a healthier work-life in the Houston community.
Recently, he completed another extreme fitness challenge by walking 3 miles with 200 lbs of weight around his body. He hoped to understand and encourage obese individuals to take charge of their health and start their fitness journey slowly..
From Sept. 22 to 24, Samir attended the Texas Tribune’s annual Festival in Austin, TX, and met several United States Members of Congress.
Recently, Samir met the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy MD, MBA. With similar views on fitness and diet, Samir was thankful to Dr. Murthy for his contribution to the public health of the American people.
He met with Dr. Hotez to thank him for his contributions to society during the worst pandemic since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. In addition, Samir gave him a copy of his book “Resync Your Life” to thank him.
Another influential leader Samir met was former U.S. Ambassador to Nato Kay Bailey Hutchinson. He was honored to meet her as she has shaped the current global diplomacy.
Samir met Karl Rove, a former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to George W. Bush, and Robert Gibbs, a former White House Press Secretary under Obama. Both had great insight into the public health of the nation.
To add to the list of politicians, Samir met the former governor of Ohio and 2016 Presidential candidate, John Kasich. Samir had the opportunity to listen to Kasich, a mental health advocate.
Hearing that the obesity rate in America was over 40%, inspired Samir to write over 600 letters to the CEO’s of the biggest companies in America, urging them to make changes within the corporation in order to move toward a healthier country.
To further show support and motivation to the people of America. Samir Becic took on the challenge to hike 464-miles with 55 lbs of weight on his back to celebrate his 46th birthday.
After Samir reached out to the top 500 companies, Walmart responded back saying they agreed with his proposal on helping people achieve a healthier lifestyle. Their mission is to provide nutritional food at an affordable price.
Mayor Turner wished a happy birthday to Samir and acknowledged that he is a great health ambassador for the City of Houston.
Samir is aware that obesity is a national health issue. So he took the initiative to reach out to 647 companies in America to persuade them to promote better health in their corporations.
To further push his efforts for a healthier America, Samir reached out to 1000 politicians as part of his new fitness campaign. His Gail was to educate and persuade these leaders to promote healthier lifestyles in the area they govern or oversee.
In addition to Samir’s extreme fitness challenges, he is further pushed to help the people in America. He reached out to 50 governors as part of the new fitness campaign to implement better policies and projects that improve the lives of their citizens.
As phase 2 unfolded, Samir continued to reach out to politicians on the issue of obesity. This time, he reached 100 mayors of the largest cities in America.
Samir then continued to persuade leaders around the country when he reached out to 500 Texas politicians as part of his phase 2 fitness campaign.
Samir then wrote to 200 mayors and council members of the largest cities in Texas. With this effort, he hoped to hear back with the support of his ideas on the obesity problem in the country.
With all the effort Samir has made for the city and country, he was pleased to hear Senator John Cornyn support his efforts on his fitness campaign.
Obesity is a problem many people and even children are facing today in America. Knowing this, Samir helped raise awareness on the issue by sending letters to 80 prominent private schools in Texas.
With the obesity rate in America over 40%, Samir wanted to raise awareness and has done so by writing letters to 120 of the largest school districts in the state of Texas.
Samir wants to motivate the greater Houston school districts into implementing more fitness in the programs. He continuously volunteers his time doing speeches and seminars for school nutritionists and other organizations.
2021:
Samir understands that obesity is not just a problem confined to Texas; it’s an issue that’s affecting people all over America. This is why he also sent dedicated copies of his HarperCollins book “ReSYNC Your Life” to 2000 U.S. political leaders in an effort to inspire them to keep motivating Americans to live healthier and fitter.
He sent these books to the 26 U.S. Congressmembers that represent Texas and to the politicians who made Health Fitness Revolution’s following lists:
- “Top 20 Fittest Politicians”
- “Top 40 US Representatives in America”
- “Top 20 Fittest Senators”
- “Top 20 Fittest Mayors”
- “Top 10 Fittest Governors”
Samir Becic wants to use this list as motivation for other politicians to be more fit and active. This helps promote a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their constituents.
Samir wrote an article on the fittest governors in America to promote our leaders to be good examples to citizens.
Samir dedicates signed copies of his book to each of the “top 20 fittest politicians in America.” He wants to raise awareness on health issues and keep motivating Americans to live healthier and fitter.
After finishing his 3rd year of being Houston’s Fitness Czar, Samir announced that he would be going into his 6th campaign to help the citizens of Houston. He started by asking celebrities to record a short video of their workout routine to motivate their fans.
