"I'm too fat, I need to lose weight" "it's too hard, I can't do it"

These were the words i kept hearing myself say over and over again. for quite some time actually. but unfortunately there was nothing pushing me to actually get off my ass and actually do something about it. I'd look at pictures of myself and hate the way I looked. I blamed my job for a lot of it. working in retail is a hard and unsociable lifestyle. I worked for Asda (the UK arm of WAL*MART) from 1999-2010, and the shifts were various, but early shifts were 07:30-17:30 and late shifts were 13:00-22:00, on either of these shifts, eating properly and exercising properly were difficult tasks. I'd often get home at 11pm and eat a full pizza, or bowls of cereal before going up to bed.

I was not getting any thinner, i was eating junk and not working out.

 

In October 2011, my Son Dexter was born, that was finally the motivation I needed. I didnt want to be one of those dads who watched their kids playing, or who took no interest in their kids lives, but I knew the shape and condition I was in, was far from where i needed to be. A year passed and I was still not happy with where I was, but I intended to find something that would inspire me.. and then i found it - a video featuring a disabled war veteran - Arthur Boorman.

 

Arthur's story changed my whole way of thinking. It got the desired effect - "wow, if that big guy can do this yoga, surely I can" and then I saw the whole video, where that "big" guy was now a "small" guy. No way was that the same person?? But it was! What an amazing transformation! Arthur Boorman inspired me. I needed to know more, I needed to know HOW this huge guy had lost all that weight. DDP YOGA - Diamon Dallas Page. wait, he was one of my favourite wrestlers when I was growing up, I used to watch WCW worldwide with my father, the diamond cutter, surely that was the best finishing move in wwf or wcw? Of course it was! and now DDP is teaching yoga? I gotta try this!  I saw some of the videos online and thought to myself - this is not easy, but it's not hard either! the more I tried, the more I wanted to do it. I watched the arthur video again and again and knew that I could do it! I looked into it and then the cost and thought "just do it" sure you can but fitness dvds for £5, but this has so much more support, i saw everything that comes with the pack and realized it was an investment in MYSELF! I did not need any more convincing, I went online and I ordered it. Within minutes, I had the emails for the mp3 files and began listening to them on my iPod. I looked at my son and knew i'd soon be having fun and running around with him.

 

When the package came, I sat down and watched the first 4 dvds from start to finish so that I could learn and observe the moves, the poses and the sessions. I weighed myself and took the measurements. Took some photos and began to plan how I would change my life. The package arrived on a wednesday and I wanted to follow the plan, which to me meant starting on a monday. I went out and bought a yoga mat, something I never thought i would be doing in my life. The first monday came around and I began following the plan - diamond doze, energy, fat burner, I was loving this, and I wanted more. I followed the planner to the letter, right the way through to week 13. I'd successfully completed the intermediate course. i changed my whole diet, cutting out all the crap, all chocolate, fizzy drinks, caffeine, crisps, sweets, I began eating healthier, fruits, water, vegetables, it was not an easy change, but one I knew I could achieve with willpower. something I used to lack, but now with my son as my number one motivation, I knew I could do this. By the time week 3 or 4 of intermediate was underway, i was booked on to TWO DDP YOGA workouts with the man himself - Diamond Dallas Page.

 

A few weeks before this, I was in Preston, England where a friend of mine runs a British wrestling show Preston City Wrestling (PCW) they regularly use British guys, and also have American stars over, to pull in extra "casual" fans. On this show was the man formerly known as Goldust - Dustin Rhodes/Runnels. I was helping him out with his autograph line at the meet and greet, and we spent ages, talking about DDP YOGA and how it is life changing - we then posed for a photo together, throwing up the Diamond Cutter hand sign.

 

I met Dallas the night before, in Bristol, England where he appeared at a British Wrestling show, during the interval I went up to him and simply said "thank you" he looked at me as if to ask what for, I then proceeded to tell him that thanks to following the DDPYOGA program, i had lost almost 5 stone - 70 pounds! (before I began, i was weighing well over 18 stone which is 252 pounds (that's without the "well over" part) I told Dallas how I had stuck with the program and that I was booked on to the sessions the very next day, then he signed a promo photo for me, and instead of just the signature, he signed it with "Will, i'm so proud of you bro" that almost brought a tear to my eye. the man who invented this program was telling ME how proud he was -of ME! unbelievable. we had a picture similar to the one with Dustin, where we jointly did the Diamond Cutter sign.

I worked out with Dallas the next day, in Swindon. two huge sessions. I was dripping with sweat - like many others that day. words simply cannot express how good it is to take part in one of those sessions in person, you get so much more out of them than just by watching the dvds. I advise anyone who ever has the chance, to take part!

After the second session, I asked Dallas if he's day hello to my father, who had recently come out of hospital following heart surgery, I told Dallas all about how we spent hours watching him perform on the WCW shows, again, Dallas said how proud he was of me, and told my father all about how I'd "kicked ass" on the two sessions.

 

I've just completed 26 weeks of the program, 13 weeks beginner, and 13 weeks intermediate, I'm taking my optional weekend off, before This coming Monday going back through the intermediate program - at the end of which, i should be going on the advanced program.

 

My flexibility is massively improving, and so is my weight loss and fat loss. i've gone from a xxl tshirt in February, to a small/medium (depending on the store) in August shirt size has gone form a tight 18" collar to a loose 16" collar. size 40" jeans to size 34" which are now extremely loose and I will be trying a 32" waist as soon as i get to the store! my weight has gone from well over 18 stone, to my current weight of 12 stone 9 pounds (177 pounds) I am loving life, and my fitness has never been better. I'm still eating healthy, loving fruit, vegetables, green tea, water etc. I don't crave sweets, crisps of fizzy drinks anymore, and i no longer drink alcohol. I feel so much more comfortable in myself  now.

 

There is such a great network of people on the Team DDP YOGA site, and so many inspirational people. I've already mentioned Goldust (Dustin Rhodes) but i also have to mention some great interactions from Brittany Page & Michael Manna among so many others.

 

So many of my friends, family and followers on twitter see me as an inspiration, and in the same way as i looked up to Arthur, they feel "if Will can do it, so can we"

 

All thanks to DDP YOGA and that video by Arthur Boorman.