Turning Words

On May 17, 1985, at around 5:00 pm, as you can read in the post below, my five year old daughter and I had a very serious car accident. That accident, although we both survived, in an instant, ruined my health and changed my life. In the weeks and months leading up to that fateful moment in time, I was running 60 miles a week. The Tuesday before, I ran 16 200’s on the track averaging 33 seconds each. Two days later, I ran 9 miles and I entered it in my log as “easy” in 59:59. I was super fit and super healthy.

Within days of the accident, I began to feel sick.   Within weeks, I was hardly able to run. Within months I was becoming quite debilitated. Little did I know that I would then struggle with my health for the next 20 years.

I clicked on a link this morning in a post from one of the thread that I have been posting on in the Beachbody Message Boards.   It said, “here’s another great post to read regarding the nutrition plan…and i mean it’s a read” and this is the link (I highly recommend reading it) –
HREF=”http://forums.teambeachbody.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/338299664/m/8491021041?r=2281096841#2281096841″>”Getting The Proper Caloric Intake According To The P90X Nutrition Plan”. Realizing that the guy who posted had a lot to say that was worth reading, I scrolled down and found another one of his posts that caught my eye. It is entitled, “HREF=”http://forums.teambeachbody.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/5082996357/m/9231030041?r=6411061941#6411061941″>Turning Words“, and you owe it to yourself to read and reread it. Here is an excerpt:

“How many of you have read or had someone say something to you that afterwards your life was forever changed as a result?   Words you read or words you hear have immense power and influence (both positive and negative) in the way we live, how we understand, and the manner in which we view ourselves. When you first came to Beachbody and took that first step towards a lifestyle of health and fitness, most of us can specifically identify that moment in time, the words that were spoken that resonated deep within us, and we became responsive to that message. These messages are called
TURNING WORDS. Why? Because these words are signposts or turning-points in our lives that literally turn us around and lead us in a new direction.”

Reading on, I learned that Independent Team Beachbody Coach Troy Dameron had his own story. “Twenty some years ago, I was enslaved by a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol, leftover from my “rock-n-roll” years. I was at my rope’s end, and spent several months in rehabilitation facilities searching desperately for an answer to my problems (which were many). I had bought into my own personal lie that I didn’t love myself, therefore I was unlovable. Upon my “graduation” day, one
of the nurses came up to me, looked me in the eyes, and tearfully said to me, “just believe.” Those were turning words in my life, that I have never forgot. Two years later I was still struggling, and one morning as I was sitting by a lake watching the sun rise, there was an inner-voice that said to me, “Troy I still love you, and I can keep you straight and sober – just believe.” You can call it awareness, salvation, illumination, whatever, but those words changed my life forever, and now 20 plus years later I still believe.”

Getting a thank you from the Admins on the Message Boards, Troy responded, “Just trying to do my part as a “veteran” here in Beachbody-dom to give back and help as much as I can, as Steve and so many others have been tremendously helpful over the years in helping me achieve and maintain my fitness goals. That’s why I became a personal trainer too. It was my way of saying to Tony and so many others at Beachbody thank you, and now in gratitude I’m going to pass on what I’ve learned and try to help others achieve their fitness and nutrition goals. I’ve just concentrated more on the nutrition end of things, as the fitness stuff people got that down pretty good, it’s the nutrition element that seems to trip people up.”

Over twenty years later, Troy and I both share turning points in our lives and “turning words” in our lives. For me, it was
December 2006 when, disappointed that I was losing some income from promoting Beachbody products through banner advertising, Neil Evans, VP of marketing at Beachbody at the time said, “click on this link any time after December 28th”
and you’ll be able to promote Beachbody in a big way. I still have the email.

Now, almost two years later, yes, I am promoting Beachbody in a big way, but for me it is also a way of saying “thank you” to Beachbody. In those two plus years since I heard my “turning words”, I have embraced the Beachbody lifestyle and passion for helping others and in return regained every bit of my health and fitness and much more.

This afternoon at 5:00, I will be finishing up a run, showering, having dinner, going to church for a Sunday in the Park concert with Nick Crespo and listening to the
HREF=”http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=34526&cmd=tc”>Rocky Mountain Fitness Club call with Traci Morrow at 7:00 pm. Not only have my “turning words” completely restored my health, it has also brought me the friendship and camaraderie of all of, but also getting to know people like Traci and meeting Troy through his words and thoughts.

Beachbody has been a tremendous blessing for me and my family and it can be for you, too. Troy and I both listened to the “turning words” in our lives and we both ended up as successful Team Beachbody Coaches.