100 Things I Will Do In 2010 – February Update
The month of February was really life-changing for me. It really helped me figure out what I want and what I don’t want out of life. Big changes are going to be coming for me and I am full of nothing but excitement for them. I knocked quite a few items off my list in February and by the end of March I should have another five or six done. I’ve decided that I’m also going to keep adding to this list through the year and keep track of other fun memories.
Finished in February:
- 7 – Go snowboarding at Whistler – went during the Olympics in Feb!
- 34 – Walk in the rain - a Squamish necessity!
- 63 – Start a conversation with 50 strangers - probably did close to double this # during Feb alone :D
- 78 – Ride through the glades – rode the glades at Blue Mountain and then at Whistler and loved it!
- 85 – Watch the clouds drift by - sat and watched the clouds drift through the mountains every chance I got out west
- 86 – Watch a sunrise - watched it come up behind the mountains in Squamish
- 88 – Watch a sunset - watched it on the bus ride back from Whistler
- 93 – Ride on a powder day - got to do this twice at Whistler… best 2 days of riding in my entire life
March – new mini goals
- Go the month without watching TV
- Finish my current major freelance project
- Go vegetarian for 21 days
- Do a FS 180 on a kicker
- Do a FS boardslide
- Get under 235
- Finish 3 books
- Go to at least 8 Muay Thai classes
- Finish my 1 and 5 year goals
2010 List – as of March 1st, 2010
- Create a new set of 1 year and 5 year goals – going to finish these in March
- Get a new tattoo - my planned reward for when I get down to 200 pounds
- Get my advanced-green ranking in Muay Thai – went back to class yesterday and plan on being back in advanced class by the end of March
- Go skydiving – going this summer
- Explore an abandoned building – making plans to do this in Detroit – thanks Myla!
- Climb the CN Tower in under 30 minutes – will do this at the WWF climb on April 17, 2010
- DONE – Snowboard at Whistler – went during the Olympics in Feb!
- Stomp a FS 180 off a kicker – gonna nail this in March!
- Do a proper FS/BS boardslide – can do BS boardslides now and will get a FS in March
- Spend a weekend camping with my dog - going in May
- Beat last years record of 30 snow days – at 24 days now
- Get down under 200 pounds – aiming for a 5 pounds a month pace which is somewhat conservative
- Take my Mom to the Art Gallery
- Get rid of clutter from my room – in process
- Ride 50 km on my bike in one go - June 6, 2010 – signed up for the 2010 Ride for Heart 50km ride
- Build 5 Halloween props – got all my materials gathered
- Build a fake disemboweled torso out of latex/foam
- Take my Dad to a football game
- Learn to rollerblade
- Make 95% of the food I eat from scratch – good so far
- Get 5 new freelance clients - 1 down
- Do a 48 hour weekend fast
- Learn 5 magic tricks - got a wicked teacher for this! Thanks Anastasia!
- Go to the Science Centre
- Go to the ROM
- Deadlift 315 pounds - back to lifting this month
- Squat 225 pounds - back to lifting this month
- Read 25 books – 2 down
- DONE – Spend a weekend snowboarding with my little brothers – went a couple of times
- Grow a herb garden
- Climb a tree
- Ride the entire single-track trail at Albion Hills – back to biking this month
- Ride the entire single-track trail at Glen Eden – back to biking this month
- DONE – Walk in the rain – a Squamish necessity!
- Become proficient at AJAX
- Do a 22 km run – Sunday October 17, 2010 – Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon
- Launch the zombiepedia website
- Go to the carnival
- Bake a cake
- Volunteer my time for a good cause
- Try being vegetarian again for 21 days – doing this for the whole month of March
- Try being vegan for 21 days – going to do a raw diet with Carolina for the month of April
- DONE – Get a raise
- Revise and stick to a new budget – budget done, now to stick to it
- Have a 100% TV-free month – doing this in March – I have a lot I want to get done this month
- Build a Facebook application
- Take a night class
- Paint a giant painting
- Go to the shooting range – making plans to do this in Detroit – thanks Myla!
