Believe it or not, Angie, one of our Fitness Specialists used to be a much larger version of her current self. I know, its hard to believe, but it's true! After years of making food the center of her life and having a few kids, she found herself in a situation like so many of us do; oversized and unhappy.

The good news is that Angie had the desire within herself to make a change. She started her body transformation on her own and then finished it as a member of the Ultimate Body Studios, perhaps not unlike you. Within 16 weeks, Angie had made such progress that I knew she would make a great trainer and be an inspiration to so many others.

I was lucky enough to have Angie say yes to my request that she come to work with me as a trainer, and I do mean work "with" me. Angie is capable, strong and driven. I routinely get good feedback about her and even recently received this email from one of her class members:

To: Instructor Angie Campbell: Subj: Thank you for my life I really mean the subject line; you have started me down the path to a healthy life and have indeed saved my life! I cannot thank you enough for your instruction and support. Before I joined Ron’s program and started training in your class, I was at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and I was morbidly obese, all conditions that are very life threatening. Now I’m on my way to a new life, and I owe it very much to you! In the 3 months that you’ve trained me, I’ve lost 42 lbs, 6 inches in my waist, and lowered my resting heart rate by over 25 points! I know you like to say that I’m doing this myself, but if that were the case, I would have done this a very long time ago. You have definitely helped me find the will power to succeed. I know I have a long way to go, but I promise I’ll make you proud! :) Sincerely, Jimmy D., Frisco

I agree. Angie, You Rock! Congratulations on your own transformation and know that I am very proud to have you on my team! --Ron

How was your last real effort at getting fit? Did you do sit ups hanging from the rafters or run mile after mile in 100 plus temperatures? No? Surely, you remember those days when you lifted weights from sunup to sundown, right? Well, most likely, you have never done these things, but you probably have made a serious attempt at fitness at least once in the past. Depending on that first real big effort at fitness, either you really like working out now or you absolutely hate the thought of it.

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear from people about getting fit is that it is hard to do. Many people have tried, at one time or another, to get fit. Perhaps it started with a trip to the gym with a friend. You were so eager to succeed that there really were no limits. You pushed, you pulled and grunted through a few workouts. Then within days, you experienced soreness like never before. You may have pushed through another workout or two, but soon, you gave up in pain, swearing off any future efforts at a fitness program.

Then, of course, there is the whole “time” thing. Many people believe that those who work out on a regular schedule must be people who have lots of free time on their hands. They believe that there is no way a normal human being living in Frisco, Texas could possibly fit a regular workout routine into their daily schedule.

Overall, when you combine the pain and soreness of a fitness program with the associated challenges to our daily schedules, the fitness program effort usually goes out the window. Then, we go through life day by day, ignoring the fact that someday we will certainly have to pay for our lack of effort. We know that one day we will either have to get our act together and finally get in shape or face the music with bypass surgeries, possible strokes and many other health problems related to being unfit.

I think that due to the failed efforts of some at trying to start fitness programs, and the fact that we all have seemingly impossible schedules, most people opt for the “pay later” choice. These people go through life saying “I know, I really need to exercise, but I just don’t have the time and the last time I did exercise, I couldn’t move for a week -I was so sore.” This is a true and sad fact. Not that people have no time for exercise and end up getting sore when they do, but rather that they really need to exercise, but don’t.

So what is the solution? Exercise anyway. Exercise despite the soreness that you may experience. Exercise even though you do not have time. Exercise even if your “workout partner” flakes out on you repeatedly, exercise even though there are a million "mental" reasons for you not to; exercise, exercise, exercise! Get up, get out and do it. You do not have to feel great about it. You do not have to like it, but you do need to “do it.” Find a way, find a time and make it happen. Quit making excuses for your lack of effort. Get off your couch, get off your butt and get to work on a better body and a much better life.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that there really are people out there that cannot fit a regular workout into their schedule. These people are usually the sole wage earner working many, many hours per week. However, that being said, I believe that you are probably not one of these people. Chances are much greater that you fit in with the majority of the rest of us. You do have a busy schedule, you do have a hectic life, but you also have the ability to balance it with a fitness program. You just choose not to.

I have seen literally hundreds of people just like you find a way to incorporate a fitness program into their busy life. My Ultimate Body Transformation classes start as early as 5:30 a.m. and go as late as 9:00 at night. With such a complete schedule, surely there is a time that works for you.

