So, I had a speaking engagement. And I had a big problem.
I went to button my blazer and the button popped off…
“*#@(@(&#$”
So I settled for my second favorite blazer, and then it got worse.
I was speaking at an event for personal trainers. As I walked in front of the crowd, everything became crystal clear: Everyone was fit. Except me. I had gotten fat. And I looked like a meatball. A big. Fat. Meatball.
I know.
I’m being harsh.
But it was bad.
I Gained More Than 30 Pounds…
I had gained more than 30 pounds. My doctor told me my blood pressure was on the high-end of normal. And I really had no excuse. I had a heart condition that they luckily cured, and there I was… playing with fire…
What happened!?
Am I lazy?
Am I stupid?
Do I just not care about living a long, healthy life?
No.
It’s none of those things.
…Because I Focused On Everything But Health
Entrepreneurs and business owners get caught up in their own heads. They let their health slide because… “WORK! WORK! WORK!”
Parents do the same thing. They let their health slide because… “KIDS! KIDS! KIDS!”
And I told myself I just didn’t have the time.
“The gym? It’s 20 minutes to get there. It’s an hour to work out. It’s 20 minutes to get back. Then I have to shower. UGH! I got a business to build.”
We focus so much on our business, we forget about ourselves.
We focus so much on our kids, we forget about ourselves.
We focus so much on everything else and we forget about ourselves.
But You Can’t Accomplish Anything In Life If You’re Dead
I knew this.
Logically.
And yet, I did nothing about it.
If anything… I did the exact opposite of everything I knew I should do.
And no joke: just a few months before this event, I went to the doctor and asked for a blood test. I kept thinking, something MUST be wrong with me.
And I was right. When I got the test results, I got horrible news. Something was wrong with me. Not biologically wrong.
It was worse.
I Had Gained Weight And It Was 100% My Fault
UGH!
I desperately wanted the doctor to tell me, “Well, Derek. You passed 30 years old. Metabolism slows down.”
I wanted him to then go on, “This is so strange. You have a hormone problem. That’s why you’re gaining weight.”
And as horrible as this sounds…
I even hoped he’d tell me something like, “You have some incurable condition and that’s why you’re fat.”
But it was none of those things.
I had gained weight and it was my fault.
My doctor told me to go on a diet and start working out.
But I didn’t listen.
And It Began Hurting My Business
You may have noticed that I didn’t do many videos in 2016. If I’m being honest, it’s at least partly due to the fact that I got fat. I launched a new course in January and remember thinking “man, I look horrible.” And then I stopped doing videos.
We still had a great year for business. We launched two new courses: Seven Figure Courses and Sales Page that Converts. We also released the Zippy Courses SAAS into beta. But the regular videos were gone. Which is weird. I like doing video. Many people found me because of these videos and I stopped doing them.
And what’s MOST interesting is this:
I can start and grow a business. And I can help people do the same exact thing. But when it came to my health, it was almost as if I had the mental capacity of a toddler.
So, I Knew I Had To Make A Change
What could I do?
I had a lot of excuses.
A LOT OF THEM!
“I don’t have the time.”
“This isn’t my priority right now.”
“It’s not the right time.”
And the list went on.
And that’s when I knew I couldn’t do this alone.
I needed help.
And believe me, this was a tough pill to swallow.
I’m a successful entrepreneur!
I run a great business!
I launched 3 products this year!!!
I DON’T NEED HELP!
But I did.
I needed to get out of my own way and make fitness and health a commitment.
…And That’s When I Met Christopher Coulson
Chris was in the navy for 10 years, and he had finally gotten out about a year prior. Now he was a personal trainer and he told me he could whip me into shape.
I said, “Okay. But I hate cardio.” And he laughed. “So do I.”
So, what happened?
Step 1: He Made Me A Meal Plan…
Chris made me a meal plan with food suggestions.
It was an easy meal plan to follow, too.
As an example…
For breakfast, I’d get to eat a delicious egg omelette with chicken and spinach. I’d also get a half a bagel with peanut butter.
I was shocked. “Dude!?!? A bagel!?!?”
He told me, “Yea man. That’s so you keep your sanity.”
It made complete sense. He knows that dieting is mentally taxing and he even accounted for it by working in what he calls SANITY FOOD. Sanity food is food that you like so that you don’t feel deprived while getting healthy.