- Learn 5 new effects in After Effects
- Teach the dog to not be scared of the nail clipper – making progress
- Make a new snowboarding video - have been taking a lot of footage lately
- Create 10 website layouts - 1 down, working on 2
- Build my portfolio website
- Try indoor rock-climbing
- Learn to Salsa
- Donate blood
- Make a gift for someone by hand
- Visit a Renaissance fair
- Snowboard in the summer - http://www.snowparkniagara.com/ – aww yeah!
- Be part of a zombie movie - shooting in the spring!
- Start a new business venture
- DONE – Start a conversation with 50 strangers – probably did close to double this # during Feb alone :D
- Learn to make a Paella
- Decorate a Munny!
- Go on a random and pointless roadtrip
- Write a children’s book
- Become a triathlete – changed to June 19, 2010 – Guelph Lake Try-a-tri Triathlon – 375m swim / 10km bike / 2.5km run – started swim training
- Try wakeboarding
- Train with a champion
- Zombie around with my ghouly friends!
- Sculpt something out of clay
- Give a speech
- DONE – Re-pierce my labret – it didn’t close up as much as I thought
- Eat chicken wings in Buffalo
- Spend an entire day at the beach
- Go on a brewery tour
- DONE – Ride through the glades - rode the glades at Blue Mountain and then at Whistler and loved it!
- Surprise someone
- Work at a haunt – making plans! :D
- Do 10 pull ups - currently training
- Do 100 push ups - currently training
- Go to a big music festival
- Learn Yoga
- DONE – Watch the clouds drift by – sat and watched the clouds drift through the mountains every chance I got out west
- DONE – Watch a sunrise - watched it come up behind the mountains in Squamish
- Go kayaking
- DONE – Watch a sunset – watched it on the bus ride back from Whistler
- Hike part of the Bruce trail
- Do a handstand pushup
- Eat a tasting menu
- Eat 5 things I’ve never tried before
- DONE – Ride on a powder day - got to do this twice at Whistler… best 2 days of riding in my entire life
- Build a haunted gingerbread house – found a sweet blueprint
- Explore a cave
- Make a Turducken!
- Finish 3 major projects at work
- Reformat my laptop - in process
- Backup all my important files - in process
- Eat at a White Castle – making plans to do this in Detroit – thanks Myla!
Other memorable fun stuff from 2010 not on the list:
- Went to the Olympics!
- Started a chant at a Hockey game in a bar
- Officially shelved my shy side
- Did a 600m vertical hike up the Stawamus Chief
- Learned to love side hits
- Discovered my Canadian pride
- Did a wicked overnight road trip to Mont Tremblant
- Had a zombie board game night
- Made lobsters for the first time ever
- Learned to slow things down a bit
100 Things I will do in 2010 – January Update
January is over, so as promised, here is my updated list. Finished a few, and underway / planning a bunch more! I’m finding that keeping this list is really motivating for me and I’m really looking forward to finishing them all off. I’m starting to get in touch with people to setup dates for some of these and they feel more and more like reality and less like wishful thinking.
Finished in January:
- 29 – Spend a weekend snowboarding with my little brothers – off on another 3 day @ Blue next week too!
- 43 – Get a raise
- 74 – Re-pierce my labret – it didn’t close up as much as I thought
February – new mini goals
- Finish up my new set of goals
- Finish my current major freelance project
- Go snowboarding at least 10 times!
- Get comfortable doing 180s on mild slopes
- Practice hopping into the boardslide position on a piece of wood / fake rail
- Get under 235
- Finish 3 books
2010 List – as of February 1st, 2010
- Create a new set of 1 year and 5 year goals
- Get a new tattoo - my planned reward for when I get down to 200 pounds
- Get my advanced-green ranking in Muay Thai – went back to class yesterday and plan on being back in advanced class by the end of March
- Go skydiving – going this summer
- Explore an abandoned building – making plans to do this in Detroit – thanks Myla!
