Team Beachbody ¡preestreno!Español Guest

As I sit here today typing on my 36th birthday I am stunned, elated, loved and a whole bunch of other emotions that I don’t believe I have felt in a very long time. This journey I have undertaken has been from the lowest points to some of the highest points in my life. It is a personal journey filled with numerous experiences and people I will never forget. I can only hope to highlight the parts I have found poignant in my daily trek to do my best over these last six months.

During the holidays of 2006, I was deep in the throws of a depressing time in my life. Don't get me wrong, my family and job have always made me extremely happy. My depression was very much centered on myself and my appearance and it seemed to be spiraling further out of control. I ate horribly and used the treadmill in our bedroom as a clothes hanger. Occasionally throughout the year I would try to workout and get myself on a program, but shortly after I would sabotage it with fast food, alcohol and numerous other bad food choices. I knew what I was doing was wrong but felt there was no way to stop it. As with most, it wasn’t until I was sitting on the couch watching television that my path would soon change. There was some super energetic guy telling me how he could change my body in only 90 days. The guy was Tony Horton and the program was Power 90. After rolling my eyes, I was going to change the channel until I saw no “gimmick” or funny looking gadget. I watched intently for the next 30 minutes and proceeded NOT to order. Instead I went to the message boards, and my life was never the same.

I browsed story after story of “real people” getting real results. I read and studied what they did and how they did it. It was then that I learned that “Decide, Commit, Succeed” was not just some clever marketing ploy (although effective), it was a way of living. I decided that P90 was the program for me and I ordered it…rush shipping of course.

Even though I had browsed the message boards before I bought P90 I was a little leery of using them. I decided I would start my own thread and just log what I was doing on a daily basis. Well, needless to say, it was then that I started to understand the power found in these message boards. I had a few people join on and made a few connections and before I knew it day 90 had come and gone. My results for P90 could not have been better. I was down over 20 pounds and my body fat had dropped from 26% to 19%. Did I struggle throughout these first 90 days? YOU BET!! My goals at this point were still aesthetic, which in hindsight make the lifestyle transition harder. So there were good days, bad days, times of guilt and self-pity. However, the one thing I did know was that I was a little lighter and clothes were starting to fit looser than ever! Knowing that the program was ending shortly, I started gazing into my life after P90. During the last thirty days of P90 I was again watching television and noticed a familiar face in a completely different setting. This time it was the extreme challenge I was finally ready for…P90X!! Now it was time to step it up and bring it.

P90X has been like nothing I have ever experienced before. Not even like US Navy boot camp! It is a complete system to overhaul your body and that is exactly what it has done for me. Coming into the final stages of my first round of the X I was amazed at where I stood. My weight had dropped by another 10 pounds and my body fat was measured at 10.2% on day 90. Moreover, I am amazed at how far I have left to go. The mountains still to climb are miles high. The lessons I have learned from numerous veterans of this program are priceless. This program, as well as P90, has given me the self-confidence and determination to become anything I set my mind to. It is no longer about the look, though it is a great side benefit, it is about the life.

During my last week of the P90X round I got the chance that only 41 other Beachbody people had in 2007. I attended a life-changing Tony Horton camp. The information, life stories, companionship and love I obtained from Tony H, Traci, Aaron, Mike, Tami, Melanie, Joey, Tony and Dawn, Martha, Judy, Kit, Nick, Joe, Marty and Lisa, Michelle and Michelle, and everyone else was something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My view of life has changed and it has changed the life of people around me. Who would have thought that these are the REAL results of a 90 day program?

I cannot thank Beachbody enough for the great environment they have created. This company truly does care for people that care for themselves. This attitude permeates throughout the message boards and the products they make. I have learned so much from them about fitness and nutrition. Ultimately, they leave it in your hands…just as Galileo stated:

You cannot teach a person anything; you can only help them find it within themselves.

As I head towards my next adventure I have more strength, agility, flexibility and I am mentally sharper than I have ever been in my life. I have made life-long connections to like minded people. I have become an example for my son, wife and friends.

I really am no one special. I do not have my own personal chef, trainer, or live an extravagant lifestyle. I have a normal life. I work a middle management job. I am blessed with an extraordinary wife and son. I decided late one evening twelve months ago to make a change. I make a daily commitment to exercise and eat right. My successes will be based on me, which is the way I like it. I hope if you are reading this I have given you some insight into what a great place this is to be. If you are wondering, “Does this stuff work?” It does if you simply decide and commit.