As a gym owner, I hear a lot of excuses. Most of the time people tell me all the stuff they can’t do before they even try. People say things like, “I’ll never be small” or “I’ll never be able to run again.” The truth is, you really don’t know what your body is capable of until you try.
As a trainer, my job is to convince people that it’s always worth trying. And every day I see people accomplish things they never thought possible. Some people think it is impossible to lose weight. Others may think it’s impossible to do a certain task. Many people think it’s too late to get fit or to tighten up loose skin. No matter what the goal is, it’s always possible to improve.
Try And Try Again
Despite being in their fifties, Brad and Valerie Ward decided it was worth the effort to see if they could reshape their bodies. They always considered themselves pretty healthy. They worked out and didn’t abuse their bodies, but they weren’t happy with the results they were getting in the gym.
Like many people who go to the gym day after day, they weren’t seeing their work in the mirror. Something had to change. “After many years of fads and fitness trends,” Valerie admitted she was ready to try something new. That’s when she decided to do one of our boot camp programs, BCx Bikini Boot Camp.
The program was designed to teach women how to get ready for a National Physique Committee (NPC) Bikini or Figure competition. Even though Valerie wasn’t completely convinced she could get in good enough shape to compete, she wanted to at least try. As Valerie began to lose weight, Brad also started to take things up a notch. He not only supported Valerie’s journey, but he began his own journey too.
He watched her body undergo radical changes. He cheered her on when she competed for the first time and decided to join her the next time she got on stage.
Although both of them had always been self-proclaimed gym rats, they learned they couldn’t get the results they wanted by just being strong in the gym. They needed to be strong in the kitchen too.
“I would convince myself that if I ate fries at lunch, I would just run another few miles when I got home. But that wasn’t working,” recalls Valerie.
The two learned that diet was the key to success. They learned to weigh and measure food and track calories and macronutrients to get the results they wanted. After they combined a proper diet with proper training, the weight started falling off.
Aim High, Hit High
Competing wasn’t really the goal, it was what they felt they needed to help them reach their goal. The goal was to get in the best shape possible–not to win a trophy or even be on stage. Entering the competition was the accountability they needed to follow through. And they far surpassed their expectations.
Not only did they reach their weight goals with a combined loss of over 120 pounds, but they also both took home first place trophies in Masters Over 50 in the NPC Daytona Beach Classic. They did well on stage, but the biggest reward has been their new lease on life.
“For us, this was the way toward the end of middle age obesity and the beginning of our future living the healthiest lifestyle possible,” Valerie explained. They have completely reinvented themselves and are enjoying a great boost in confidence and a host of health benefits too.
Brad doesn’t just look healthy, he is healthy. He no longer needs blood pressure and acid reflux medicine. Both of them are as strong and healthy as people half their age and have become role models at our gym.
I’m sure they never dreamed they could look and feel this great in their fifties, but they would never have known unless they tried. Fortunately they didn’t let their past failures or age prevent them from trying. Their efforts paid off in more ways than they ever could have imagined.