- Climb the CN Tower in under 30 minutes – will do this at the WWF climb on April 17, 2010
- Snowboard at Whistler – will be there February 19 with Ian, Sacha and Chris
- Stomp a FS 180 off a kicker – will get it done this season!
- Do a proper FS/BS boardslide – will get it done this season!
- Spend a weekend camping with my dog
- Beat last years record of 30 snow days – at 14 days now and will be riding almost every other day this month, shouldn’t be a problem
- Get down under 200 pounds – aiming for a 5 pounds a month pace which is somewhat conservative
- Take my Mom to the Art Gallery
- Get rid of clutter from my room
- Ride 50 km on my bike in one go - June 6, 2010 – signed up for the 2010 Ride for Heart 50km ride
- Build 5 Halloween props – got all my materials gathered
- Build a fake disemboweled torso out of latex/foam
- Take my Dad to a football game
- Learn to rollerblade
- Make 95% of the food I eat from scratch – good so far
- Get 5 new freelance clients - 1 down
- Do a 48 hour weekend fast
- Learn 5 magic tricks
- Go to the Science Centre
- Go to the ROM
- Deadlift 315 pounds
- Squat 225 pounds
- Read 25 books – 1 down
- DONE – Spend a weekend snowboarding with my little brothers – off on another 3 day @ Blue next week too!
- Grow a herb garden
- Climb a tree
- Ride the entire single-track trail at Albion Hills
- Ride the entire single-track trail at Glen Eden
- Walk in the rain
- Become proficient at AJAX
- Do a 22 km run – Sunday October 17, 2010 – Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon
- Launch the zombiepedia website
- Go to the carnival
- Bake a cake
- Volunteer my time for a good cause
- Try being vegetarian again for 21 days
- Try being vegan for 21 days
- DONE – Get a raise
- Revise and stick to a new budget – budget done, now to stick to it
- Have a 100% TV-free month
- Build a Facebook application
- Take a night class
- Paint a giant painting
- Go to the shooting range – making plans to do this in Detroit – thanks Myla!
- Learn 5 new effects in After Effects
- Teach the dog to not be scared of the nail clipper – making progress
- Make a new snowboarding video - have been taking a lot of footage lately
- Create 10 website layouts - 1 down, working on 2
- Build my portfolio website
- Try indoor rock-climbing
- Learn to Salsa
- Donate blood
- Make a gift for someone by hand
- Visit a Renaissance fair
- Snowboard in the summer - http://www.snowparkniagara.com/ – aww yeah!
- Be part of a zombie movie - shooting in the spring!
- Start a new business venture
- Start a conversation with 50 strangers… stranger danger! – not really counting this accurately I guess, but at 5+… easy to do on ski lifts..
- Learn to make a Paella
- Decorate a Munny!
- Go on a random and pointless roadtrip
- Write a children’s book
- Become a triathlete – Sunday August 15, 2010 – Toronto Island Triathalon – 750m swim/30km bike / 7.5km run
- Try wakeboarding
- Train with a champion
- Zombie around with my ghouly friends!
- Sculpt something out of clay
- Give a speech
- DONE – Re-pierce my labret – it didn’t close up as much as I thought
- Eat chicken wings in Buffalo
- Spend an entire day at the beach
- Go on a brewery tour
- Ride through the glades - hopefully at Whistler
- Surprise someone
- Work at a haunt – making plans! :D
- Do 10 pull ups
- Do 100 push ups
- Go to a big music festival
- Learn Yoga
- Watch the clouds drift by
- Watch a sunrise
- Go kayaking
- Watch a sunset
- Hike part of the Bruce trail
- Do a handstand pushup
- Eat a tasting menu
- Eat 5 things I’ve never tried before
- Ride on a powder day - praying that I can do this at Whistler this Month
- Build a haunted gingerbread house – found a sweet blueprint
- Explore a cave
- Make a Turducken!
