Team Beachbody ¡preestreno!Español Guest

Like so many Beachbody fanatics, it started with seeing the P90X infomercial. I'd seen it before, but suddenly I felt like I had the motivation and dedication to achieve the sorts of results I was seeing in the ads. I ordered P90X and began cutting my calories and cleaning up my diet at the beginning of July 2008. By the time the program arrived I was already 10 lbs lighter, but I suffered my first setback when I checked out the fitness test and the "How To Bring It" DVD and realized that I was not in good enough shape to be doing P90X. Instead of letting that get me down though, I dug out my Power 90 DVDs and started in on those. I also decided to log onto the Beachbody website and see what that was all about.
It didn't cost much to sign up as a club member, so I did that and found I had access to all sorts of neat online tools to help me with my diet and change my life. I learned more about the right way to eat with smaller, more frequent meals and found a good balance between nutrition and caloric intake. I also started checking out the videos online about all the people who had changed their lives with various Beachbody products, and I began reading the posts on the message boards by other club members. This was perfect for me, especially in the mental state I was in...I didn't even have to leave my house and all of the sudden I was connected to all sorts of other people with the same goals as me.
One of the success story videos in particular caught my attention. It was about the transformation of a guy named Aaron Mathis. He and I were about the same height, and his starting weight was about the same as mine. I thought, "There's the perfect example of what I can achieve if I just stay focused and put in the effort." I contacted Aaron, got him to be my coach, and started taking his advice on eating plans, workout plans, and just staying motivated. I took his advice about planning on doing 2 rounds of Power 90 before attempting P90X. I also added in extra workouts with Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, and general High Intensity Interval Training based on suggestions from Aaron. The threads started by other Beachbody members like Scott McCullock, Jason Diebold, and Mike French also helped to motivate me as I found so many other Beachbody members willing to provide support.
I'm not going to lie and say it wasn't a lot of hard work, sweat and will power, but at the same time it seemed like the 90 days of Power 90 Level 1-2 flew by, and the next thing I knew, I was 51 lbs lighter. I wasn't at my goal, but I was well on my way. The only problem was the issue of the economic crunch was still weighing heavily on my mind and my pocket book. I had to find a job and was having no success. I hadn't even been able to procure an interview. I admittedly lost focus after my first 90 days of workouts as I shifted more and more of my time to networking and trying to find employment. But I did continue to eat better and workout, although less frequently than I had been. To my credit though, I managed to maintain my weight and not gain back what I'd worked so hard to lose.
It took several months of searching, but I finally managed to get an interview through a friend of mine. Armed with my newfound confidence in myself, I nailed the interview and got the job. As I settled into my new position, I was able to find time to start getting out and begin doing some of the things I used to enjoy doing like hanging out with friends. I also got my confidence back to begin dancing again. I went to a group salsa class and ended up meeting an awesome lady who helped to motivate me even more with increasing my activity level. I decided it was time again to get back to Power 90, to finish what I'd started.
A year to the day I'd started my first round of Power 90, I started my second round. This time I did Level 3-4 and supplemented those workouts with dancing salsa, swing, bachata and cha-cha, and I also began playing volleyball, which my dance partner got me interested in. I also began using more of the Beachbody supplements like the Recovery Formula and the Protein Bars. They made it easier at my job and when I was playing volleyball to have a meal with me to keep my body energized.
By the end of another 90 days, I'd lost another 57 lbs, taking me to 113 lbs lost in total. I celebrated by traveling up to New Jersey and playing bass at gig with The Smithereens. The gig was organized by an old friend of mine from my college years, and several of the people in attendance were people I also went to college with. They had known me when I was heavier, and they all commented on how good and healthy I was looking. They asked me what I'd done, and I proudly told them all about Beachbody and Power 90. In addition to that, I had my blood pressure checked, and it's considered excellent at 120/70.
After taking a little time off again from my steady workouts, I'm finally beginning my first round of P90X. At 40 years old, I'm looking forward to P90X taking off the last 30 lbs or so and giving me the body I've always wanted. I have also signed up as a Beachbody coach and have started supplementing my diet with Shakeology. Along with achieving my ultimate fitness goals, I hope to make the same sort of difference in other people's lives that my coach, Aaron Mathis, has made in mine.