Success in 2006: In recent
months, I
have mentioned that I have a
training studio here in Frisco called Ultimate Body
Transformation Studio. It is in the downtown area,
just across from City Hall. The little shopping center I
am in is probably about 1970's vintage. There are no
door greeters to welcome you and you will not find
cute hand towels and soaps in the bathroom. What
you will find there though is success. Success
measured one person at a time.
Take for example Rita in my 5:30 class. Rita is a
middle-aged mom of an aspiring basketball player.
When Rita joined my 16-week Body Transformation
class, she seemed like any other Frisco resident that
wanted to get fit. You could see that years of
corporate desk sitting and relative inactivity had
taken their toll on her.
When she filled out her paperwork, she listed several
goals. They seemed normal, such as “lose
weight
and tone up.” However, I just had the feeling
that
there was something more that she wanted. I
handed the paper back to her and asked her what
else she wanted. Rita bent forward in her seat almost
as if she were about to tell me a secret in a grade
school classroom. She got a sneaky little smile on her
face and then said, "I would really like to compete in
a body building contest."
I was taken aback. Never have I had someone give
me a goal like that. I quickly agreed that this was a
valid goal and now that was almost sixteen weeks
ago. I am very happy to say that this middle-aged
mother has lost all of her weight. In fact, so much so
that she now has to look towards surgery to fix her
stretched skin.
Rita still comes in each day and usually has a giggle
or two when she mentions how she just went out the
night before and bought a new small pair of jeans or
how someone she hasn't seen in a while could not
get over how she looks. Congratulations to you Rita!
You are walking proof that incredible things are
possible.
There are others too. Take for instance Monica in my
5:45 PM class. Monica came to me looking like she
was already fit. When we first spoke, she seemed
somewhat quiet and very demure. Goals for her
included getting back into shape as she was back in
college and before.
My own observations of Monica were that she was
thin but not fit at all. There was little to no definition
in her arms, legs or abs. I also noticed that she had
a high heart rate when she just barely pedaled a spin
bike.
Now with fourteen weeks behind her, Monica is a
new person. There are muscles popping out all over
from her quads up to her biceps. When she gets on
the bikes now, they are simply no challenge for her.
In fact, one of my other newer clients, Richard,
watched her ride the other day while she talked to
another rider. He commented that she was riding
effortlessly and needed to add some resistance.
Upon checking, I noticed that the resistance on the
bike was set at maximum. That is success. Well done
Monica! You have completely changed yourself and
should be very proud of your results.
I have also watched other interesting
transformations begin to take place. For example,
there is a man named John in one of my classes that
has recently experienced a very close and personal
loss in his life. When he showed up, he shared this
with me and said that he was just trying to put his
life back together. He was sure that proper health
and fitness would be a very large part of his plans.
Now, looking at John that first day, I saw a man that
had not exercised in many, many years. He is middle
aged and had become very obviously unfit. John has
now been with me for about ten weeks and has
already made such a change. His total fat loss to
date is around sixty pounds. He looks very healthy
and I have noticed a real change in his overall
demeanor and attitude. No longer is life beating him
down. Now, he is gaining control and I believe he will
go on to be a real success, most likely even beyond
his own dreams.
Are these people exceptions to the rule? No way. In
fact, these are just normal folks that have made a
decision to change their life through proper diet and
nutrition. They have not any extra willpower than
anyone else. They are not taking any "magic" pills
and their eating program is nothing "secret."
I mention this because many of us will be embarking
one more time on a journey to change ourselves via
diet and exercise as of January 1, 2006. You know,
the New Year's Resolution to lose weight and get fit
that we have all likely made in the past.
After having helped hundreds of people get fit over
the years, my advice is simple. Find yourself a fitness
program somewhere to start. It should include cardio
and weight training. Combine that with proper
nutrition and you have a winning combination.
Honestly, it is just that simple. In areas where you
do not have the knowledge needed, buy a book on
the subject, take a class or hire a professional. Gain
the knowledge and then apply it.
There is also one more thing that you will need and it
is the most important of all: time. Give yourself time
to succeed. Some people are good at getting a
fitness plan in place and they have certainly learned
how to eat right but for some reason, they forget
that time is the third element that will be required to
make it all happen.
In my Ultimate-Body Transformation Studios, I target
sixteen weeks as a common time period for many
people to be able to reach their goals. I keep my
clients on a very strict workout program of combined
cardio and weight training and we follow a very
specific eating plan. With a little research and effort,
you too could set up a very good program for
yourself. Just remember to add the time required into
the equation.
There is nothing quite like the feeling of success,
especially in regards to your own personal health and
fitness. Life just opens up for you in so many ways
when you are healthy. People treat you differently,
stress is so much easier to handle, clothes are
actually fun to buy, and the list goes on. Good luck
in the coming year. With a little hard work and
planning, anything is possible!
