I guess I'll just have to inspire myself this time

Fifteen years ago I lost nearly 200 pounds in less than two years. It was hard, I'm not gonna lie. It took 100 percent focus and dedication. Every waking hour was filled for those two years with the realization that I alone held the key to changing my body and improving my health. I was convinced of it. I lived in the realization of it. I had a community of support, driven by my mother who bought me new clothes ever time I dropped a size, from 6XL all the way down to XL. 

Back then, I made a deal with my future self that I was going to be the man the child in me would have been had he not been forced to deal with decades of unchecked trauma. So I did it. I lost the weight. And I kept the weight of for about six years.

Then my mom died.

After that, my selfishness broke loose. I was like, FUCK YOU WORLD! I was hurting so badly on the inside that I just wanted my outside to match the ugly that I felt deep down in the core of my being. I was FUCKING PISSED! And I just ate and ate and ate and ate until I had reached the goal of destroying my body and my health so I didn't have to live so long in this world without the love that had just been ripped from my heart. 

So anyway, here I am nearly a decade later sitting in the morbidly obese shell of misery that I alone am responsible for creating. Fifteen years is a long time. I'm no longer a 30-something whipper snapper but rather a mid-50s fatty with a plethora of health issues that make every step I take 10 times harder than the steps I took the first time I hit this road a decade and a half ago.

The forecast is not all bleak, though. Fortunately, I left breadcrumbs to find my way back home to me. So this time around I have myself to inspire myself. I have a super successful journey into fitness and fabulosity to look back on. I know what works, and what doesn't. I know progress, its ups and downs and twists and turns. It's that experience that has made me the most resilient mofo I know!

I am 100 percent certain that I will be successful losing weight once again. I will do it slowly and surely, and like that turtle beating the hare, I will cross that finish line a winner.

I ain't getting any younger. It's now or never. It's go time!

By the way, I should mention that this time just like the last I am doing this without weight loss medications, without surgery, and without any money to pay trainers and coaches. Although I believe strongly that life is better when you have a coach, I cannot afford one right now so I will be my own. 

Plank at the office? Take five on the floor!

For me, the plank is one of my favorite exercises because of how it makes me feel. I swear it changes the chemistry of my brain! Whenever I'm having one of those days at the office, I take a quick break and do plank, just five minutes on the floor, and I'm refreshed, re-energized and pumped to take on the next project.

The plank can be done in different ways to target a variety of core muscles. Search the ACE Fitness GetFit online exercise library for the best technique for your mid-day mini workout. Or if you're ready to start with the basic front plank, go here!

And don't forget to "like" MyFitLife2Day on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter!

Stuck in a rut? This online exercise library helped me!

I love the gym, but sometimes I get bored with the same old routine. And so does my body! But even though I'm well aware of the importance of switching things up every couple of weeks to keep shedding fat and growing my muscles, I sometimes get stuck in a rut. I'm not an expert (yet), so I'm thankful for the experts at ACE Fitness for ACE GetFit - a FREE online library of exercises!

One area I'm focusing on now is abs, and the online library of ab exercises is simply amazing - I can even access it on my smart phone while I'm at the gym. It's like having your own personal trainer.

Now, if you can afford a personal trainer, by all means hire one - they not only motivate but teach, and that's invaluable. But if you can't afford a trainer but are looking to change it up at the gym, look no further than the ACE GetFit exercise library. And thank me when you do!

Twitter second to none for networking with a specialized audience

I've been tweeting regularly for the past couple of weeks @MyFitLife2Day. My goals for doing so weren't so clear when I started. I really didn't "get" Twitter. I thought it was just for celebrities and people who wanted to keep track of them. But what I have found is that Twitter is an amazing way to gain access to and network with professionals, peers (and even potential clients) within my realm of specialization - and it's cheaper, easier and more effective than any professional conference I could attend!

Just one week into my time on Twitter, I was thrilled to be re-tweeted by the man I would most like to model as I mold my career as a life coach, educator, author and motivational speaker - Anthony Robbins (@tonyrobbins). When that re-tweet went out to his two million followers, I gained more than 100 new followers myself within the next 24 hours. I'm probably still getting followers from that re-tweet, and from it, I have gained two new clients for my life coaching practice.

Glad for Gunnar's retweet and mention!

Celebrity blogger and fit-life promoter Perez Hilton replied to one of my tweets about a week later. While his tweets go out to around 5 million folks, I didn't get as much play from it for two reasons - 1) It wasn't a re-tweet but a reply, or a mention, and 2) Only a small portion in comparison to the whole of Hilton's followers are interested in his FitPerez brand (the folks most likely to follow me in response). As a result, I gained a few new followers from that mention, but not nearly as many as I did from Robbins'.

This brings me to my latest - a re-tweet and a mention by Gunnar Peterson, a famous personal trainer to the stars who has trained many A-list celebrities and been on countless morning talk shows and such. It's only been a few minutes since I got the mentioned by Gunnar Peterson, but already I'm getting new followers as a result. The thing I love about Peterson is that he isn't just focused on the A-listers - his mission seems to be getting people started and continuing with an exercise lifestyle. I like this a lot, as it's similar to my own mission of getting people to treat food as fuel, not as a friend.

The point to this soliloquy? I'm damn glad I signed up for Twitter, and am glad I have at least some amount of social media savvy to be able to make the most of it. There's still a lot to learn, but I think I'm on the right track!