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SoCal Fitness Guru On A Quest To Change A Million Lives

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – With Los Angeles County and other surrounding communities reinstating the masks mandate for indoor businesses, Californians are once again being asked to play by the rules in an effort to keep everyone safe.

SoCal Fitness Guru On A Quest To Change A Million Lives
Tymiere Griffin leads a beach workout in Redondo Beach, Calif., on July 23, 2021. (CBSLA)

But there are gym enthusiasts, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, who have yet to return to the gym for fear of catching COVID-19 and the highly contagious Delta variant.

That's where Southern California fitness guru and trainer Tymiere Griffin comes in. He is using his personal story of struggle to get you up and moving safely at the beach.

With the temperament of a drill sergeant and, the physique of a Hollywood action figure, Griffin is all business. On any given Saturday, you'll find the 25-year-old training groups on beaches up and down the Southland.

With the rapidly spreading Delta variant, and millions of Americans not yet vaccinated, Griffin says beach workouts may be the safest alternative for those opting to stay away from traditional gyms.

"It's a priority, but there are so many ways that we can make it fun, we can make it scenic," Griffin tells CBS2 News This Morning's DeMarco Morgan.

"The sand adds another element to the workout," he adds.

Griffin sees training as part of his calling.

"It's through fitness, but it's deeper than fitness, fitness is my avenue," Griffin said.

He's finding purpose along the way with a mission to change one million lives.

"It's a phrase on how I can portray my true calling to the world," Griffin said.

"My calling is to positively impact and encourage a large amount of people."

He seeks to do this by motivating them to reach their highest potential, be it on the sand or in their everyday endeavors.

"And the number 'one million' is just my way of remembering it's bigger than myself," Griffin said.

Griffin believes his challenging past while growing up in Delaware City, Del., is what now has him on the road to fulfilling his purpose of changing one life at a time.

"I felt pain," Griffin said. "I felt a lot of pain."

With his father absent his entire life, his mother, Tia Griffin and grandmother Cheryl worked several jobs to make ends meet to keep Griffin on a straight path.

"It was tough," Griffin said. "I remember waiting outside of churches and stuff like that for food."

"I was raised with love, with compassion. Going back into that pain, I remember there's times my mom would tell me, she used to wrap me up in blankets...we come from a car that didn't have heat," Griffin said.

"I used to always get aggravated with my mom, and I would cry to my mom, going all the way to college, because I felt greatness in myself, but I just never knew what it was."

Little did he know that frustration would later lead him to Southern California.

"Money is money, that comes and goes, I need to be here for my family," Griffin said.

WEB EXTRA: Watch below for Griffin's top five exercises that almost anyone can accomplish on the beach.

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