Growing strong with Family

It has been a few months since my last blog posting, so I thought I would share a story about a very special lady who is an inspiration to me.  My dear wife Renee Gray!

Renee and the kids a few years ago

Renee and I have been married for almost 15 years, and I have had the privilege to be with her through the sunshine and through the rain, through the mountains and the valleys.  Life has definitely been an adventure with this wonderful lady.  If you know Renee, she faces the challenges of life with a poise and humor like no one else!   

In 2004 and 2005 we had to say goodbye to her dear parents Albert and Coby Budding due to unexpected illness.  It was a difficult time.  However, during that same period we were blessed to bring our first child into the world, and then shortly after that our second child.  There was definitely a mixture of emotions going on!  All of that happened, and we were only at the beginning of our adventure together!  

I won't be able to explain the rest of the journey in my own words, so I asked Renee to write about it.  Here is her story.

When I read John’s introduction, my first thought was WOW – he really went far back in time! Then I realized that for me to start my story, I’d go back even further. For this part of the story, which I’d describe as my mental health journey, I’ll go back to 1999.

Christmas 1999, I shared a letter with my friends and family in which I revealed that I had been dealing with depression. My future husband, John, was surprised to read my letter, he said he thought I was such a happy person. That is the common reaction I receive when people hear about my struggles. At that time, I was dealing with depression caused by reverse culture shock after my return from two years in Africa. I was seeing a Christian counsellor, however, I was brought to a point, in discussions with my counsellor and my doctor, where I had to admit that I needed something more and that was the first time I began taking medication to help with depression.

Renee's Parents

Fast forward several years to 2007... by this time, John had become my husband and we had been blessed with two wonderful children, Jeremy and Naomi. All my dreams had come true, I had everything I ever wanted – a good man and beautiful children. However, yet again, I faced the dark cloud of depression. This time, it was considered post-partum depression (my daughter was about a year old) as well as dealing with the grief of miscarriages and the recent deaths of my parents. Once again I had to admit that I needed more than counselling and again I was put on medication.

Fast forward once again to the summer of 2013. I am still married to the wonderful husband and my lovely children are growing up and making me more and more proud of them each day. I have a very good job and friendly colleagues to work with. From an external perspective, my life was perfect. And yet.... I found myself dealing with depression and this time with general anxiety disorder as well. What made this experience different from the first two times I dealt with depression is that previously I had taken a couple of weeks off work, taken the medication and returned to work. This time, I felt as though I had been knocked off my office chair. I had to stop working for several months, I had to admit that I could not do my job and I was barely managing to be the mother I wanted to be. I didn’t even know if I would ever be able to return to my job.

Even though my most recent bout of depression was the worst yet, I consider it to have been a beautiful gift from God and I would not trade it for anything. The Lord has brought me closer to Himself through my journey through depression and anxiety. I have clung to the word of God and He has not let me down. I meditated on the first few chapters of Matthew for several months. I’d go to sleep at night imagining Jesus on the hillside teaching the people. I could see His eyes of compassion looking at the sick and wounded because I’d seen His eyes of compassion looking at me!  I meditated for hours on Psalm 23 – the Lord is my Shepherd, he makes me lie down by still waters, he restores my soul. I was depleted, exhausted, empty, and the Lord has filled me anew.

The painting in our living room

The message that I would like to share with others who may be facing mental illness or other challenges is to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I would encourage you to be open with at least one or two people in your family, school, church or office about the struggles you are facing – in addition to your doctor. When I first approached the prayer group at my church, I asked to pray with just one person instead of the whole group – at that point I was not ready to tell more than one person. Another message to share is that it’s OK to cry in church – the gospels tell of many times when Jesus wept and often in public. (I even cry at work once in a while!) If a friend gives you a hug and you are having a bad day – it’s ok to cry on their shoulder, even if you are not ready to tell them what is on your heart, they will likely be very willing to pray for you and encourage you.