Samir Becic has reached out to all 36 congress members from Texas, requesting meetings with them in order to raise awareness about the obesity crisis.
Samir had the opportunity to attend the NBA Hall of Fame Gala. He was proud to see his friend Rudy T get into the Hall of Fame.
After attending the 2020 NBA Hall of Fame Tip-Off Gala. Samir had the opportunity to meet Mike Tyson.
Samir thanked Jim Crane, the owner of the Astros by giving him a copy of his book “Resync Your Life” as a thank-you token for the work he does to make Houston a better place.
After vaccinations were available to fight Covid-19, Samir encouraged Houstonians to get vaccinated by educating them on how they work and reduce the severity of the illness.
To thank politicians for their efforts to improve the lives of Americans, Samir sent his book “Resync Your Life” as a thank you. He first started with the fittest senators in America.
To increase the fight against obesity, Samir sent dedicated books to the fittest mayors in America as a thank-you for their efforts to better the lives of their citizens.
To further show his gratitude, Samir sent dedicated books to the fittest governors in America as a thank-you for their efforts.
At the start of 2021, Samir was excited to partake in a fitness campaign to write to leaders around the country to promote healthier lives. He hopes leaders will start to put obesity health issues a priority and implement action to eliminate this problem.
As the year ended, Samir had the opportunity to celebrate his 20 years with the city of Houston and his third year as the fitness Czar of Houston.
With a strong passion for fighting obesity, Samir was alarmed by the results found in a New England Journal of Medicine study. The study found that 48.9% of Americans will be obese by 2030.
Samir also coordinated his team to help write several “Top 10 Fittest” lists and rankings. He aimed to motivate individuals to follow on their favorite celebrity’s fitness journey.
Samir knows that people look up to inspiration from celebrities. With this in mind, he wanted to promote health by writing about the fittest rising actresses of 2021.
Samir and his team wrote another list of the fittest rising stars to promote health further. He hoped young readers would see how their favorite celebrities can care for fitness and partake in their fitness journey.
The Bachelorette is a very famous T.V. show. To promote health and fitness, Samir wrote about the fitness journey of Michelle Young, who was chosen as the lead on the show.
To inform fans of The Bachelorette, Samir wrote about the fitness and health of the top 8 fittest guys on the show.
2020:
Samir was recognized in Houstonia Magazine’s 2020 piece “Houston: The American Dream” as one of 40 immigrants from around the world, who made their way to Houston, thrived, and became the city’s very heart and soul.
In that same year, Samir was chosen from the top 6 “American Dream” immigrants and asked to collaborate in a charity panel hosted by Interfaith Ministries and Houstonia Magazine. The virtual panel was asked to participate due to their substantial contributions to the community and included Harris County Judge Lina Hildalgo along with many other honored guests.
Since Samir was aware of the difficulties in staying active during the pandemic, Samir decided to give easy home workout tips in the Houstonia Mag feature. He hoped to inspire people to continue their workouts at home during the difficult time.
Samir then joined VegOut, an organization that encourages people to eat healthier. It offers delicious recipes people can follow and stick to a healthy diet.
Samir was also on the City Pulse Show and had a great time talking about everything coming up in the city. He also had the chance to highlight the best ways to stay healthy.
With a solid start to 2020, Samir was on the front cover of the Houston Chronicle and was featured on their homepage.
Samir and his team at Health Fitness Revolution enjoy recognizing politicians who choose to demonstrate a healthy lifestyle and promote physical activity within their communities. Samir and his team published lists of the fittest representatives, governors, senators, and mayors.
Samir even talked with CNN Balkan about the 2020 election. He wanted to tell the people that the President would bring positive changes to the public health sphere and overall health.
2019:
Samir attended the Democratic National Committee Debate and was amazed by the positive discussion many of the contenders planned for the public.
Samir also visited the police academy in Houston to help them have their best foot forward regarding their health, especially in a dangerous field of work.
At the start of 2019, Samir Becic wrote a letter to President Trump about his mission to make America the fittest country in the world. This message was written to the President to help illustrate his plans to do and how the President’s aid would help tip the scales.
Samir continued his series on the fittest mayors in America to further encourage the nation on their fitness, which aims to encourage mayors to strive and be the best example to their cities.
Samir even had the opportunity to be hosted by Deborah Duncan of Great Day Houston. Deborah Duncan talked about how Samir encouraged her to partake in her fitness journey and how she was grateful for Samir’s support.
