Saturday, March 25, 2006

Ernest Barton's Story

Kids,

I read Ernest's response to my Magic Potion letter in this blog and wanted everyone to see it. Ernest Barton is a rock star and an inspiration. Thank you for sharing your story. I hope that you don't mind me sharing it here.


Ernest Barton said...
I was 375 pounds and felt horrible. Lethargic, ugly, lazy. I was a mess. I have been morbidly obese (as my doctor calls it) since my early 20's and have tried every diet fad known to man. Whether it was chalky tasting shakes, to eating pork as long as I didn't have nonfat yogurt, to watered down lettuce soup and everything in between. I was fed up with a diet industry that didn't care and simply gave up. I knew I would always be fat and was going to die young. I just wilted and ate fast food to my hearts content because it made me "happy". Then I saw P90 on TV.... I bought it and in my normal lazy fashion, it sat on my desk for over a year. Then in Feb. 2006, I was sitting in my chair, tired from a sedentary day at work and falling asleep at 6 PM. I felt so fat, like I was stuck in the chair and couldn't move. I breathed heavy walking from the chair to the kitchen. I had enough!!! I got up and dusted of Power90. Read the documentation, logged into mybeachbody.com, WOWY and fitday. I said today I am going to do it. On 2/6/2006, I started Power90 and worked the program exactly as described. With will power and support from my family I have completed 38 days. I have lost 33 pounds so far but that isn't the best part. I am still very fat but feel great! I walk proud and confident. Tony's program changed my way of thinking about life and food. I don't have the bad cravings and love getting out and doing things. Whether, it is just going to the park or doing dishes with my wife, I am active again and am experiencing life again... away from the TV and chair! I am still fat and have a long way to go... but I have a new lifestyle and look forward to a long future!!! From the bottom of the heart of the entire Barton family... Thanks Tony!

8:56 AM

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Magic Potion

Some people seem to think that I have a magic bag of secret potions to help them find the holy grail of health and fitness. I think I do too. Quite often when I open my bag of tricks and share the mojo I get a disappointed response. I must seem like a fake to a lot of folks who were looking for a completely different answer. I want so badly to be the answer man to everyone, but it turns out that I can't be. I hear over and over again about all these "new" ways to lose weight. Everyone is reading and hearing about the latest scientific research that proves how to drop pounds in no time. All my experiences and techniques seem to be outdated and old fashion. I wonder if I'm a dinosaur in this new world of weight lose.

It dawned on me that I have a very different way at looking at how to get healthy and happy in today's world. My focus is and has always been about feeling good, improving the quality of your life, being fit and enjoying good health. The weight lose industry could care less about these 4 lifestyle pillars. They care about weight and inches. They care about 6 pack abs. They care about shapely legs and perfect buns. Great pecs and lean arm shape are more of a priority than being able to play with your kids without passing out. Imagine a fitness program who's only selling point was improving your health. It would (and many do) fail miserably. People say,"Health is nice but I want to look better in a bathing suit."

There is nothing wrong with wanting to look good. Don't get me wrong, I love what a fit and healthy body looks like. Where people go wrong is when they focus on the outcome before a willingness to enjoy the journey. Going from 100 pounds over weight to fit as a fiddle happens because the journey is filled with amazing moments. I'm not talking about physical change. The physical change happens too slowly to notice from day to day. I'm talking about the dramatic emotional and psychological change that happens immediately. Health, fitness, weight lose and smaller dress sizes take time. Feeling good about yourself happens the day you workout. No matter how you "look", you can still feel good. Looking good is how you think other people see you. Feeling good is something only you experience. In the end, that's what matters most.

Little kids have no clue about how they look. They are tiny feeling machines. Everything they do is based on how to deal with the way they feel. When was the last time you heard a two year old ask you how they look in their diaper? We can learn a lot from children, before they become self aware. I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but imagine a day without your ego. A day filled with love for yourself regardless of how you look. This is the mind set for someone who wants to workout and eat healthy foods for all the right reasons. I have met hundreds of people who have figured this out. They took small steps everyday and didn't listen to the old noise in their head or the unsupportive people around them.

I don't care about the latest this or that trend in the fitness industry. I don't care about how to lose a bunch of weight in ten minutes. I don't care about what other people think I should know or do. I care about my health. I care about being fit, flexible and strong. I care about improving the quality of my life as I get older. I care about feeling good! I care about what works for thousands of people across this country. Working out and eating healthy food. The newest thing could be the right thing for you, but time tested, good old fashion hard work, fruits , veggies, whole grains and lean protein will work every time! From Power90 to Turbo Jam. Motion is the Magic Potion and Food Porn Kills.