Finalists / John C.

John C.

Berkeley Heights, NJ

John C

I embarked on the 60day with the goal of reclaiming my health and creating new habits to increase my fitness and quality of life.

I was a middle distance runner in high school and college and was very fit with a resting pulse of 36 BPM. I ran track and cross country in high school and cross country in college.  After college, I continued to run and compete in road races from one mile to 10K. As I entered my thirties, a series of knee injuries and the stress of modern life took a toll and I stopped running.  Needless to say, I started to use food as my source of comfort and gained over 80 pounds in less than ten years.  Although my job kept me somewhat active, I was not getting the exercise I needed and my diet continued to be unhealthy.

For about ten years my attempt to become fit again would be predictable.  Each spring, I would go to the track and try to run.  Since my body was carrying so much extra weight, my knee injuries only worsened. I got to the point where I would run the straightaways and walk the corners. As I got older, it became even harder to try to run.  So the pattern continued and I became heavier and less fit.

My blood pressure increased and it became obvious that if I did not change my habits I was doomed to a further decline in my health and quality of life.

The pattern changed this year.  For Christmas in 2017, my wife gave me a year’s membership to Life Time.  It was probably the best gift I have ever received.  I had thought about joining a gym so I could exercise year-round, but I did not like to spend money on myself.  So my wife decided to make the commitment for me and my relationship with Life Time began.

My son is a Life Time member in Minnesota and was home for the holiday and we went together on my first visit to Life Time in Berkeley Heights, NJ.  I was completely impressed.  The facility was clean and modern with every piece of equipment imaginable. My first workout was thirty minutes on an elliptical and some light weights.  I realized that this was my opportunity to get healthy. I could do the elliptical and not injure my knees.  I also started swimming laps as another non-weight bearing exercise.

My membership to Life Time included a free on boarding session and I was fortunate to have Jabari Prince as my trainer.  He did an initial assessment and discussed my fitness goals.  He introduced me to some of the different weight machines and proper use and form.  I was so impressed with Jabari that he became my personal trainer.  We have a one hour training session each week and they have been instrumental in my journey to regain fitness and balance in my life.  Jabari has provided incredible support throughout my training and was the person who suggested I sign-up for the 60day.

The 60day would change everything.  I created a series of goals and make the decision to fully commit to making them happen.  I decided to change my life and embark on a new healthy path.  The 60day was perfect for this.  My initial goal was to lose twenty-five pounds and start attacking my belly fat.  I also wanted to run again.  I wanted to be in shape again. I also wanted to reconnect with my younger, athletic self.  I felt that if my 21 year old self saw me, he would be very disappointed with how I had neglected my body and health.  My father passed away last year at 89 and had lived an independent life up until the last few months of his life.  It prompted me to examine my own life.  I simply decided that I would not fail this time.  I would find activities that would not injure me but would still be effective.

The 60day program provided every resource needed to succeed.  This was the first time in my life that I used a complete range of resources. Diet, nutrition, supplements, weights, resistance, HIIT and cardio became part of my daily routine. I monitored my calorie output and documented everything I drank or ate.  I decided to do something healthy every day.

Frequent emails and weekly teaching sessions were a wonderful source to utilize. Each week there was a 60day class led by Dassi Matiteyahu.  Dassi introduced us to foam rolling, mat Pilates, body weight exercises, etc.  She was always positive and energetic.  I also took a TEAM Cut class with Walter McCloud and was impressed with his enthusiasm and sense of team.  Every Life Time trainer was encouraging.  Weekly weigh-ins became exciting to see how much progress I was making.

At the conclusion of the program, I exceeded my goals.  I lost nearly 30 pounds, 10% body fat and gained better sleep and much more energy. I know I would not have been able to accomplish so much without the incredible support of Life Time in Berkeley Heights and the 60day team and coaches.

My journey towards a healthy life continues using all of the resources I was introduced to during the 60day.