"When I got married 22 years ago at the age of 26, I was 6'3" tall and weighed 135 pounds. After a certain age, I found I could indeed gain weight. The problem was, this new weight came in the form of "love handles" which I detest. So, the most recent challenge was to gain size, strength and energy while reducing my bodyfat percentage. Over the past 13 years I have tried a number of gyms, supplements, exercise programs, ALL with minimal results. Then I discovered Global Health and Fitness and joined their online fitness program.

The idea of having an online personal trainer and a specific goal motivated me. I have found everything on global-fitness.com to be very accurate and practical. Their expert advice and emphasis on making health a lifestyle rather than a temporary program is RIGHT ON. As a result, this time I am doing things differently than before:

I don't beat myself up if I miss a workout or eat a large piece of chocolate cake. I push away from the dinner table just before I'm pleasantly full. I eat 4-5 little meals throughout the day and try not to eat after 7 p.m. Instead of sitting on my butt watching TV, I use the Nordic Track while watching TV. I try to adjust the weight so that I go to failure on every set (not just the last). I concentrate on flexing the muscle I am exercising especially on the eccentric phase. Prior to each workout I do cardio for 5 minutes, stretch, and then use half the weight to warm up. I stretch the muscle being worked between each set. I use GHF to find new methods or exercises to help me through plateaus.

I feel better about myself because I look and feel stronger. I am more confident than before and I have more energy. The results from my body fat test show that over the past 6 months I gained 12 pounds of muscle while reducing by body fat by almost 4%. This is a measure of progress and something to celebrate! It also motivates me to keep going and see if I can gain another 12 pounds of muscle and get down to 10% body fat during the next 6 months. Thank you for everything GHF!"

Charles Hott chott@sandia.gov