Trust the Process: How One Year Changed My Life Forever
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I want to talk to you about trusting the process in your own fitness journey.
A lot of you know parts of my story. But I want to explain it all from the beginning, month by month, because I think it will help a lot of guys who are right where I was at 51.
A lot of you know parts of my story. But I want to explain it all from the beginning, month by month, because I think it will help a lot of guys who are right where I was at 51.
Watch the full story below, or keep reading for the complete breakdown.
A little background first. I was actually in pretty good shape in my 30s, but that wasn’t until after I reached my heaviest weight of 218lbs while my wife was pregnant with our youngest daughter.
After I finally decided to get into shape for the first time, I worked out regularly during my lunch break with a couple of friends who taught me a lot at the time. One was a personal trainer, and the other trained more like a bodybuilder. Between the two of them, I built a solid foundation in fitness and training. But in my 40s I let it all go. The drinking got heavier, the eating got worse, and the workouts disappeared entirely. I put on about 25 extra pounds and just accepted it as part of getting older.
After I finally decided to get into shape for the first time, I worked out regularly during my lunch break with a couple of friends who taught me a lot at the time. One was a personal trainer, and the other trained more like a bodybuilder. Between the two of them, I built a solid foundation in fitness and training. But in my 40s I let it all go. The drinking got heavier, the eating got worse, and the workouts disappeared entirely. I put on about 25 extra pounds and just accepted it as part of getting older.
When I decided to turn things around again at 51, I wasn't starting from absolute zero. I had the knowledge from my 30s sitting in the back of my mind. But I had to rebuild everything else from scratch.
Getting fit for the first time is one thing. Getting fit the second time around in your 50s, after years of drinking and letting yourself go, that's a whole different challenge.
The Morning Everything Changed
I woke up one morning completely hungover. Nothing new. I did that a lot. But this particular morning, I said to myself, dude, what the hell are you doing with your life? This is getting old.
I was tired. Not just physically tired. Tired in my soul.
That morning was different. I decided I was done. Not next week. Not Monday. Today. It was a Tuesday. I was working from home at the time as a Senior Graphic Designer for a large tech company, and I decided to start that day on my lunch break, right from my own backyard. No more excuses. No more waiting for the right time.
I decided to commit to myself at that moment. Commit to moving my body, clean up my eating, stop drinking, and trust that if I stayed consistent, something would change. I knew it had to be possible. I just had to trust the process.
Month One: Just Move
The only workout tools I had at the time were a pair of 15 lb dumbbells. That was it.
I trained 3 to 4 days a week to start, doing basic bodyweight moves, just to get my body used to moving again. Push-ups, squats, light presses. Nothing impressive. But that was a win. I didn't need perfection. I just needed to get a little momentum moving.
I cut out all bar food and eating out. I cut out the sugar. Switched to a whole food diet with a high protein focus. I didn't count calories. I just ate real food. To me, this was just common sense.
Month one was not exciting at all. I was really sore, and I completely doubted myself through the whole process. But I just kept showing up.
Month Two: Getting Curious
I started seeing kettlebells everywhere online, and something about them just looked like fun. So I ordered my first pair of 25 lb kettlebells.
My swings were horrible. My form was rough. But I was motivated to learn and excited about it, because it looked like a fun workout tool. So I practiced. A lot.
At this point, my body hadn't changed much yet. But I was feeling stronger. And that kept me going. I could feel that something was happening, but I wasn't seeing it physically yet.
Month Three: Staying the Course, Even While On Vacation
We had a trip planned to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to see my wife's family. Six weeks away from home. That would have been the perfect excuse to take a break.
I refused.
We stayed in an Airbnb so I could still cook from home and stay on point with my eating. I even had a 48 lb kettlebell shipped directly to where we were staying so I could keep training.
I still didn't see much change in my body, though. I kept thinking, man, this is hard. But I felt stronger every week. So I kept going.
Months Four and Five: Building Confidence
When I got back from Idaho, I started pushing harder. Five to six days a week. Honestly, looking back, I was probably hitting it too hard, but I really wanted to see results.
The voice inside my head was still saying quit. I had to ignore it to keep going.
I added more dumbbells to better isolate the muscles. Started practicing pull-ups. I had to start with resistance bands for assistance to get stronger. My form wasn't perfect, but it was improving. And that consistency started building my confidence.
But what really transformed me more than anything during this whole process was my faith.
I committed my life to God. I got baptized at my local church at 51 years old. I knew I had to break the cycle, not just physically but spiritually too. My perspective changed. I felt stronger mentally and stronger in my soul. It gave me that extra strength I longed for.
Month Six: Something Finally Shifted
At around month six, my body finally caught up to my effort.
I remember looking in the mirror and thinking, " Wow, I am here. I have arrived".
I was around 170 lbs, lean, strong, and feeling confident for the first time in years.
I made an Instagram post about my initial goal being to see how ripped I could get at 51 after quitting drinking and transforming my life, and then showing where I was at 6 months. That post went viral, and I had tons of men reaching out asking how I did it. That gave me the confirmation to just keep going.
Months Eight and Nine: Learning What Works
By months eight and nine, I had actually dropped down to about 160 lbs. Too lean. Too skinny. I was eating only two meals a day, intermittent fasting, and pushing too hard.
My wife Caroline told me I looked too skinny. She was right, so she started to feed me more.
This is when I moved to three meals a day and started learning what actually worked for my body.
One Year: Where I Landed
By year one, I had settled in at around 170 lbs. For reference, I am 5 feet 11. I knew this time was different. This was about a life change and proving to myself I could do this at 51. This is now my lifestyle.
When guys kept reaching out to ask how I did it, I knew I needed to put something together to help them. I immediately started working overtime to put my fitness plans into a fitness app so I could share them with others. I was doing all of this while still working full-time and training in my backyard during my lunch breaks.
That's also when I made another massive decision. I quit my corporate job and went all in on this mission. Not because it was safe. Because I completely believed in it and really wanted to help other guys realize that they could do this too. That it wasn’t too late.
What Most People Miss
Getting in shape is one thing. Keeping it is another.
A lot of people hit their goal, then relax, and all those old habits start creeping back in. That is why trusting the process matters more than the result. Because the goal is for the process to become your lifestyle.
At 54, I train four days a week. Some workouts are 10 minutes, some are 45. I eat whole foods and high protein. I don't count calories. Everything I do is based on how I feel. We all know what it feels like to eat too much, so if that ever happens to me, I will simply cut back for a day or so.
When you live this way and make it your lifestyle, you become very in tune with your body.
This Is What Hurts the Most
I see people join my fitness app and community, only to quit before they even give themselves a chance. Because I know what is possible if they just keep going.
You don't need to be extreme. If you are in month one right now and nothing has changed yet, good. That is where it all starts.
Trust the process. Because things will change.
Move your body consistently. Eat real food. Remove the things from your life that you know are destroying you. Stay patient when you don't see results right away.
Your mind will change. Your habits will change. Your whole identity will change.
And once your identity changes, maintaining all of this becomes so much easier.
This is not only about being ripped. This is about changing your lifestyle to live longer for your family. They need us to be strong figures in their lives. Both mentally and physically.
If you are ready to start your own process, check out the Midlife Fit Club fitness app and How I Eat Visual Meal Guide