Throughout the second half of 2013 I focused my workouts on higher impact training and exercise. They were giving me awesome results. I was shedding pounds and building strength. I really began to feel good about the flow of things, but I kept hitting speed bumps physically. My ankles, knees, and especially my back, would give me some pretty serious pains. The more intense the impact of the workout, the worse my pains became. After going to the ER a few different times for my back, particular the lumbar region, it was revealed to me that in all likelihood I had at least one or two herniated discs, and most likely, my best option was surgery. Distraught at the idea of having back surgery at such a young age, and really distraught that it seemed like all the work I had put in to getting my body in better shape appeared to be fading, I watched a video that my brother had sent to me about a fellow named Arthur who had been suffering some very serious physical ailments that required canes, medications, endless doctor visits, etc. Inspired by his truly remarkable transition, and my own frustration and depression with what was beginning to amount to lack of sleep, increasing reliance on medications to keep the pain at bay, and to sleep through the night, I decided that something had to be done.

I wasn't sure if yoga was right for me because I had developed an opinion that yoga just wasn't my thing, but I visited the DDP website and saw that he was running a special on the program. I figured I would rather invest my money in a program developed by someone I knew growing up (I was a huge wrestling fan in my younger years) than in more doctors visits and medications. I did not stop taking existing medications, but I did grow tired of all the trips to the store to pick up new medications. So I ordered DDP YOGA and towards the end of December it arrived. Now, I am not a doctor and I do not know the science behind all of the things that have happened since the end of December, but I know this: as of this writing, June 3, 2014, my lower back pain is gone. I do not mean it comes back every now and then and it eventually goes away, I mean that it is GONE! Along with the pain being gone, I can now do things that I never thought possible, particularly during the heavier years. I am flexible enough that I can stand on one leg and straighten the other, grabbing my big toe ("Extended hand to Big Toe Pose" for other yoga folks); I can do a headstand with relative ease; I can place my palms on the ground with my legs perfectly straight -- forget about touching toes, I can put my palms down flat!; and I am beginning to see a six pack coming in pretty quickly. When I started, I could barely touch my ankles and a six pack wasn't even really on my mind. But beyond that, I have been able to continue with my high intensity workouts without the fear of my back flaring up again. Certainly there are days that my previous day's workout catches up with me, but the trend is certainly going in the way of feeling better and better with each waking day. And people that have not seen me much within the last few years, or even those that see me monthly, are constantly questioning how I have gotten to this point physically. In the answer, which is not often confined to a few words, I ALWAYS bring up DDP YOGA. Without it, I do not think I would be seeing these results. What results? Well...

By the end of this year I will have lost over 100 pounds in all, switched to eating close to 100% organic food, gotten into the best shape of my life, and completed my first of many Tough Mudders. Not only that, but regaining a confidence in my body that had pretty much disappeared since high school. DDP YOGA helped me get over a HUGE hurdle. Nothing was easy about it until I started actually feeling the results. Then it became a lifestyle, not just a workout. I eventually was taken off of all the medications I was taking for my back and now am without the pain that I thought would surely deter my progress, perhaps even end it. But instead, that problem I was facing became an opportunity. And now, thanks to the encouragement of friends, family, and self-determination (annnnnd DDP) I am on track to recapturing the dream I've had since I began working out: being in shape, being healthy, and being happy! 

Thank you to DDP and the DDP YOGA crew for the program and keeping it real. I cannot speak highly enough about it!

With much love and respect,

Zach