- Finish 3 major projects at work
- Reformat my laptop - in process
- Backup all my important files - in process
- Eat at a White Castle – making plans to do this in Detroit – thanks Myla!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
100 Things I Will Do in 2010
I like to do stuff. I dislike not doing stuff. So to keep me doing stuff, I came up with a list of things I will do before the end of 2010. Why make a list of things you aren’t going to do when you could do the opposite?
I did something similar a couple of years ago and it worked out really well and I ended up finishing most of the list. This time I made a list of 100 things. Some of them are pretty mundane and simple and some are a little more involved. Some of the things can be done in a moment or a day and some will take the entire year. Nothing really major – these are all things that I believe I will accomplish before the end of this year.
I’ll keep this updated at the end of each month! Time to get cracking!
2010 List
- Create a new set of 1 year and 5 year goals
- Get a new tattoo – my planned reward for when I get down to 200 pounds
- Get my advanced-green ranking in Muay Thai
- Go skydiving
- Explore an abandoned building
- Climb the CN Tower in under 30 minutes
- Snowboard at Whistler
- Stomp a FS 180 off a kicker
- Do a proper FS/BS boardslide
- Spend a weekend camping with my dog
- Beat last years record of 30 snow days
- Get down under 200 pounds
- Take my Mom to the Art Gallery
- Get rid of clutter from my room
- Ride 50 km on my bike in one go
- Build 5 Halloween props
- Build a fake disemboweled torso out of latex/foam
- Take my Dad to a football game
- Learn to rollerblade
- Make 95% of the food I eat from scratch
- Get 5 new freelance clients
- Do a 48 hour weekend fast
- Learn 5 magic tricks
- Go to the Science Centre
- Go to the ROM
- Deadlift 315 pounds
- Squat 225 pounds
- Read 25 books
- Spend a weekend snowboarding with my little brothers
- Grow a herb garden
- Climb a tree
- Ride the entire single-track trail at Albion Hills
- Ride the entire single-track trail at Glen Eden
- Walk in the rain
- Become proficient at AJAX
- Do a 22 km run
- Launch the zombiepedia website
- Go to the carnival
- Bake a cake
- Volunteer my time for a good cause
- Try being vegetarian again for 21 days
- Try being vegan for 21 days
- Get a raise
- Revise and stick to a new budget
- Have a 100% TV-free month
- Build a Facebook application
- Take a night class
- Paint a giant painting
- Go to the shooting range
- Learn 5 new effects in After Effects
- Teach the dog to not be scared of the nail clipper
- Make a new snowboarding video
- Create 10 website layouts
- Build my portfolio website
- Try indoor rock-climbing
- Learn to Salsa
- Donate blood
- Make a gift for someone by hand
- Visit a Renaissance fair
- Snowboard in the summer
- Be part of a zombie movie
- Start a new business venture
- Talk to 50 strangers… stranger danger!
- Learn to make a Paella
- Decorate a Munny!
- Go on a random and pointless roadtrip
- Write a children’s book
- Become a triathlete
- Try wakeboarding
- Train with a champion
- Zombie around with my ghouly friends!
- Sculpt something out of clay
- Give a speech
- Re-pierce my labret
- Eat chicken wings in Buffalo
- Spend an entire day at the beach
- Go on a brewery tour
- Ride through the glades
- Surprise someone
- Work at a haunt
- Do 10 pull ups
- Do 100 push ups
- Go to a big music festival
- Learn Yoga
- Watch the clouds drift by
- Watch a sunrise
- Go kayaking
- Watch a sunset
- Hike part of the Bruce trail
- Do a handstand pushup
- Eat a tasting menu
- Eat 5 things I’ve never tried before
- Ride on a powder day
- Build a haunted gingerbread house
- Explore a cave
- Make a Turducken!
