September 26, 2021 “6-Weeks CAN change your entire life”
Many of you might remember me telling you a story of a gentleman (Joel) and his wife at the last end of camp celebration. They were witness to Darnell having achieved biggest loser of the bootcamp. Joel was so impressed by the genuine outpouring of support for Darnell, that he knew he wanted and needed to join to TFC. He was so committed that he paid for 3 months in advance. He stated, “I don’t waste money” if I commit to something I see it through until the end. Our mottos for Tadda’s Fitness Center have always been “6-Weeks to a New You” & “Fitness Starts from Within.” Joel proved them both to be true.
Joel and his nephew drive trucks for a living. Joel’s nephew had done the bootcamp prior to him and during one of their daily talks, Joel expressed to him that he was falling into the truck driver syndrome. He also revealed that he was diagnosed with diabetes. His nephew suggested that he join Tadda’s Fitness Center. He told him “Tadda is a registered nurse and if anyone can help you it is her.”
Joel has been a truck driver for 30 years. He said he has witnessed over the years drivers getting bigger and bigger and unhealthier as the years rolled by. He has witnessed many drivers around his age die from secondary health complications that were highly preventable and many more that must take several medications. He stated he didn’t want to be another person to fall into this truck driver syndrome.
Joel’s Life Challenges
All of Joel’s life he has had to deal with an autoimmune disorder, Lupus. He said he thought he was eating right because he has always been cautious of the things that might cause a flair up of his lupus.
A few years ago, Joel was in a major car accident that he thought prevented him from running, he said he wasn’t a runner before anyway. He had to have his hip replaced because of the accident and he also suffered a lot of leg issues. These along with the lupus did not help with his ability to run.
Joel drives his truck 14 hours a day and although he tried his best to eat healthy, he fell into fast foods from time to time. In June, Joel was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Attempting to handle it on his own made him realize he needed help, so on July 31st he joined Tadda's Fitness. He told me on our final day of bootcamp that the missing piece of him getting better was …ME!
Why do a structured bootcamp?
What sets our bootcamp apart from other bootcamps is the extra special attention paid to each individual person. My experience as a healthcare professional has me focus on more than just weight loss. Health for me goes beyond a scale. Most people are dedicated to the scale and not the process, which is why some don’t do well. Understanding my client’s lab work, past medical history, what medications they are on and meeting a client where they are mentally, physically, and emotionally is life changing. Our Fit3D body scan is also a great part of our process because the scan is so informative that it can be shared with doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists and of course personal trainers.
When Joel came in for his Fit 3D body scan prior to bootcamp starting, he came serious and prepared. He came with a folder with all his blood lab work results. He had also printed out our nutritional meal plan booklet. He had written several questions to make sure he remembered to ask me. And after going over his scan, lab work and answering all his questions, we developed a plan. He told me he was going to follow everything I said because he obviously didn’t know what he was doing and he did not want to be diabetic anymore.
6-Weeks to a New You!
When it comes to changing your life, you must be willing to get uncomfortable, change your daily habits, make sacrifices for what you say you want and be disciplined enough to follow through.
Meals: You will NEVER out train bad eating habits. Meals are most people’s biggest challenge when it comes to weight loss or coming off medications.
From the first day to the final day of bootcamp, Joel followed the meal plan to a “T”. His wife was his biggest supporter she made his meals fresh every day. (If you don’t have a wife like this, you can always do it yourself or get a meal prep service to do it for you). Daily he carried a big cooler filled with enough water and prepped meals in his truck for his 14-hour journey. His truck is equipped so he can warm up his food while on the go. He stated for 40 days he ate nothing that was not in the meal plan booklet.
Exercise: Joel for most of his life has lived with pain from the major car accident and Lupus. He stated before joining TFC he hadn’t worked out in decades. So, when he joined, he was concerned at 52 years old, how was he going to be able to do this. I told him like I tell everyone, let’s just take one day at a time and that recovery will be the most important. Joel showed up every day having perfect attendance and each day he gave 110%. His facial expressions made sure I knew he was giving his all. LOL Many days left him lying flat on the ground with a smile on his face. I could feel his pride in finishing a tough workout. He would say, “If this is going to work, I must give it my all!” In the weekly newsletters I would post the weekend homework assignments and Joel would complete them along with his wife.
TFC services: Doing it alone is already challenging, why not add some healthy alternatives to help you and inform you.
Tadda’s Fitness has many great services that can truly help you reach your goals. Joel part took in his weekly vitamin b12 injections along with alkaline water and our delicious smoothies. He had Fit3d scans to measure his improvement in addition to the A1c test offered at TFC. Two other amazing services offered at TFC, blood type testing which will help with fine tuning your diet to suit your blood type and IV Therapy for hydration, recovery and so many more benefits. These will all aid in improving your health and wellness.
The results: Over 13 years of training I have many clients that do extremely well in the bootcamp, and I also see some people gain at the end. Why the different results if they both receive the exact same opportunities and services? I always say, I am in your life as much as you want or as little as you want. The more you let me in the more you achieve the desired results.
In just 6 weeks:
- Joel’s A1c dropped from 6.7% (diabetic) to 6.0% (pre-diabetic). Joel and I were completely stunned when I did his test on Friday. He was giving himself a year to bring his levels down, but to see this change in such a short time tells you that changing your unhealthy habit is critical.
- First 2-mile was 26:24 (Yellow Team). He then ran 20:40 (Red Team). Our fastest team! Now that's impressive for someone with major hip/leg injuries!
- 37 Sit-ups to 62
- 24 military Push-ups to 37
- 66 Switch kicks to 105
- The biggest things for me besides his A1c dropping was his weight. Joel is not a big guy but when his doctor said he must lose some weight to not be placed on diabetic medication we knew we had some work to do. Joel lost 13.3 LBs of fat. 6.5% body fat (If he had "Bet on Himself", he would have won $500).
- Lost 4 inches in his waist
- And his posture improved significantly
Commitment: I dedicated this article to Joel because he is a great example of what happens when you totally engage yourself in a healthy process, commit to the process and trust the process. Joel inspired me daily with his vulnerability, willingness to go the extra mile without complaining, commitment to his health and always being positive.
For everyone who says they have no time for fitness. Joel is a great example of how you make time. He is a husband and father of 3. Joel would take a shower after each workout session at our gym, then drive to Austell from Lithonia, then drive his 14-hour shift and do it all over again for 6 weeks.
I pray this article touches someone to know CHANGE is hard and uncomfortable, but it is not too late to make the changes. If you have the WILL TFC has the WAY.
Next bootcamp starts October 11th- November 19th, 2021. Please come in between September 27-October 10th to get your scan. Bring your lab work with you or you can get them done at TFC. Write down your questions and be prepared in advance for when the bootcamp starts. Can I Get It? No Mess!
