Team Beachbody Guest

My name is Kip Doronila (kip@kipdoronila.com) and as of July 2009, the time of this writing, I am in the WORST shape of my ENTIRE life and I was one chubby kid...CUTE as all get out but FAT, and I don't mean PHAT as in "pretty hot and tempting".

In fact, on the small island of Guam where I grew up, my family didn't always have money to buy groceries. So, as the story goes, they would go to the

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My name is Kip Doronila (kip@kipdoronila.com) and as of July 2009, the time of this writing, I am in the WORST shape of my ENTIRE life and I was one chubby kid...CUTE as all get out but FAT, and I don't mean PHAT as in "pretty hot and tempting".

In fact, on the small island of Guam where I grew up, my family didn't always have money to buy groceries. So, as the story goes, they would go to the store, waive my photo around and tell shoppers that "this little boy needed money to eat", and then ask them for money, which invariably some of them would give. Now that story might be apocryphal but look at my picture (http://kipdoronilaisbringingit.blogspot.com) and judge for yourself.

Then came my adolescent years where, on that same small island, I shed all of that "baby fat" and became a typical carefree kid. I lost all of that weight in part because being away from my coddling grandmother in the Philippines, who loved me but constantly fed me a high-fat and high-carbohydrate diet, my body reached it's natural weight for a kid my age and height. Also, because I was around my hyper-competitive cousins, constantly playing sports of some kind, I developed an athleticism that would serve me into my teens and even now. I am very grateful for this because I could have easily been influenced the other way, quickly turning into an introverted bookworm who never got up from his books. Surprisingly, this is my natural inclination; to be a hermit. Now, I am a hermit who lifts weights, mountain bikes, runs, rock climbs, does yoga, has competed in mixed martial-arts, and continues to cross-train in a variety of martial arts including Kali, JKD, Aikido and Jujitsu.

Continuing the story, I reached my high school years having developed into your average teenager, shy and uncertain in many ways, but with a modicum of courage and bravado that comes with growing up with competitive peers. I was especially eager to learn new things and try my mettle in sports. It took a couple years of sifting but eventually I settled on tennis as my high school sport of choice. I tried football and baseball, and although I was tenacious I was too small to be competitive at a collegiate level, and my goal was to get a scholarship to help pay for school. Besides, I had played many hours of tennis with family and friends and that placed this sport well within my comfort zone. Eventually my prowess on the tennis court saw me become Zion Benton high-school's varsity tennis team's first-seed, team captain, and eventually provided a private collegiate tennis scholarship.

I spent two years at a small community college before transferring to the University of Guam where, surrounded by the sandy beaches and endless summer weather of my youth, not to mention those very same crazy-competitive cousins of mine, I matured into a fine athlete and student, even if I do say so myself. Being very active in my church and youth group, I stayed away from the "partying" scene and instead focused on developing what I thought to be a solid foundation of good exercise and eating habits. At my peak level of fitness while on Guam, I co-managed a health food store, regularly played 10 - 20 hours of sports per week (basketball, tennis), resistance-training for endurance, competed in mini-triathlons, and began studying Kali (Filipino martial arts), all while attending university and maintaining a solid 3.5 GPA.

I maintained an endurance athlete's physique throughout most of my early-twenties and really hit my stride in my mid-twenties when I discovered that I didn't have to sacrifice Speed & Flexibility, which is critical in martial arts, for Size and Symmetry. I was never "sculpted" like my childhood hero Bruce Lee and I wanted to change that. Heavy resistance training was the way! Looking back, I guess you could say that I was trying to get a "Million Dollar Body", if you'll pardon the editorial liberties that I'm taking with the Beachbody Million Dollar Body Game, and I think I was successful.

Throughout my mid to late-twenties and early-thirties, although I had worked as a Corporate Consultant for some of the biggest companies in the Fortune 100, I maintained my physique and managed to keep my weight between 175 (ripped) and 195 (soft but looked okay in clothes) lbs without much of a problem. In part, this was due to my dedication to good fitness and eating habits, cultivating spiritual and mental discipline through the meditation, and the fact that I always managed to work local to my clients, thereby limiting travel. I worked a typical 8 hrs day, five days a week and was content to be a bachelor, which meant that I could spend 3-4 hrs in the gym, on the tennis court, mountain bike, etc. every day!

That brings us to the present, and like many of you, over the last few years I've found out the truth behind that old saying, "the only constant is change". Now, you like me I'm sure, realize that change is neither good or bad it just is, but when faced with change, I think it would be fair to say that most of us need time to adjust and find our balance.

Personally, this change included my girlfriend, of 1 1/2 years, moving in with me, a grueling work & travel schedule, and getting laid off from a job where I am considered a technical expert by most of my peers. These things, combined, pushed me over my threshold and I compensated by comforting myself with food and drink! Well, I am currently 210 lbs, 36% body fat, have high-blood pressure and suffer from the general lethargy and malaise that comes with "being sick and tired of being sick and tired"!

The P90X Fitness Test helped me discover that I can't do a very many pull-ups, push-ups, or sit-ups without some kind of assistance. This was an embarrassing revelation and personally very sad because I know (and now so do you) where I've come from, where I've been and where I currently am! Well, it's time to quit whining and do something about it. That's why I'm here...to BRING IT!!! To Be Continued!

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