Team Beachbody Guest

My decision to change my life for the better is not a remarkable one. There was no Doctor telling me that unless I changed my ways things would get really bad, or that I had high blood pressure or high cholesterol. (If I did I was not aware of it!)
I was the average 30 something guy that had let his fitness spiral downhill to the level of couch potato. I was not drastically overweight and was comfortable telling myself that it was all good and this is what happened to older people.
Over time I would be buying slightly bigger and bigger clothes and that was okay as I felt comfortable in them. However little things like being out of breath at the top of the stairs, and tweaking a hamstring when bending down made me realize that I was allowing myself to fall apart. To be honest I could even deal with that to a point, but what really made me sit up and take notice was a photo I saw of myself. I saw this tired, grey-haired, unfit, puffy faced person looking back and it shocked me. I had always considered myself a slender guy but the person looking back at me wasn’t.

I have attempted Power 90 twice in the last few years and although I flirted with success I never gave it the dedication that I knew would produce results. At age 39.5 I knew I had to do something now or I was in danger of letting my health spiral out of control. P90X was the solution but 90 days seemed such a long way out, and it looked scary!!

Late June 2007 I decided I would try Slim in 6 which my Wife had bought a month before! I would commit to 6 weeks no matter what it took, and complete that program. Surely even I could do six weeks!!!!
I had decent success doing it, losing some body fat and starting to weigh closer to where I needed to be! I was headed in the right direction. Also I was scared to try P90X (which I’ve owned for two years by the way) without some level of fitness behind me.

So with Slim in 6 behind me I started P90X in August 2007 and decided that I would try to do this as near to perfection as I could. There was no point working hard and eating badly. I started participating on a thread of like-minded people through the Beachbody website and announced to the world that I was starting Monday! Others said that they would join me also so now I was screwed. There was no backing out even If I wanted to!

Fast forward 90 days later and here I am, close to being at my goal of being fitter than I was when I was 20.

P90X is tough no question and unlike any exercise program I had ever done. It takes commitment and determination to get through it and for the first few weeks you will wonder why you even started? But gradually you feel stronger and although the exercises NEVER get easy, you become aware that you are able to push that bit harder each time, and that you are not out of breath at the same stage as you were the week before. Each week gets more and more encouraging.

When I look back at where I was when I started it is a little surreal. During my first ever Plyometrics I nearly pulled a hamstring in the warm up!!
The results? The 38” stomach from a year ago is now a 32! I can fit into every single piece of clothing that I own, which includes a pair of pants that I last wore in December 1998. I look and feel 10 years younger and the new found energy I have acquired filters through to everything else I do.
I now look at my body and am genuinely thankful that it allows me to perform the exercises that I do! I am thankful for my health and having the ability to make changes.

I am now seriously considering studying to become a fitness trainer. I would like to study for a part time degree in Fitness and Nutrition, and get a Trainer certification in the next two years.

I feel that Beachbody has armed me with an excellent knowledge in exercise, nutrition, and supplements and that is something I would like to share with others.
I always wondered how I could leave this world a better place than I found it and I think this is my calling to do just that.