If you will take my advice and start a fitness program, many great things are likely to happen. First, you will feel so much better about yourself. By getting control of one of the most “out of control” aspects of your life, you will become less stressed. Soon, you may be feeling more energetic and sleeping better. A little while later, you will start fitting into smaller clothes and actually enjoy shopping again. In the end, you will improve your overall quality of life and live a fuller, longer life.

Are you going to get sore? Probably. Will it be difficult to fit a fitness program into your schedule? Sure it will. However, is it worth it? Absolutely.

If you will simply make the choice to exercise on a regular basis, your life will change. If you need help getting started and would like some free guidance, come talk to me or one of my Fitness Trainers. We love fitness and helping people improve their life and health. Feel free to drop in anytime. My Frisco studio is called “Ron Lyons Ultimate Body Studio” and is located at 6699 Main St. between the Exxon and Frisco Automotive or you can always email me at ron@ultimate-body.com. The website is www.Ultimate-Body.com.

There has been alot going on recently at Ultimate Body. Many important things that sometimes get lost in the business of the day. Nonetheless, these things are important. For example, just this last week, one of the members of the 5:30 AM Frisco class, Jay Kreusch brought in a small piece of his belt to commemorate his 51st pound lost. Mind you, Jay has lost that much on the scale which means in actual pounds of fat lost, he is well beyond that. Congratulations Jay!

In that same class there is a member named Kami that sent this email message to me this week:

Ron, I just wanted to write and say what an amazing and whirlwind past 10 weeks this has been. I'm halfway through the program and to be perfectly honest, where I'm at today is where I had hoped and dreamed to be at the end of the 20-week cycle. You know how you look in the mirror every day and you are so used to viewing that image that you really don't "see" yourself. Last night, Brent printed out a picture of me that he took the week we began this program and I was absolutely shocked. I just don't know why I didn't do this program sooner. In this short time, due to this program, my entire life is changing for the better. I can hardly wait to see what transformations are in store for me in the next 10 weeks. I know me and I will not be happy with just being slim. I want the whole package!! I want to keep working on my legs but really need to work harder on my torso and arms (i.e., abs, chest, back, shoulders . . . ). I have promised myself that I will do all that I can to stay on course to get my Ultimate Body. And, I am committed to remain strong after I leave this program to continue this lifestyle change and keep improving my body. Anyway Ron, just wanted to drop a quick line to say thank you for educating me, helping me prove to myself that I'm a stronger person than I was (physically and especially mentally), and for showing me the tools to become 'less of what I was'. I feel great and am lovin' the new Kamster! Thanks again, Kami

How great is that? There have been other great things going on. For instance, we just had a lady named Becky start the 5:45 PM class. She has lost 50 pounds on her own which brings her to about 300 pounds now. She has given up smoking and has committed herself to change. Losing any amount of weight is not easy, trying to lose a significant amount of weight along with stopping smoking is very commendable. I will keep you updated from time to time about Becky's progress. I expect great things.

Other, much less important things going on include Ron being selected by the Dallas Beauty Page magazine to write their Health and Fitness articles. Remember that if you live in Frisco to look for your copy of "All About Frisco" mailed free to your home each month. Here he also writes a health and fitness article. Ron is well into another year of doing that. Ultimate Body has now hired a full time Marketing and Sales Director. His name is David and he offices at the Frisco studio. Stop by and welcome him to the team. He is a talented young man who brings new ideas and concepts that we look forward to. You might want to make note that we have a new phone number too. It is 972-712-2120. You can use this number or the other number of 214-232- 0730.

Here is last month's clue: BMR is commonly known as Basal Metabolic Rate but the other meaning is one that little fake men would like to date. The answer is "Barbie Milicent Roberts" otherwise known as simply "Barbie." Congratulations to Brian V. a 5:30 AM Body Transformer for getting it right, getting it first and getting the nickname Barbie.

We are pleased to announce the new "Ultimate Body Fit Club" this month. This is a newly formed group of successful former Ultimate Body Transformers. The group is free but open only to successful Body Transformers and brings many great perks including meetings, free training at Ultimate Body Studios and other great benefits. The group has several key points in it's mission statement, one of which is to provide insight and assistance to current Body Transformers. Stay tuned for more on this new group and be sure to contact us if you want to be considered as a charter member of it!