Allow me to introduce myself. My name
is Steve and I am a dad to 3 energetic boys. Ryan is age 6, Mikey is age 4 and
Joey is age 1. My wife Jessica and I maintain a pretty hectic lifestyle. Between my work schedule, school, sports, and
after school activities it never seems to stop. In order to understand how we
try to maintain a healthier lifestyle now, you need to understand where it all
began for me.
It was after
the birth of my second child where my fitness journey truly began. The older my
boys got, the more I had to move. At over 300 lbs this was not an easy task. I
was becoming frustrated with my perpetual attempts to "diet" or
starve myself, only to put it all back on and then some. I guess you could say
my couch potato lifestyle is what saved me from obesity. Who knew being too
lazy to change the channel from an infomercial would be my best decision?
I
remember making the announcement on Christmas morning 2010. "I made a
family investment on P90X, you know that thing on the infomercial?" My
excitement was met with the rolling eyes of my wife, probably thinking this was
the next fad I was wasting money on. This time was going to be different I
assured her, I was ready to commit. I actually had no choice but to commit. My
doctors warned me that I was pre diabetic. I previously had 2 herniated discs
in my back and I had dislocated my knee, just by bending over (Apparently my
body's way of telling me 305 lbs is too much)
On
December 28th I took the fit test as instructed in the guide. Man was I out of
shape! I could do 14 push ups, 11 in and outs, and a whopping zero pull ups. At
least now I had a starting point, someplace to grow from. Then in a cruel twist
of fate, two days later I dislocated my knee for the second time.
This time
I was not discouraged. This time I was committed to succeed. This time I had
already taken my "before" pictures and that was more than enough to
motivate anyone! So 2 weeks later I was ready to start the program.
Week one
started and it lived up to the hype! Every muscle ached, every joint was sore,
and I was exhausted! But I actually seemed to enjoy it. I was hooked and I was
going to see this thing to the end.
After 90
days I had lost 51 lbs and over 6 1/2" on my waist! I was in decent shape
at this point and people were taking notice. It felt great being able to tell
people how I lost the weight. It was at this point that I took advantage of the
free Team Beachbody Membership that was advertised with P90X. I was surrounded
by people just like me in this online community. People that struggled as I had
and they were succeeding too.
Round 2
and 3 came and went in a blur! Being cheered on by my Beachbody coach Markus, I
managed to shed a total of 85 lbs with P90X. Having a coach that knew the
programs and the process really help me achieve my goals.
I moved on
to other programs like Insanity and T25. But when it was all said and done, I
had lost a total of 105 lbs in just over a year! I went from a size 46 pants to
a size 34 and from wearing XXL shirts to a size Large. One would think that I
had finally arrived and could just coast now. Unfortunately that is when the
really hard work began.....
By December
2013 I found that I had slowly put on 25 lbs again. I had become complacent
with my workouts and didn't push myself like I used to. It was at this point
that I decided to join my first Beachbody Challenge Group.
I was
intimidated at first when I joined "The 25 Days of Fitmas" group. I
was worried that I would be surrounded by these outrageously fit people or
fitness model types. But during the introduction phase I realized that I was
surrounded by people just like me! All different levels of fitness, everyone
having a different goal they were trying to achieve.
This
group I was in seemed to bond instantly. We supported each other during rough
days, motivated each other when we didn't want to work out, and even gave one
another some "tough love" when necessary. Everyone makes their goals
known to one another and you are held accountable daily to help achieve those
goals. It was a great feeling knowing that when others were motivating me, I
was also a source of motivation for them. It is a wonderful feeling to know you
always have support from people that struggled daily just like I do.
This
brings me to why I'm writing this. I am now an Independent Team Beachbody
Coach, helping others the way Markus helped me. I have this wonderful
opportunity to help people achieve their goals and enjoy a healthy, fulfilling
life.
Life is
crazy....... Life is hectic....... If you do not take care of yourself, you
will struggle to keep up the pace. Join me as I share my struggles, my
successes, and even a few laughs along the way.
Hopefully my story inspires you to take your first steps to your goals,
whatever they may be. I promise you that you will not have to walk alone.
