Darnell Reed is no stranger to fitness.

At age 11, he began wrestling, a sport that he continued throughout his adolescence and well into his 20s, even after he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. As if basic training weren’t enough, the Desert Storm vet took up mixed martial arts fighting, which opened doors for him with a career as a personal trainer.

Reed trained for 10 years at mega gyms like L.A. fitness and Bally and picked up a healthy knowledge of nutrition.

Suffice it to say, an active, healthy lifestyle is his passion.

On Jan. 26, Reed will showcase some of the exercise routines he uses to motivate clients in their quest for fitness. He is one of eight personal trainers, fitness instructors and coaches competing in the 2013 Fitness FaceOff competition at the CrossRoadsNews annual Health & Wellness Expo at the Mall at Stonecrest in Lithonia. The competition starts at 1 p.m. on the Main Stage in front of Sears.

After years of successfully helping clients meet their wellness goals, Reed said he began noticing that people are becoming more health-conscious overall.

In 2012, he translated his passion into his own personal training service, ProQual Fitness, based in Sandy Springs.

Reed said his goal is to help people achieve their health goals.

“It’s about helping people become more conscious and aware of what they’re putting in their bodies and what they’re doing with their bodies,” he said.

Reed, who lives in Sandy Springs, says taking care of your body means changing your lifestyle. He says that staying healthy doesn’t just happen with a casual three-day-a-week workout.

“Fitness happens both inside and outside the gym,” he said. “You have to change your sleeping habits, your eating habits. You have to commit to it.”

For more information, visit proqualfitness.com, e-mail proqualfitness@gmail.com or call Reed at 770-710-4541.