INVEST IN FITNESS - Change your life - Part 1

Change MY Life???

HELLO!! My name is Ray Ortiz.

I am the owner of Invest in Fitness, a personal training company dedicated to bringing awareness to health, wellness, and fitness by providing the most current tips, research and information.

Why am I writing this blog. Well, to show my readers that I am just like anybody else, and that I know how difficult it is to get fit. Most importantly, I want to show people that it is possible, and ANYONE can do it.

WELCOME TO INVEST IN FITNESS!!!

To prove that I am just like everybody else, I want to share my story:

Just as a quick overview, I completed a degree in Kinesiology and Health Sciences in 2004. My next step was to become a Chiropractor. In 2006 I was enrolled at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto, in hopes to complete my Doctor of Chiropractic. It was a lot of work getting into that school, and felt amazing when I got in because all of my hours of work and planning FINALLY paid off. My path was set. I was going to study, work hard for the next four years, and hopefully open up a successful practice at the end of it all. Chiropractic was going to be my career!!! Until IT happened. My plans changed in a blink of an eye.

In 2006, just 2 months into my first year at Chiropractic College, my father suffered a massive heart attack, which resulted in him having severe brain damage. It was a big blow to my family. And it also meant that I had to put my Chiro plans on hold, to help out at home. So for the next year, I would work as a personal trainer at a gym, in hopes that I could continue my studies the following term. So that's what I did, and in 2007, I began my studies again. This time, I felt like it was going to happen, I was focused. As crazy as things were at home, and as difficult as the Chiro program was, I wasn't going to let anything stop me from following through with my plans.

But sometimes, things are just out of your control. Early this year (2008), my father was moved from the hosipital, to a nursing home. Which meant that my family had to now pay for his care....and let me tell you, it is NOT cheap!!! When you throw in my $ 20,000/year tuition, it makes for tough times. So again, my plans of Chiropractic had to be put on hold. But this time, I wasn't sure when I'd be able to go back, because of all the resposibilities I had in my personal life. It was pretty devasting to me, because I had worked so hard to get into Chiropractic college, and I had all these plans for myself for the future, and all of sudden my plans crumbled, and I was faced with having to find a new career path.

I had been a certified personal trainer and worked at a gym since 2002. But I never saw it as a possible career. It was just a hobby for me, it was fun! I had a free membership at a gym, I met different people on a daily basis, I had a consistent client load, I got paid well, and I was good at what I did. I helped numerous clients reach their fitness goals. But what about MY goals???

How is this relevant? Well, during the last year, while I was in school, I got into the worst shape of my life!!! I'm supposed to be a fitness professional, and here I was, eating junk food, not exercising, getting fat and out of shape!!! I went from exercising 5 times per week, to 5 times a month!!! Mind you, school was insane. It seemed like all you could do was eat, sleep and study, with not much time for anything else. But still, I knew better as a fitness expert. And before you knew it, I was gaining weight, my clothes that fit me in the past didn't fit me anymore, I wasn't as strong or as fast as I used to be.

Everything, that my clients used to say happened to them, was happening to me. I felt like I was losing control. I used to coach my clients how to get into the best shape of their lives, and I couldn't even coach myself anymore!!! I would keep telling myself things like: "I'll work out tomorrow" or "I'll start eating healthy again tomorrow". Well, days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and before you knew it, I was 12 lbs heavier than I was the year before!!!

Something needed to change. I needed to change my life!!!