Three and a half years ago I started a journey that has changed my life. I thought this would be a perfect time to share my story.
I was a regular 37-year-old guy. A little soggy around the middle from a few too many beers and Nutter Butters, but I believed I was in reasonable shape. I felt like the exercise I got from drumming and doing wedding photography was keeping me in above average shape, but I felt like I could stand to lose a few pounds.
When my friend Dan Ritchie from Miracles Fitness asked if I’d be willing to train one-on-one in exchange for a before and after photo, I said, “Sure, why not?” I figured 8-10 weeks of training and a couple of photos couldn’t be too hard, and I’d lose those couple pounds I was bothered by.
Turns out that at 260+ pounds, I was pretty overweight even for my 6’3″ frame. Worst of all, I couldn’t do 5 pushups or run for 60 seconds. Uh-oh. This was
worse than I thought!
I’ll be honest with you, those first few sessions were… rough. I nearly had to be carried to my car at the end. But then an interesting thing happened – it started getting easier. By the third or fourth week I wasn’t struggling to do 5 pushups or run for 60 seconds. Along with a reasonable meal plan the workouts had me seeing real results in 6 or 7 weeks, and by week 8 I needed new, smaller jeans and pants! Whoo-hoo!
Fast forward a few years. That guy who couldn’t do 5 pushups or run for 60 seconds can now do 15 pushups and has even run a 5k race! My jean size in down from 40 to 33, and I can wear clothes from nearly any store I want, including Express or H&M! No way that was gonna happen before!
The best part is that I now have energy in reserve where even guys half my age can’t keep up with me. I turned 40 this year, and I like to often ride my motorcycle at the racetrack. This is an expensive hobby, and every minute at the track is precious because of it. Imagine a 105 degree July day, covered head to toe in black leather and a helmet, atop a motorcycle putting out 200 degree temperatures, and you can start to see why physical conditioning comes into play for “just riding a motorcycle.” Many guys couldn’t finish the sessions they’d paid for that day. I was happily one of the ones able to ride every minute of my paid track time.
I’d love to see more of my friends find themselves where I’m at today. My workouts are my daily routine, and I look forward to them. This is a way of life now, and I’d never go back.
Dave Mason is the founder and owner of ISPhotographic, which he started in 2004 here in Lafayette. You may have seen him shooting a wedding, taking photos at Purdue, or working out like crazy with Dan Ritchie at Miracles Fitness. When I first looked at Dave’s website, I asked Dan why Dave didn’t have any pictures of himself on it. I was actually looking right at Dave on the screen but he had lost so much weight I didn’t even recognize him. He has had great success on his fitness journey and is proof that you can, too. Thanks, Dave, for sharing!