- Finish 3 major projects at work
- Reformat my laptop
- Backup all my important files
- Eat at a White Castle
It’s a lot easier to do something you already know you can do
I’ve been re-reading all my old posts on amanreborn.com in search of some motivation. I started at the beginning and I’m up to about January 2008 now. Ironically as far as the numbers go, I’m pretty much right at the same spot now that I was 2 years ago. From January 08 to August 08 I went from around 245 to 210 and from around September 08 to November 09 I crept back up to around 255. I’m now at 245 and knowing that I had made to 210 by the end of summer before is a massive motivation for me now to keep on track and to just get it done because I already know how my body will react and that it is possible.
I’ve really enjoyed reading through the old posts and it’s made me realize that progress and growth is not something that can just be tracked through numbers alone. Everything has changed so much over the last 2 years. I just read the entries from my first 3 times snowboarding in December of 2007 and I can remember each of those days vividly. I fell so many times I was bruised and I was sore and in pain for days each time. I remember sitting at the bunny hill at Glen Eden and looking fearfully across at the main hill and thinking how massive it was. Snowboarding was something so new to me and progress came very slow but I had fallen in love with it and it’s now one of my biggest passions in life.
Now it’s 2 years later – I’ve been out snowboarding 50+ times since those first days and I’ve made a lot of progress. I still fall a lot because I’m still pushing myself to learn new things and every time I fall I get up with a giant smile on my face because I know my limits a little better and I pushed them a little further. I am fortunate enough to have the means and opportunity to make a trip out to Whistler this winter and I’m looking forward to looking up at it from the bottom and having that same feeling I got when I looked across at the hill at Glen Eden. Except this time, I’ll be looking at a 5000 foot vertical drop and not just a 250 foot drop, ha!
The other big push I got out of re-reading my old entries was reading about Muay Thai. I haven’t been to class for months now. To be honest, I’ve been ashamed of myself for that and embarrassed to show up so out of shape. But I read my old entries where I first decided to sign up and it got me thinking about how I’m in the exact same predicament. Back then I was scared of joining up because I didn’t think I could physically do it and wanted to wait until I was in better shape. But then something changed and I just said fuck it and dove right in and I never regretted it. So once again, it’s time to just dive back in. I’m going to start going back next week. I won’t be going very often because of snowboarding, but it’s a hell of a workout and I’ve missed that good-pain feeling.
I’m glad I decided to go through these posts again. Of everything I’ve done over the last couple of years I’d say that making the decision to start keeping this journal was the best choice I made. It forces me to be honest with myself and I’ve found that the times I’m not writing here are the times I’m not focused, so it’s an excellent barometer for tracking my consistency.
I’m headed up north for the weekend with no internet. Going to relax and do plenty of snowboarding. Once I get back I’ll start going through the rest of my posts from January 2008 until now.
Over the past year I’ve really struggled with keeping myself consistent in my diet and exercise routines. It’s lead to me losing almost half of my progress and thinking about that has really made me feel terrible and even less motivated.
I’ve spent the last few days going over all the contributing factors and possible reasons as to why I had let myself do this. I thought about where I could be physically and mentally now had I not let up. In the end, I came to the conclusion that everything I thought up of was just a bunch of bullshit excuses. There’s no point in dwelling on all of that negativity. The fact is that it all boils down to me making the choice to be lazy. I have nothing to gain by focusing on all those negative thoughts and they will serve only to keep me demotivated.
Instead, I am going to focus on the positives. I have a lot of positivity in my life right now and a lot of things to look forward to. I already know what I need to do to get me towards my goals because I’ve done it before and I recorded each step of it here. So I’m going to take a few days to re-read my old journal entries and re-live those accomplishments. I’ll take that energy and focus it on getting back to what I had previously achieved and then even more. I already know it can be done and I have decided to do it again.
Goal Statement
Below is my new goal statement. This has been written on cards and left in various places I will see it. The basic idea is that I am advertising the idea to myself to force my mind to accept it on a subconscious level. Much in the way that advertising causes us to subconsciously recognize brands, my goals will be imprinted on my mind to promote success.
