When I first moved to America in 2000 from Munich, Germany, I began working for Bally Total Fitness, which, at the time, was by far the biggest fitness organization in the world. I began my career as a fitness trainer because George Hains, the regional supervisor, believed in me and gave me a chance. Three months later, I was promoted to head trainer, a previously non-existant position that was created for me. I decided at that point that I wanted to become the No. 1 trainer in the world for Bally’s, a position that had never been held by someone in Texas. When I told my supervisors, they were a little skeptical and told me that, although an admirable goal, if it was even possible to achieve, it would have to be in January, when Americans dedicate themselves to their “New Year’s Resolutions.”
For the past 12 years, I always hear that people are going to get in shape in January. At the same time, for the past 12 years, the obesity rate in America has increased from 24% to 34%. A 2007 study by Richard Wisemen from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year’s resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning. This statistic motivated me to break this pattern and begin the Health Fitness Revolution! For me, New Year’s resolutions when it comes to Health and Fitness – or anything else, for that matter – begin every day when you wake up. We don’t need to wait until January to start working on your health and fitness, but instead maintain a healthy lifestyle that is an important part of our daily lives.
What do I mean by healthy lifestyle?
Healthy lifestyle is not solely about losing weight, or feeling stronger, or being more conditioned, or eating properly. Rather, it is a combination of all of the above, and it is a about decreasing, managing, or completely avoiding 60-70% of known illnesses:
- Heart disease and stroke
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Certain types of cancer
- Non-insulin dependent diabetes
- Obesity
- Back pain
- Osteoporosis
- Anxiety and depression
- Sleep deprivation
- Psychological illnesses
These specific benefits are the reason I started the Health Fitness Revolution. Locally, the goal of this challenge is to help Texas become a healthier state (currently the 13th fattest state in the nation), make Houston a fit city (the current fattest city in the US), and decrease child obesity (32%). Our ultimate goal is to get at least 100 million people healthy and fit worldwide. In order to accomplish this, we need GREAT supporters and believers in a healthier and fit America.
I need your help in order to accomplish these goals, and I’m asking all of you to join in this great Challenge in order to make an impact. A group of individuals with a cause has always been stronger than a lone person – which is why the more friends, family, and co-workers who join Health Fitness Revolution, the more we can make a strong impact on society. Even those individuals who have already adopted healthy lifestyles need to join by spreading their knowledge and motivation to loved ones around them, so that our community grows healthier, fitter, and stronger as a whole. Let’s make Houston and Texas a leading force in conquering the disease that is threatening to destroy American society. I’m not asking you to join to make Houston one of the fittest cities, or Texas one of the fittest states, but to get healthy for yourselves and your children to make the country as a whole fitter and healthier.
To finish up my personal story and journey to becoming Bally’s No. 1 Fitness Trainer in the world – I did accomplish it in the middle of the following year, not during the January/February high personal training season, as my supervisors suggested. I accomplished it with my ReSync Method and by believing that New Year’s resolutions are every day when you wake up. This philosophy led me to obtaining my goal four times in my career at Bally’s – more than any other trainer in the history of the organization. I also accomplished being No. 1 fitness trainer in Texas 22 times, and No. 1 fitness trainer in Houston 29 times – with the same mentality that goals are created and achieved year-round, not just once a year.
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