In 2019, Samir hosted a few interactive seminars with City of Houston employees. Not only were the city employees enthusiastically asking questions- many of them jumped at the opportunity to do some physical exercises. For example, public works employees performed push-ups, squats, and crunches. At the same time, Samir gave accessible health and fitness tips that everyone can incorporate into their lives.
Samir went to the Bob Lanier Public Works Building to continue his efforts for a healthy Houston. He attended his second seminar to continue teaching his crowd about health and fitness. His audience was allowed to ask questions and even received his book “Resync Your Life.”
Samir also organized a collaborative effort with UNICEF and the city. To reduce the rising obesity epidemic among our children in America, he attended a meeting between UNICEF and the City of Houston! Samir met with UNICEF Director for Texas Nelson Bowman, Olivera Jankovska, UNICEF’s Global Citizenship fellow, Houston Director of Education Juliet Stipeche, and Christa Stoneham, the Mayor’s Manager of Communities to discuss an exciting new program from UNICEF called Kid Power Program, which encourages American elementary school students to stay active with a special fitness band.
Kids from Best Elementary School were allowed to play soccer with a former Dynamo Defender, Michael Chabala. Samir attended this celebration to see how UNICEF power kids help the children of Houston.
Samir attended a play ball summer day at Diez park. Kids of all age groups were allowed to play baseball in a friendly and safe environment to promote wellness for the younger generation.
In May, Samir attended the ceremony for the new pool built in Sharpstown, Houston. He challenged a few city leaders with exercises to motivate the community to get more active.
Samir took on several training exercises to build endurance and strength, including pushing a 5500 lbs vehicle while wearing 200 lbs of weight.
He published his Top 10 Fittest Heads of State list to international media acclaim.
To promote fitness and wellness in Houston, Samir started to write about well-known individuals in different fields of work that live in the city. He began by writing on the fittest radio personalities in Houston.
Samir also wrote about the top fittest TV personalities in the Houston area. He hoped to promote health in the city of Houston citizens as they see how their favorite TV personnel take care of their health.
To encourage the LGBTQ community, Samir wrote about the fittest LGBTQ celebrities.
Samir also wrote an article for Game of Thrones fanatics. He aimed to encourage fans to care for their fitness just like their favorite celebrity stars.
New talent is seen every year. So to encourage young individuals to care for their fitness, Samir wrote the Top 10 fittest rising Hollywood actresses.
To continue the top 10 series, Samir wrote about the fittest-rising Hollywood actors to encourage young individuals that a healthy lifestyle can start at an early age.
It is challenging to stay fit when your profession is in the kitchen. So to continue the famous top 10 series, Samir wrote about the fittest chefs in the world.
2018
On November 1st, 2018, Mayor Sylvester Turner officially named Samir Becic the “Fitness Czar” of Houston. He received this title for his continuous work to the 6.5 million inhabitants to make the city of Houston filter place.
In 2018 Samir famously ran 7 marathons in 8 weeks, each while wearing a weighted vest equivalent to an additional 73.5 lbs. This extreme fitness challenge was the first of its kind in the world.
With all these incredible accomplishments. Samir has received many awards over the years. Recognizing his incredible work for the public. He has received the following awards:
- Official Fitness Czar for the city of Houston proclaimed by Mayor Sylvester Turner
- Named the “Best Fitness Trainer in the World” by two-time NBA Championship coach and Olympic gold medalist Rudy Tomjanovich
- Named Top 40 “American Dream” immigrant
- Chosen among the Top 6 “American Dream” immigrants for a collaborative panel between Interfaith Ministries and Houstonia Magazine
- “#1 Fitness Trainer in the World,”- 4 times by Bally Total Fitness
- #1 Fitness Trainer in Texas,”- 22 times by Bally Total Fitness
- #1 Fitness Trainer in Houston”- 29 times by Bally Total Fitness
- “Best of the Best Fitness Trainer”- 2 times by Bally Total Fitness
- “Best Fitness Director”- 2 times by Bally Total Fitness
- “Men’s Journal Top Fitness Trainer in America”
- “Houston Health Warrior” by Health & Fitness Sports Magazine
- “The Motivator” by the Houston Chronicle
As he begins his 5th year as “Fitness Czar”, he plans on continuing his efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle in the city of Houston. He is honored to be named “Fitness Czar.” He will continue to provide the citizens of Houston with opportunities to improve their quality of life by informing them on nutrition, physical activity, and city policies.