This painting that hangs in my living room is symbolic of my journey. When I was not well, I looked at the painting and I felt anxious because I didn’t know what was around the corner and I was afraid to go there. Now, by God’s grace and healing in my life, when I look at the painting, I still don’t know what is around the corner – but I know WHO is there. As long as Jesus is with me, I am no longer terrified of the unknown and I face the future with hope.

Growing Stronger and Living Longer!

I recently changed the title of this blog to:

Growing Stronger and Living Longer!

It better represents the journey I have been travelling over the past year and a half!   When I decided to say yes to the nutrition system, I had NO IDEA that it would be life changing.  As I have documented in past blogs, I just wanted to give it a try to see if I could lose the spare tire around my waist!   That occurred in the first 16 weeks….

So you might be wondering, what the heck have I been doing for the past year and a half then?

I have been growing, working on personal development, and learning how I can inspire others to step outside of their comfort zone, live life and reach their full potential!

My problem was fear!  In fact, I was living most of my life in fear.  I kept doing the same things I always did day by day, week by week, month by month.   Playing it safe and staying in my comfort zone.  In some ways, life itself had become mundane almost to the point of boredom.  Maybe that is what they mean by "settling down" as it is so often referred to for people in their late 20's or 30's.  Of course, there were many high lights, and wonderful memories I would never trade like getting married and having children!  However, I was not growing as a person, my outward appearance was growing older, but inwardly I had stopped growing.   I had long forgotten my dreams, and my true purpose in life still seemed like something I would never discover.

The reason I had never discovered my purpose was because I had stopped looking!

Then an opportunity was presented to me that was based on a simple concept.  A concept so simple but yet so powerful it compelled me to take a closer look.   Anyone that knows me knows I am a numbers guy, and I instantly recognized the potential of the opportunity.  It compelled me to step outside of my comfort zone just a little bit.  It was scary but I did it, and boy was it exciting!  If I could take the first step, that means I could take a second step, and maybe a 3rd, and fourth.  What could my life look like?

So I took another step, I shared the system with some close family and friends and the results were amazing!  That compelled me to step further away from my comfort zone and start sharing with everyone I know.   Then amazing things started to happen.  People I had shared the system with also began to change.  Some changed quickly, some changed slowly, some have still not reached their initial goal, and some decided it was not for them.

Embrace life and Live!

The point is, we are ALL on a journey.  The important thing is to

KEEP TRAVELING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 

This journey has inspired me to realize there is so much more I can achieve in this life, and I do not want to do it alone.  I have learned that my purpose in life is to inspire people to seek out their true potential and live life with all the passion, joy and love they have been given!!

The greatest thing I have learned is that it is okay to be me.  I am a masterpiece of creation, created by the architect of the universe and so is every other person on this planet!  So lets all begin working to help each other grow stronger and live longer!

So Proud of my Big Brother! George's amazing transformation!

For this post I am going to talk about someone I have known all my life!   In fact, we shared womb together for 8 months -but he was evicted 2 minutes before me!    My twin brother George!  

George and me back in December 2012

George has gone through some tough times in the past few years!   Here is the story of his amazing 100 pound transformation in his own words:

Time had taken its toll on my health and family. The daily grind had left me tired and sore every day. The last 12 years had seen me grow bigger and bigger and old injuries have made it harder to exercise and to play sports with my boys. My body was breaking down and I was staring diabetes and heart disease right in the face. I know something had to change but what?

George in September 2013

My twin brother John told me about a system that helped him lose weight and gave him more energy.   I rolled my eyes and said "I’ve heard all about these wonderful fad diets that sound great but never work". He said try it for 30 days and you will see that it’s will help you feel better and lose weight as a side effect!   I thought "okay I will show you, this system won’t work, I had a nutritionist before and I know how much work it takes to lose weight.  No way can it be this easy and work." I thought 30 days would prove him wrong, but it was amazing, I was wrong, Isagenix works!!

