Dear E-Mailers:

I hope that this letter finds you pursuing your personal goals in all areas of your life; but, particularly the goal of personal fitness. We all have dreams about life that we hope will come true. But it’s even more important to have goals in life because that’s how we make our dreams a reality. Though everything you achieve in life begins as a dream, it oftentimes takes a great deal of thought, effort, and prayer to make the dream a reality. I can’t stress that fact enough. This is how I live my life both personally and professionally. Now in response to your e-mail, I’d like to address all of you who have been waiting patiently for a reply from me. I realize that some of you have been waiting longer than others have waited. To you, I send my heartfelt apologies. Aside from my hectic workout and performance schedule, I am receiving an enormous amount of mail. Since I do read all my mail, it takes a bit longer than I’d like to get back to people. I honestly do try my best! For those of you who have requested advice on diet and nutrition.…each of you is an individual with different backgrounds and different overall needs. Many people in the fitness industry would love to take advantage of you through the mail and dispense bogus information left and right. Keep in mind that I am not a personal trainer or certified nutritionist. I am simply a professional fitness competitor with over nine years of diet and training under my belt. I am just someone who has managed to take all of the knowledge I have accumulated and put it into a formula that has been successful for me. Again, I want to stress the point that I am not a diet guru or fitness specialist.I hope that you are not disappointed with my response. Being humble about my level of knowledge is the only path for me. I would feel terrible if you were to do what I do to prepare for a competition, and you became disillusioned with working out or dieting because of your varying results. I do sincerely want all of my friends and fans to enjoy being healthy and fit and engage in this pursuit throughout their entire lifetime. It is important not to beat yourself up with too high of a fitness goal because not everyone should train or diet like a pro.
I applaud those of you who are taking steps toward getting and staying fit. I also sympathize with many of you who have become frustrated with your own level of fitness. Losing fat and getting into shape are not easy tasks. Remember, time and effort are key ingredients toward the success of anyone’s fitness goals. Getting in shape is about developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for yourself, primarily through diet and exercise. It’s not for your spouse, family, or friends, this fitness pursuit is for you!! No one but you has to live your life, walk in your shoes, or wear your pants!! Once again, I am your biggest cheerleader!! God gave each of us a unique body. Individually, our job is to see that it stays strong, healthy and alive. We are all accountable for ourselves. Think of yourself as a precious commodity, and then protect your investment each day by nurturing, exercising and feeding your body with only good healthy things. Keep a picture of the “you” that is inside your mind and heart. You will find yourself setting more realistic goals for yourself by doing so-keeping the focus on yourself. There are a few things that I would like to offer in terms of advice and guidance. First, I highly suggest seeking out a personal trainer and/or nutritionist to oversee your fitness program. You may think you can’t afford someone like that, but that’s okay. If you can’t, try and educate yourself as much as possible by reading books and magazines, attending lectures and seminars, and of course practice what you learn. Another alternative you may wish to explore is fitness as a gift. Ask your friends and family members to forgo presents in favor of money towards personal training sessions or a gym membership. It is a creative way to get your life on track and the people who love you the most have a hand in helping you take care of yourself. If you can make one sacrifice in your life, eliminate candy, cigarettes, shopping sprees, lottery tickets, alcohol, eating out, etc. This might enable you to actually afford a fitness professional. Working with a trainer for just a few sessions per week can make a huge difference in your appearance and overall physical condition. If nothing else, you’ll learn how to train with sound resistance principles, and effectively eat to change your physique! Yeah, with an improved appearance and healthy inside, your confidence and security levels will soar, improving all aspects of your life! In closing, I have compiled some training tips and a list of some of the things that have helped me. Remember, I can’t dispense advice specifically to you. All I can do is share my experience and offer my heartfelt encouragement. So, be disciplined and keep the focus for your healthy life.