The goal itself has these qualities:
- Dated – there is a firm deadline that will give me a sense of urgency to accomplish this goal.
- Personal Tense – my goal starts with “I” – this is my goal – when I read it I will identify with it personally
- Present Tense – written as though I have already achieved it “I AM”- this promotes the feeling of accomplishment in my mind when I read it
- Positive Emotion – written with the emotion that I will feel when I accomplish my goal
- Emphasis – added emphasis to the personal and present tense
- Positive and Specific Goal – my goal is very specific and positive
I am writing my goals this way because the human mind is wired to take everything it reads literally and this format is the most acceptable to it in terms of imprinting a suggestion. I need to do this to keep my mind focused on what I want. I know that if I don’t, I’ll get distracted again.
Current Goal Statement:
My Goal – by February 13th, 2010
I am so happy and energized now that I weigh 230 pounds. My size 36 jeans and large shirts fit perfectly and it feels great to look good in my clothes.
Refocused and writing again.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted again. Whenever I stop posting usually coincides with a downward slide in my habits. Without sugar coating it or making excuses, I’ve been lazy over the last year. My weight has gone all the way up to 260 pounds. I’m still down 30 from my highest but I’m also up 50 from my lowest – and that sucks. I still feel very strong and I still look a lot better at 260 this time than when I was originally 260 due to increased muscle mass. But it’s time to get back at this.
I created a new set of goals – something that I had been neglecting. This is the main issue I had with getting put off track. If I don’t have a proper set of goals I’m just floating around with no direction. Hard to keep focused when you don’t know what you’re focusing on.
I’m going to focus on two main things:
- Setting and re-evaluating goals – long-term, mid-term and short-term
- Writing here – every day – even just random thoughts
If I keep focused on my goals everything else will come naturally from that alone. If I keep writing here it will force me to stay on track.
I changed the layout of my blog. I got side-tracked into trying to make it into something more than what I should have. This blog will go back to what I originally intended – my personal journal and information I find interesting / helpful. I will be completely honest and blunt in my writings here and keep it focused on what I am going to achieve.
Even as I finish this entry, I feel myself with more energy and motivation already. Time to get at it!
Motivation – Peekaboo Saint
These pictures show the 2 and a half year transformation made by the user Peekaboo Saint on a forum I read. The first time I saw this, I couldn’t even put together in my head that it was the same person. Her starting weight was 416 in February of 2007 and she is currently at 164. That’s an incredible loss of 252 lbs. This just completely dumbfounds me. I weigh 243 lbs right now – so imagine the girl in that after picture carrying a person my size on her back 24 hours a day to give you an idea of exactly what she accomplished.
Here’s the incredible before and after shot:
Peekaboo Saint - before and after
Such a huge inspiration to me. She just looks like a completely different person in every way – if I had to guess without knowing they were the same person, I’d say the person in the before picture was at least 10-15 years older.
Motivation – Ca$on
I came across this story while reading the forums at johnstonefitness.com – which are an excellent resource for fitness information by the way. The picture is of the transformation of the user Ca$on on the forums and covers a time period of almost a a year exactly. Over the year, he went from 275 lbs to 179 lbs – amazing!
Ca$on - Before and After
I’ll never tire of reading these stories as they show what we are capable of when we set our minds to a goal and do everything we can to work towards that goal.
Re-post of Q&A with Ca$on is below:
Why did you decide to make a transformation?
After being in a relationship for almost 5 years I was working nonstop and never did anything for my health. So after seeing this commercial on TV about heart disease I started to think about what if I had kids and died from a heart disease at a young age. The commercial also said that a person walking only 30 minutes a day 3 times a week can reduce heart diseases by 300%! That’s when I realized I needed to do something. Also 3 months into the New Year my relationship with my fiancée was over and made me really kick it in high gear of what I wanted to do for my future. One year later I was addicted to body building and eating healthy.
What sort of planning did you do before you started?