In the first 30 days I lost 27lbs and lost 2 inches around my waist, but the biggest thing I noticed was my knees no longer hurt, I could bend down with no pain. I got very excited and emotional. I could now help my boys learn to ride their bikes and teach the family sport of soccer, best of all I could pick them up and give them a hug. I have been on the system now for over 12 months and have lost a total of 100lbs, 39 inches and I am no longer worried about heart disease or diabetics anymore.  I have gotten my health and energy back. 

Most of all this transformation has given my boys a father that will have the privilege to see what great men they will grow up to be!!

Before (March 2014)                                                    After (April 2015)

I am so proud of you George!   You have inspired me to keep moving forward despite the obstacles, and to reach for goals I never dreamed were possible!

Guilty No More!

Wow, it is already approaching the end of March 2015.   I haven't written in this blog for about five months!   Where has the time Gone?

I had mentioned in my previous posts about how I struggled all my life to maintain a healthy weight.  I felt like a yo-yo.  I would get close to my target weight (within 15 pounds), then go back to about 40 pounds above target.  Back and forth since I was a child.   I would feel guilty after a holiday like Christmas, I would feel guilty after a vacation.  I would feel guilty if I missed a workout at the Gym!   I ran marathons, I tried lemon aid cleanses, I went gluten free, wheat free.. You get the picture.   If I had one little slip up I knew I would be on the way back up the yo-yo.  I never had control over the yo-yo, it had control over me!

I tried to accept that there was no alternative to the yo-yo, I would never have control.  I thought I needed to spend all my spare time in the gym to compensate for a poor nutritional choice.  I knew I needed to stop feeling guilty for indulging once in a while.  I should have prayed about it, but it was such a mental block that I didn't even realize it was there until the guilt was gone!

15 months ago a friend blessed me any my family by sharing a simple superfood nutritional system and I jumped in with both feet.  I figured I had nothing to lose.  As I have mentioned in this blog, I was blown away by the results:   In a few days and weeks I easily lost the weight and achieved my lifetime goal of optimal weight.  However, I didn't realize I would also sleep better and have more energy!  To my amazement, I continued to feel better and better.  A major anxiety issue I was dealing went way (thank you Ionix supreme), and ultimately the guilt was gone!

No more guilt about making the occasional bad food choice, or even a few days of over indulgence.  I can enjoy Pizza.  I can enjoy going out to a restaurant and ordering a burger once in a while.  If I notice the yo-yo starting to move up, I do a cleanse day or two.

I maintained my optimal weight (155-158) for a year, and decided to change my goal.  Since November 2014, I have been more serious about using an Energy and Performance system to build lean muscle, and have entered a fitness competition!  I am purposefully gaining weight for the first time in my life.  It is still a bit of a mental struggle for me when I see the numbers on the scale go up, but I know I have the ultimate nutrition plan, and a solid muscle building workout thanks to a good friend.    The contest ends Mid may, so I will post a picture when it is complete.   At this point I have gained 15 pounds and I am able to lift much heaver weights than 4 months ago!

I love being in control of the yoyo.

A Taste of Freedom!

It was an incredible summer, full of new adventures and breaking through self-imposed fears that limited myself from experiencing the fullness of life.

It started back in July.  My work asked me to go on a business trip. This was the first business trip I had ever been asked to attend, so naturally it excited me.  However, to get to the destination it meant I would have to fly, and since 2003 I had been afraid to fly.  You might think that is silly, but it had been a fear built out of anxiety based on previous flight experience.    

However, since I have been stepping out of my comfort zone lately, I accepted the challenge.  The amazing thing is that I actually enjoyed the flight.  It was fun!   I had worked myself up into a tizzy because of a bad experience in 2003 when our flight had to abort 3 landing attempts.  However, that wasn't what scared me the most.  What scared me was the change in pressure which was always painful and hurt my ears.   Further stories of friends that had ear drums burst did not excite me to get on a plane anytime soon.   However,  it wasn't really that uncomfortable.  I just drink lots of water going up and when coming down.  Problem solved.

