I have got know Colin through my Year of the Beast Challenge group. It was a huge one – and drew in a lot of people! Technically, Colin isn’t even on teamRIPPED, but that doesn’t matter. My goal is always to help first. And if you are a positive person trying to make a change, join me!
You will moved by his story! I know I am! If you can #BERELENTLESS like he is… you will do amazing things!
Congrats Colin! So inspired and so proud of what you have accomplished! I can’t wait to see you in New Orleans.
COLIN’S RELENTLESS STORY
When did your story start with fitness? What made you want to make a change?
I have dabbled in fitness for a very long time but never took it overly seriously. My wife became a Beachbody coach a number of years ago and I seemed to enjoy watching it more from the sidelines. LOL I then got into Body Beast around 2013. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is an autoimmune disease that has caused partial fusion of spine and complete fusion of the right knee (No Leg Day for me. ) and found this program to work well for me as I find cardio difficult to do, even with modifications. But in spring of 2014 I became very ill, very quickly. In the summer of 2014 I was diagnosed with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (auto-immune of the liver) and was already at stage 4 and given a prognosis of 1-3 years. It was at this point I leaned heavily on God for strength and wisdom. I truly believed He asked me to do my part and I got very serious with my health as I was overweight and needed to do whatever it took to help heal this body. I had a few emergency trips by ambulance and visits into the hospital where we did feel like the end may be upon us. But, I then stumbled across a group that Coach Wayne and a few other coaches were leading called “Year of the Beast”. On Dec 12, 2014, I sent Coach Wayne a private FB message indicating that I didn’t belong to TR but was wondering if I could be a part of the group. He never hesitated and allowed me in. It was the greatest gifting Wayne could have ever given me. I became part of a group that was motivating, encouraging, and I was learning more and more each day.
Each day I did whatever I could do at the time. I took on a new motto for myself…#BeRelentless. And with that, each week I would see visible progress and feel a little healthier than the week before.
To date, I have lost 83 pounds since my prognosis. It took me a bit to start losing the weight, as I was so ill at the time. From August 22, 2016 to March 23, 2017, I have lost 55 pounds. This amount has been due to lifting weights and doing cardio everyday and my nutrition is dialed in 100%…finally.
This summer will be 3 years since that 1-3 years prognosis. I’m striving for that 3 years and looking for more.
What programs have you done? What has been your favorite?
I have done a number of the Beachbody programs. I have competed Insanity, P90X, T25, 22Min HardCorps and of course Body Beast. My go to program is Body Beast and I have also incorporated more cardio into my daily routine. I love lifting weights.
What helped you the most as you started your journey?
Support. Online support and like-minded individuals on the same journey as myself have been the greatest influence and motivation / inspiration to push onward with my goals. I follow many, many like-minded individuals on social media and I’m forever asking questions. There are many guys still in the “Year of the Beast” group that I follow and comment and ask questions to. You cannot be afraid to ask questions. Don’t let plateaus or lack of knowledge cause a setback. I have to say, Coach Wayne has created an amazing, supportive, encouraging platform with TR…y’all rock.
Have you had setbacks? How’d you deal with them?
The only setbacks that I’ve had are the occasional times of illness, just like anyone else. I refused to allow any other factors cause me setbacks. For example, I have chosen to do my workouts at 4am before anyone in the house is awake. This allows me to get my workouts completed before there are any other distractions from the day that could cause me to postpone my workouts. I had to readjust the time I go to bed in the evenings to accommodate the 4am, but after only a week or so the body was used to it and I haven’t looked back since.
On the days I have been sick, I concentrated even more on the nutrition part to help the body heal quickly so that I could get back into the workout room. I would get back to working out ASAP even if it were just 30 easy minutes on the stationary bike. But it was something.
What are your goals right now?
My current goal is to walk across the Beachbody Classic stage at Coach Summit in New Orleans in July. July will mark 3 years of my 1-3 prognosis that I was given in the summer of 2014. It will be my personal celebration that I will be sharing with my wife, as she too will compete at the Classic. This will be a celebration of health and life and I hope that many of you will be there with us; either on stage or in the audience because it’s people like you that have pushed me onward. I have no chance of winning (remember I don’t do Leg Day? ) but I want to walk the stage. I love Beachbody. I love Body Beast. I love Shakeology. And I love everyone that is tackling their health for themselves and for their family. One step. One Lift. One day at a time. #BeRelentless
What would you tell to someone that thinks they can’t do it?
I believe everyone has the ability to accomplish whatever goals they have. It’s a matter of adjusting one’s schedule in order to make the workouts fit into the day. It’s about making those workouts a priority and not an after thought; otherwise, it’s too easy to push it off until “later”. Also, as I’ve heard Coach Wayne mention many, many times, nutrition is key to all of this; not just to help with the physical part of working out but to supply the body, aka machine, with the proper fuel. I found nutrition to be the key ingredient to all of this. And, finally, I would recommend being part of a challenge group where there is accountability and encouragement; two things we all need to succeed with anything in life.
What is one thing you wish you had known when you started?
I wish I had truly understood the value and importance of nutrition. Regardless of the workout program one chooses, real results will happen when a proper eating lifestyle is followed. I dabbled in working out for way too long until I finally got on the nutrition bandwagon and then I saw immediate and long lasting results. As the saying goes, “you cannot outwork a bad diet”. And the nutrition part needs to be tackled as a lifestyle and not a diet. Listen to Coach Wayne, he knows what he is talking about.
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