The only planning I did at first was portion control and cardio with a treadmill and just your basic weight training nothing serious. Today I wish that I never jumped on that treadmill and I wish I spent more time with the weights. Eating habits were starting to change instead of fast food places I went to Publix for a sub sandwich or cooked at home. In June is when I really changed my diet and workout routine. I changed from working out 5-7 days a week to 3 days a week with Dr. Ellington Darden’s book “The New HIT” and no cardio or other form of exercise.
What were your initial goals?
My initial goal was to weigh less than 200lbs and fit into normal clothes not Wal-Mart huge sizes. To build back confidence in the way I look as well.
What was your diet and supplement intake like?
My diet is a low calorie high carbohydrate diet. The macros have been 60% carbs, 20% protein, and 20% fats. Calories ranged from 1800 to 1100 depending on weight loss and other items. Supplements were all from Chris with www.AtLargeNutrition.com (Thanks Chris) except BCAA caps from ON. Supplements used by Atlarge include: Nitrean, Nitro, Thermocin, Multivitamin, Fish Oil, Results, ETS. The supplements I use daily are Multivitamin, Fish Oil, and BCAA caps 2-3 times a day. Also a huge player in diet was good ole water. The intake of cold water was around 1 gallon to 1.75 gallons per day.
What was your training like?
At first training seemed as if I was not going anywhere quick, but then it started moving like a freight train in the last 6 months. Three days a week 90 minutes or less is all the time my training took with HIT. My common days for workouts were Sunday, Friday, and Wednesday. Those days I would spend 30 minutes or less at home using my Smith Machine combo from Sams club and a pair of dumbbells. I found that the optimal time for me to train was between 5pm and 7pm when I had the most energy. Every workout I did had 1 set and had to be on key to insure the intensity would get me leaner and grow muscle. Before this program I never experienced the muscular pump, gains, fat loss with anything else. Rest is very important and to not over train.
What obstacles did you encounter, and how did you overcome them?
Some of the obstacles I faced were full time college schedule and two part time jobs. This made time very valuable. Other factors that I had to face were of course losing my fiancée, the passing of my father from a massive heart attack, and some heart issues recently discovered by my doctor that I might have. All of these items I turned into a positive and motivation to better myself.
How has your life changed?
My life has changed dramatically. I have more confidence with my appearance and I can shop at pretty much any store to buy clothing. Women have noticed the changes and are of course some are acting more friendly than before. Overall I feel incredible and not sluggish like before. Building muscle and being able to see it in the mirror is astonishing of what a human can really do. After a work out when the blood is flowing and the pump is strong….The best feeling in the world to me is looking in that mirror and flexing every muscle I can and posing. I feel as if I am the incredible hulk and unstoppable.
How did JSF and the JSF Forums help you?
At this time I would have to give a HUGE thanks to a member on JSF. His name on the forum is rtestes, without him I would not be where I am at. He helped me with my training schedule and my diet. If I had any questions about Darden’s book he was right there with an answer. Also I would have to thank all of the other members that have helped me or motivated me through my journey. I push harder everyday because I know that someone is watching. Last but not least thank you John Stone for having this great online forum and community, I consider everyone on JSF a friend and would help them in any way I can.
What advice would you offer to others?
Stick with it! Don’t get caught up in the science and studies and this and that. Find a program and stick with it. If there are no results by the second month then start looking at a change. Results will come only with what you put into it. Ask questions if you think you might be doing something wrong or incorrect. There is no need to be ashamed everyone has to learn somehow. If you are serious about a change be serious with what you do. Anything is possible….
Any closing thoughts?
Only closing thought that I have is I can’t wait to get to that next level. Until then I will be pushing like a madman to get there. Thanks for your time.
Motivation – Brian Janey
Came across a good motivating success story. This one is of a 45 year old man who lost over 70 pounds and transformed himself. This amazing progress was done in only 9 months
I found this very inspiring and it goes to show that it’s never too late to make positive changes.
Before - 270 lbs
After - 198 lbs
Read more about Brian’s transformation here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans_o4010.htm