At the end of July I received a call from my mother, asking me if I could help her share our superfood nutrition system with her friends in Newfoundland.  For the past few years, my mother has been spending her summers in Newfoundland.   If you have never been to newfoundland I would suggest you take a trip, it is breathtaking!   I never expected I would end up in Newfoundland this summer.

Climbing gros morne 

Normally I would never have considered the possibility of going on a trip like this at the last minute, but the prospect of doing something so out of the ordinary was exciting!   So I went, and it was amazing!

On the last day I was in Newfoundland, I had a brief whim that it would be fun to hike up gros morne.  Normally I would have left such a thought on the shelf, but I made it a reality.  An hour later I was at the starting point!    I only had 4 hours, so I didn't have time to make it all the way to the top, but I would do it again in a second!  Next year I plan to go back and finish the climb!

The symbolism of climbing the mountain is fitting for me this year.  I feel like I have come so far from where I used to be a year ago.   There is still much work to do in climbing the mountain, but the journey is exhilarating!   I call it a taste of freedom!   Freedom from my own self-imposed prison!

The Final Verdict

I officially completed the IsaBody Challenge!   I had to submit the final 'maintenance' photo by June 20th 2014.   That will allow me to be judged for Celebration 2014.   Anyway, here is a photo of the changes in me over the past 6 month:

I still can't believe I have finally obtained my optimal weight!  It has been a goal of mine since I was 8 years old!!

The main purpose for giving the system a try was to try and get rid of the 'love' handles around my waist.  I had tried everything to get rid of them.  Running marathons, training at the gym 6 hours a week and eating what I thought was healthy food from my local grocery store.  The closest I ever got is the picture on the left in December 2013 after going wheat and gluten free for 6 months.  However going wheat free was not a maintainable life-style.  It was just too complicated and time consuming.

Now I spend less time at the gym, and save time and money by using the optimal nutrition that the system gives to me.   It only takes me seconds to prepare and I have so much more energy!   I am so astonished by the results that I want to share it with everyone.

I truly see this as a gift and a great opportunity for anyone who is willing to take a look and give it a try.   If you want to give the system a try, just contact me and I will help you to get started!

Completed the IsaBody Challenge

I completed the 16 week Isabody Challenge!  I just updated the measurements for May 9th.   I have to submit Maintenance photos for the challenge on June 20th, so I will post those next month.

Here are the measurements over the time period:

	November 30th	December 13th)	January 13th	February 11th	March 20th	May 9th
Weight	168 pounds	160 pounds	155 pounds	153 pounds	150 pounds	152 pounds
Shoulders	42 inches	42 inches	41 inches	43.5 inches	42 inches	43 inches
Upper arms	12 inches	12 inches	12 inches	12 inches	12 inches	13 inches
Chest	37 inches	37 inches	35 inches	37 inches	37 inches	37 inches
Waist	31.5 inches	30.5 inches	28.5 inches	29.5 inches	29 inches	29 inches
Hips	39.5 inches	38.5 inches	39 inches	37.5 inches	38 inches	38 inches
Thighs	22 inches	22 inches	22 inches	21 inches	21.5 inches	22 inches
Calves	15 inches	15 inches	14.5 inches	15 inches	15 inches	15 inches

Most of you probably don't care about the numbers above, so here are the before and after pictures:

Before (Nov 2013)                                  After (March 2014)

Before (Nov 2013)                                   After (March 2014)

Before (Nov 2013)                                After (March 2014)

I am very happy with this transformation!  I never thought such a dramatic change could happen in such a short period of time.   Finally, I have finally found a way to take control of my weight and get healthier at the same time!    It has been so much easier with this system than trying to kill myself at the gym for so many hours without results.