As the holidays were approaching, my wife talked me into doing the 12 week TT challenge with her. Before agreeing to do so, my workout regimen wasn't very regular. Considering I am a carpenter, I was more focused on doing home improvements than taking a half an hour a day to go and workout. This is one of the reasons I was driven to do the challenge.
Then two days before Christmas I took a nasty fall at work and injured my shoulder pretty badly. This, in my head, meant ruining my opportunity to do the challenge. But with major encouragement from my wife and all the trainers at FBBC, as well as my physical therapists, I was reassured that with modifications I could still not only participate, but strengthen my injury in the process. So, challenge accepted!
As the first few weeks went by I did everything my injury allowed me to do and the weight was slowly starting to come off. Then a mere three weeks into the challenge, I developed a stomach hernia that had to be surgically removed. This put me on the shelf for six weeks! That was when my wife said that staying strict with my nutrition will help me stay on track while I heal. And that I did. I can't thank her enough for helping me with that, plus telling me not to give up on the challenge.
So to make up for not being able to workout, I took my 2 year old daughter for as many walks as I could, weather permitting. Those first three weeks before my hernia surgery gave me the drive to workout again and I couldn't wait to get back to my normal workouts!
After the six week period where I was medically forced to not workout, I was back at Sheboygan Fit Body Boot Camp, but still with a lot of restrictions from my shoulder not healing entirely. And it still hasn’t healed. In fact, I have a torn rotator cuff which needs to be operated on next. But I do what I can, and therefore I at least have more energy because of staying the course. I am sleeping much better, and have a lot more pep in my step. Doing the best I could with nutritional and what exercise I was able do, I still managed to shed just under 20 pounds and almost 4 percent in body fat!!
I can't thank my wife, Trina Christian, enough for being my #1 supporter through this entire challenge. She picked me up when I felt like I was out every day! I would also like to send a huge thank you to the trainers at SFBBC, Brent, Alyssa, Nick, and Brittany, for helping me with all the modifications at every workout. Also, thanks to my best friend, Todd Arnoldi, for giving me a push during the workouts in order to give it everything I had! Because of all of you, now when I look in the mirror, I see a new person. I feel better than I did as a teenager!
One major thing this TT challenge and workouts have done for me is given me the drive to want to continue working out once my rotator cuff has healed. And for that, I am very thankful!
- David Christian