Now if I’m being completely honest, it wasn’t 100% easy. Sometimes I’d feel hungry. Real hungry. After all, I was eating far less calories than I was used to eating…
…and he’d fire back. “Eat a cucumber.”
“A CUCUMBER?”
Apparently cucumbers have almost no calories. And they’re quite filling. So I became “cucumber man.”
Step 2: Chris then gave me a workout routine.
And the best part?
No cardio.
He focused on doing a specific set of exercises to help me get leaner and more toned. And then he’d throw in some circuits so that I could burn extra calories.
Now I won’t lie to you. At first, it was challenging. I had a shoulder injury and a lower back injury, but my doctor told me I was “good to go to workout.”
I was out of shape, but I was determined.
It was operation make Derek fit again and Chris was the leader.
Step 3: He Then Held Me Accountable
This is the most important part.
ACCOUNTABILITY.
I needed someone to call me on my BS.
I needed someone to “report to” about my results or else I would just stop going to the gym like so many other times in the past.
And That’s When I Finally Noticed Changes…
As weeks passed, I saw the fat melting off my body. As months passed, that’s when other people began to notice it, too.
It felt good. I could finally wear my clothes again. I didn’t have a double chin. And I felt great both physically and mentally.
Total weight loss? I went from 190 pounds down to 161.8 in about 4 months.
And that’s when my friends started asking me about my success. “How did you do it?”
I always gave Chris all the credit.
Then my friends started signing up with him. And he got so booked that he now no longer accepts private clients.
Then, I Had An Interesting Idea…
I was talking to Chris. I told him, “You changed my life and I think we need to get your expertise out into the world. We need to take your skills online.”
He was down.
I wanted to create a one-on-one online fitness coaching program with Chris as the leader. I wanted him to help other entrepreneurs get fit again like he did for me.
I also wanted him to create some content specifically for entrepreneurs and business owners who want to make health a priority.
So, if you have any interest in learning more…
…just fill out this survey right now.
It’s short.
Now Let Me Tell You Everything I Learned…
Survey aside, I learned a lot throughout this fitness journey.
Thing #1: Here’s Why Everyone Posts Workout Photos On Social Media
Before I made fitness a priority, I’d always laugh at people who posted workout pictures. “What’s wrong with these people? We get it. YOU’RE FIT.”
Well…
When I started to get fit, I did the same exact thing.
“What gives?”
I’ll tell you what gives.
When you make a commitment to health and fitness, you begin to feel great about yourself. And you can’t help but want to share it.
Now I didn’t go “full” “workout share mode.”
I just made fun of myself.
But I totally understand why people do it.
Focusing on fitness and health makes you feel great and you want to share it.
Thing #2: You May Never Like Exercising
I’ve been working out consistently since for about 9 months or so now. And let me tell you this: I still don’t like it.
Everyday I have to go to the gym I come up with an excuse as to why I shouldn’t go.
Every. Single. Day.
This is why having someone hold me accountable has been so important for my success (and my health).
I’m not sure why I don’t like it…
…but let me tell you this:
I love sending text messages like this to the lady:
I know. It’s silly. But it makes me laugh. It makes the lady laugh too.
So even though I don’t like the process, I sure as heck love the results. I also love the dumb cheesy jokes I can bring to my relationship.
Thing #3: Cutting Calories Sucks
When people see how much weight I lost, they always say, “Wow! You look great. And how do you feel?”
I’ll tell you how I feel.
I FEEL HUNGRY.
ALL THE TIME.
Well, not really.
What I learned about food was this: sometimes I would think I was hungry when I was actually feeling something else.
Sometimes I’d be bored… and I’d think I was hungry.
Sometimes I’d be frustrated… and I’d think I was hungry.
Sometimes I’d be tired… and I’d think I was hungry.
It’s weird.
I’ve always had good control over how I felt when it came to business stuff. But when it came to better understanding how I felt about hunger, things were backwards.
And That Brings Me Full Circle…
Hi, I’m Derek Halpern.
I’m an entrepreneur.
I’m a business owner.
And I finally made a commitment to my health and fitness.
Thank you Chris!
And if you’re curious about how you could potentially work with Chris too.
…just fill out this survey right now.
It’s short.
Then…
Leave a comment on this blog post.
What has your journey for health and fitness looked like?
Did you fall off the wagon like I did?
Have you been committed for years?
Share it all in the comments.