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The story of my transformation began while sitting on the couch watching another infomercial. Only this time it wasn’t just another infomercial; it was an advertisement for a fitness program called P90X from Beachbody. I thought I had seen most of those “fitness” infomercials that touted some “magical” piece of equipment or some other gimmick that would change my life overnight.

This program was something different though….It caught my attention!! First, the people were actually working hard….even sweating. Some guy named Tony Horton was talking about muscle confusion, and for some reason, it seemed to make some sense.

I had done the gym thing many times before. You know the story…getting into a routine, seeing initial results, and then after a couple of months, things stop progressing. I slowly stop going and fall back into my old habits; eventually putting back on the same weight or even more.

As I watched the commercial, I couldn’t help but think about two recent health concerns. First, due to a family history of high cholesterol and bad eating habits, I have always had borderline cholesterol. Recently though, my cholesterol reading had skyrocket to 250. My doctor told me I had six months to bring it down or I would have to start medicine. Second, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, and was using a C-pap machine.

Here I was watching this P90X commercial in probably the worst shape of my life. I was tired all the time. My career demands a lot of time traveling in the car, and many times I would have to pull into a parking lot for a 20 minute nap just to make it through the day. On top of that, the thought of having to start cholesterol medicine at the age of 35 was depressing. I was too young. These things were supposed to happen to “old” people.

What would it take to get me on the right track?? I’ll never forget the final straw: we took our 3 year old daughter to a public pool on a hot summer day. I was so embarrassed of how I looked that I wore a tank top in the pool. My wife commented that I made more of a scene by wearing a shirt into the pool, but I was just too humiliated to take it off. Plain and simple: I was fat and out-of-shape.

It was finally time for a real change. When I got home, I got on the internet and decided to start a Beachbody program called P90 (a predecessor to P90X). When it arrived, I read the instruction book and checked out the videos. My before pictures and measurements were torture. 26% body fat! 38 inches at the waist! I was ready to start a new lifestyle, but could I stick with it this time?

The first thing about P90 that worked for me was I didn’t have to get dressed, get in the car and drive to the gym. I could do this right in my house! I won’t lie; the first 2 weeks were tough, but I pushed play everyday. My diet was terrible so the worst part was breaking my bad eating habits. After the first 30 days I was seeing amazing results. I was hooked. I kept pushing play!

One of the best things about this program is you don’t have to do it alone. I was able to go online and ask Beachbody’s fitness advisors questions about the exercises and even have them critique my diet. Another helpful tool was being assigned a coach to motivate and assist. My coach, Doruk, was instrumental in my success! It was also encouraging to be able to chat online with other people going through the same programs. Beachbody is a whole community of people just like me trying to change their lives. I finished P90 by losing 25lbs. and 13% body fat!

The time had come for my follow up visit to the doctor. Had my cholesterol dropped to an acceptable level or was medicine in my future? I was floored when I opened the results: from 250 points to a whopping 167!!! It had never been that low! Amazingly, my sleep apnea had disappeared and I no longer needed the C-pap machine. My health was improving and I felt great!!

The next logical program for me was the P90 Master Series, which was a step up in intensity from the P90 workouts. Faithfully, I kept pushing play. After 90 days of the the Master Series I had lost an additional 4lbs and 3% body fat.

Now, I was ready to “bring it” with the P90X that I had watched a few months ago! The night before starting the program, as I watched the introductory video, I was excited, nervous and even a little scared. This was, by far, the most intense program I had ever done, but it was also the most fun! P90X challenged me by changing phases every 30 days to keep from the dreaded plateau. I now understand the muscle confusion that Tony talked about on the commercial. Ninety days have never gone by so fast!

Six months ago when I was at 26% body fat, I didn’t even dare to dream of abs. After 30 days of P90X, I thought it just might be possible. At 60 days I was seeing dramatic results. By the end of the 90 days I was ripped!! I finished at 7% body fat with a 29 inch waist. I now have those coveted abs that I never dreamed were possible. I am in the best shape of my life! I have more energy than ever: no more parking lot naps.

Bottom line: If an overweight, out-of-shape guy like me can make such a life changing commitment, anyone can! With motivating programs like P90, P90X and others, there is certainly a program for every need. I can’t really put into words the attitude change that this experience has brought about in my life. Due to my changing schedule, there are many days that I wake up at 4:00 am and workout in my basement, which during the winter is quite cold. This truly has been a lifestyle change for me. I am hooked for life! I never want to go back to the person I was before. It only takes about an hour a day to get in the best shape of your life. Just push play everyday!

I owe a debt of gratitude to Tony Horton and the Beachbody team for their commitment to health and fitness. They have given me my life back. Thank you!