Losing 40 pounds, gaining balance

So ten weeks have come and gone.

I've got to say, I'm very sad that it is over, but know what to do for myself moving forward.

I'm really going to miss being with my new friends twice a week Catherine, Jon, Alexandra and of course Shannon. They have grown to be an extended family of mine. I'm sure we will stay in touch and I wish them all the best in everything they try to accomplish in life, which will be a lot. This was a life-changing experience that I'm so happy I went through.

The year started with me being over weight and in an overall bad place. I now can look back and truly say "wow." I can't believe how much I have changed.

Let's start with the physical side of things:
40.2 lbs lost
Size 38 pants to 34
XL shirt to L
Muscle definition in areas that have not been uncovered in my lifetime.

The biggest thing, I believe, is that I have regained the happiness in all aspects of my life and truly have achieved balance. What's next for me is to become the best role model my son and wife could ever imagine. I plan to organize a 5K in the fall to help the homeless in Maine.

I also want to tell people out there that there's always time to become better as person physically and mentally. You just need to start at The Landing or wherever you choose and follow through. When times are tough talk to someone you trust to get you to that next spot on the hill of success and beyond.

The Landing gave me a gift I could never repay and I know I will try to make them as successful as I feel today going through this quest. The one thing I know I will instill in my son and everyone I touch along the way in my life is live everyday to the fullest and help the people around you. I truly think it will make you richer then anyone that walks this great planet.

Thank you to everyone that was part of "The Quest for Your Best" I will remember this for the rest of my life.

Keep your eyes peeled for the July 9 issue of Switch magazine. The Questers final "before" and "after" photos and story will be revealed then in print and here on Mainetoday.com

Making an impact: Buttocks v Minivan

Last week brought plenty of laughter for me.

Allow me to set the scene: Friday morning started like usual with our group workout. Afterward, Jon and I hit the heat suite and bantered about day to day life. So far, just another great day at The Landing. But in the second class of the morning, it got interesting.

Terry Bradbury Mills (Aka Sargent Mills) greeted us by the top of the stairs.

Jon and I had a flashback to last week's Boot Camp at Fort Landing. Terry said we were going to go outside today! I thought to myself "Great. Torture. And the people of downtown are going to witness it." We grabbed our kettlebells and headed out the door.

We jogged street to street until we got to the courtyard of TD Banknorth. Terry then pushed us to run stairs, skip, hop benches, do step-ups on a three-foot wall and of course some pushups. If you're thinking this is the funny part, it isn't.

We then ran a few streets over to the parking lot by MEMIC. Terry told us we where going to do "gut busters."

For people that don't know, gut busters are when you run forward to a line and then run backwards to line where you started from, then out to the next line and back to where you started and so on. Like a shot we run line to line until we get to the sixth one. Pushing myself hard, I was staying with Jon (aka The Running Man) stride for stride.

We hit the line and started running backwards at a very fast pace. Thinking I had at least another parking spot to go I pushed harder just to find myself striding into a parked minivan.

The sight of my now rock-hard buttocks denting in the front fender of a minivan must have been one that anyone would like to see on video.

Jon quickly asked me if I was okay. I replied to him, surprisingly, that I was.

Our next response: hysterical laughing.

Being an insurance agent for Liberty Mututal, I had to do the responsible thing.

So I left a note for the owner to give me a call on my cell phone so I could take care of the damage. The owner called me that afternoon after seeing my card on his windshield (which he didn't notice until after he had driven all the way to his home in South Portland for lunch).

I said the situation was going to sound crazy, but that it was the truth. He had a good laugh at my expense and told me he would remember the story for the rest of his life. He repeated over and over how honorable it was that I didn't just walk away from the situation. I think it should be what anyone would do. Liberty Mutual took care of the damage and everything is back to normal after the battle of buttocks vs. minivan.

Play Doh no mo': Things are firming up

What a week I had this week!

This was my most complete full body experience for mind, body and soul. The week started after the holiday weekend in Hip Func Abs as usual with Catherine our trainer pushing me to make my body into a sculpted masterpiece (instead of a blob of play doh). I would say she has done a masterful job up to this point and I am looking forward to the final results.

Wednesday came along with my routine's newest addition. Kettlebell the best workout to date. John the instructor had us doing circuit training which made all of us push ourselves to points we have never been before. I will say this is the first time since high school where I thought I might be sick during a workout. The thing is I love it. The addiction of exercise in general is the best drug around. My colleague took the class with me and he said that he felt he got the best workout he has had in ten years.

Thursday was a treat. I got my first experience of a body treatment at Head Games. This I will say after having many massages in my life was the best experience I have had to date. Maureen Emerson using Dr. Haucshka lemon grass oil made me feel so relaxed and alive.

She is amazing and I will tell you that if you have not experienced this go to Head Games and make an appointment with her. You will not regret it!! That night I took Yamuna Body Rolling 90 Minutes WHAT IS YAMUNA BODY ROLLING™? It's Health, Fitness & Massage rolled into one! Yamuna Body Rolling™ is a revolutionary approach to health and fitness using balls designed exclusively for this practice. It consists of a series of routines using 6 to 10-inch balls.

Unlike other ball exercises, YBR goes far beyond random movement and stretch. It allows you to work specific muscles in detail, to create suppleness in tight areas and optimize range of motion.

Friday brought me to The Landing once again to do our weekly group workout. Catherine discussed nutrition with us and gave us a useful sheet of snacks we could use in our diet. We then went through our full body workout pushing each other to achieve our goals. Catherine made sure that we had good form to achieve maximum results from the workout. I believe this has helped me during the harder workouts to not get hurt and end up on a stretcher.

Jon and I then hung out in the heat suite for an hour which, looking back, wasn't a good idea. We had Cardio Pilates at 9:30 and had no idea what we were in for with new instructor Terry Mills. Strolling up stairs at 9:15, Terry greeted us and then said go grab the heaviest weights and do stairs for the next fifteen minutes to warm up for class. At first, I was thinking sure this is a bad idea and of course I was wrong.

We entered the exercise room and the door closed and to my knowledge I didn't registered in the Marine's, but I must have because I think we went through basic training for the next 45 minutes. Terry asked us at that point if we wanted to do Pilates or stretch. The best decision we have made to date other marrying our wives: we decided to stretch. I left the class totally drained, but I have seen results add to my overall success.

The crown jewel came on Sunday at Life Breath with Valerie Davis. I have wanted to take this class with my wife since the beginning and it didn't disappoint. It is amazing that learning how we breathed as a baby brought me to such a great place. I had an enlightening experience that started with me feeling like I was floating down a snow covered mountain, to a grass covered field into a boat where I sailed across glass like lake.

I then came to the clarity of what my purpose of after the Quest will be. I will continue a tradition that was started by my wife Norma five year ago. Every year with collect clothes for Preble St resource center through out the year from friends, relatives and coworkers to donate during the holidays. The vision I had me taking this to the next level to make a part of and event or done on a bigger stage. I plan to make the citizens of Greater Portland aware of our homeless population on the rise and gather clothes, food and donations to stop it. Growing up with very little I have been very fortunate to become very successful.

I hope by doing this I can touch someone that can achieve the same level of success. Giving back in my opinion makes me realize how good my life has become and I want everyone to be able to experience that great feeling. One of my favorite movies is The Pursuit of Happyness and a quote from that movie has been in my head throughout this change in my life. "Don't ever let somebody tell you can't do something…. You got a dream, you gotta protect it…. If you want something go get it… Period." These words I will live by and instill in my son.