Growing up I was always athletic. I was a competitive cyclist in High school, trained for wrestling and track, and even took a couple school records along the way. In my early 20’s work life took over and I stopped taking part in any organized sporting activities. I was still active on weekends and evenings, hiking, jogging, working out and participating in fun activities with friends. I would go to the gym or participate in other cardio & strength activities 2-4 times per week. I never had a weight problem and managed to stay in descent to excellent shape.

Fast forward to my adult life, where the sports get more expensive and dangerous, and In April 2008 I was involved in a high speed motorcycle racing accident, at NHMS track in New Hampshire. The injuries I sustained required reconstructive surgeries, metal plates, screws and even some cadaver donor bone to rebuild my shattered wrist and hand and arm. Following months and into years I received occupational therapy and lots of pain medication. 9 months of surgeries and OT and PT allowed me to keep both hands functional. My recovery time was over several years and my weight had gone from 159 to nearly 200 pounds. In 2010-2011, I worked to diet and exercise to lose weight, but it came right back. My lower and upper back started to hurt on a regular basis, my sleep patterns were horrible and I became quite depressed. I was fat, out of shape and felt horrible. On top of that I never quite made a full recovery from my accident.

One day, I was being fit for a suit and when the girl measuring me stated I had a 42 inch waistline, I was shocked. Last I had measured, it was 34 at my belly button. My weight gain and poor health habits had gotten away from me. Then a day or two later, I saw a tv show called “the Doctors”. They were talking about the inherent dangers of abdominal, visceral fat in men and I took a closer look at myself and my life. If I am going to be here for my wife and potentially children, I knew I needed to make a change now.

I borrowed a book from the library titled “The Lean Belly Prescription” by Travis Stork (one of the hosts from the tv show The doctors). I read about half of the book and that was enough to convince me I need to take action NOW! A friend of mine told me he had just bought P90X, so I looked into that and found Insanity. I bought it and got to work.

When I first tried to start Insanity, I was not able to complete even 15 minutes of the first workout. I was bummed out, but I knew if all those girls in the video could do it, then I could too. I did another, low impact cardio program and walked on the beach 3-4 days per week and took it easy with the 1st five Insanity workout discs, 2-3 days per week, building up my stamina for about 5 weeks leading up to my pre-determined start date. I officially started Insanity August 7th (my 43rd birthday) and continued the 63 day program nonstop.

Before starting my workout regimen, my wife helped me lose some weight with The South Beach Diet.
I started insanity weighing at over 32% body fat summer of 2011. I finished my first round of Insanity weighting in at 163 pounds at 18% body fat. My waist went from 42 to 35. The most amazing thing is since I’ve started, I’ve dropped my total cholesterol from 285 to 175 (the lowest it’s been in over 17 years). I’m not sure if the cholesterol improvement are mostly from the exercise or Shakeology, but I do know it is all Team Beachbody.

I have become such a believer in the effectiveness of the Beachbody products that I agreed to become a coach. I’ve developed a burning desire to help others meet their goals too. I love this company and I’m so glad there were people ready and willing to help me save my own life. Now it’s my turn to pay it forward and help others who reach out.