At 2 years old, I figured out how to open the refrigerator door, remove and open the big package of Kraft sliced cheese, and start taking big bites out of it! So began my life-long struggle with weight!
Luckily, I have always liked sports and exercise, and was a 3-Varsity sport high school and 1-Varsity sport college athlete. As an adult, I have continued to play sports like soccer, softball, volleyball, and tennis.
I liked sports and exercise so much that I became a middle school PE teacher, and did so for 29 years. Yet, my weight continued to bounce around. It was, quite frankly, embarrassing to be a chubby PE teacher! I always needed to lose between 10 and 20 lbs., and did it a few times, but never kept it off. I was the classic yo-yo dieter. For exercise, I primarily speed walked, played some tennis, volleyball, softball, badminton, and soccer, and did a little weight lifting, but never got on a specific exercise regime.
When I was 52, to supplement my teaching income, I took a part time job as a certified personal trainer, which, 4 years later, I am still doing. I love helping my clients work on their own fitness goals, but, again, I had never reached, and maintained, my own. How could I keep being a trainer and not be, what I considered to be, a credible role model for my own clients?
This past April, a guy that I was dating asked me to accompany him to a Body Building competition here in San Diego (he had done the Body For Life contest years back). He was contemplating signing up to do one and encouraged me to as well. I looked at my 15 lbs. overweight self and wondered if I could ever get into competition shape. I’m not sure I would ever want to get on a stage and flaunt my body quite like that, but it did get me thinking.
I’ve been following (yet not really participating in) Turbulence Training for about four years now, but never got serious about the workouts. I did, however, occasionally use them for my training clients. They were tough, but not so tough that my clients, who are mostly women, couldn't do them. I do modify some of the exercises so they can be successful.
So-o-o-o-o, back at the beginning of the 3rd week of May, about a month after going to that contest, something clicked, and I got serious. I began using the 6-month TT program (minus the suggested interval training), in addition to starting a good, healthy nutritional plan of usually 1000 to 1200 calories per day ~ I am also a lacto-ovo vegetarian, so no meat, poultry, fish, etc. After only one week, I started to see results! Because the program only required me to work out 3x/week, I started doing a little jogging and other random exercises at least three other days a week.
Now, I will tell you, I have not been perfect about my nutrition, but I have not missed ONE day of the TT workouts! They are tough and, during these warm summer days, I am often dripping with sweat when I am finished. But I LOVE these workouts! My body has been dramatically transformed!
I have lost 12 lbs. and 6% body fat! Guys who never even looked at me in the gym I train at have now been asking me questions about how to train! What??? Shocking! My boss told me to cut the short sleeves off my training uniform so that people can see my arms! My clients are totally impressed! Now I finally feel like the role model I should be . . .
I will be 57 years old on September 9th and have never looked or felt better! I still have another 5-6 lbs. or so to go, but my goal is in sight, and nothing will stop me from reaching it! The Turbulence Training workouts have been the key.
I did not join this contest to win, I joined as an incentive to make myself a better person both mentally and physically, and it has worked! So, in all honesty, I have already won!
Thanks for creating Turbulence Training, Craig! Perhaps one day I will apply to be your next TT Trainer!
