It may be hard to believe that a fitness expert struggles with his body fat or even self-defeating habits, but I have struggled with addiction all my life. I like foods high in fat, full of endorphin-stimulating hormones and sugars. "Like" isn’t the right word, "addicted" is a better description. Last year I was accelerating towards a downward spiral, struggling with my health. I was put on medication with side affects of depression, fat gain and energy loss. What I know for sure is depression is not an excuse for a lack of fitness.

I’ve given expert advice on a daily basis since 1994 so I had the knowledge base. I needed motivation and accountability—I was tired of feeling like my clients were healthier and more fit than I was. In order to ensure success, I always designed client programs with an element of accountability and therefore it was proven to work, but who was “The Expert” going to answer to? My very dear friend Mike Shouhed was my workout partner, and since I was the expert, I led the workouts. Although he was excelling with his fitness, I was simply maintaining. My best friend, Bryce Reynolds, was taking my advice and achieved a total transformation and I was at 17 percent body fat, for a fitness expert or a professional athlete maintaining fighting weight is essential for making strives and attracting clients, but I was being defeated by my own addictive behavior. 

For my entire career I had the expertise to tell people hard truths, for example if they were getting fat, when no one in their camp was willing to tell them. Now I was the one that no one was telling—but I sadly knew. 

Mike and I placed a bet to see who could drop body fat the fastest—public accountability! Bets were always a last resort for motivating a client. I wasn’t even sure that this would work for me. I already had an excuse in the works—I was going to use that my medication was holding me back. Honestly, my biggest obstacle…me! So I took a before picture and placed it on my steering wheel. Daily awareness of what I really look like without my shirt, another tool that I used with my clients. Many people think this is shaming, this is just awareness. I was an expert at hiding my body fat in my clothes and a naked picture  was proof that I was being defeated by my food. I started telling everyone about this bet. I did get some looks, like I was taking candy from a baby, but in truth I had become an emotional food addict—addicted to the physiological chemical response to food. My moods shifted constantly during this time. I failed to say uplifted, and I was reminded that it is totally normal—I was detoxing! I became driven even when I didn’t believe I could do it. I wanted recovery in this area and I did it!  

Yes, a body in motion, stays in motion; it’s easier now but I take it one day at a time. It was my own proven program of 90 in 90 that transformed me. The same program I used for years with all my clients. 90 days of eating nutritional foods along with fitness and 90 days of real accountably. No monies changed hands with Mike and I. I felt like I had too much of an advantage once I got in motion. He helped to motivate me more than he knows—well he knows now!