My story is a complicated one. It stems from a life filled with depression and lack of any positive role models. My home life as a child was not a very pleasant one. Both of my parents were addicts , and chose a life of selling drugs as their career choice.  I tried my hardest to do my very best but I  was never shown any kind of appreciation, pride or love. I was a very smart kid , graduating with honors from middle school and keeping that grade average up until i sadly dropped out at the start of grade 11. 

My real father was never around because he was a deadbeat who spent his life behind bars or on some kind of drugs. So my step father stepped into the role of father figure. He was a hard , strict man who (I realize this now) tried his hardest to do what he thought was best. But in the eyes of everyone else , what I suffered was nothing less then mental abuse. I was grounded for any small infraction of the "rules" and that made me miss out on a lot of experiences and opportunity. Being surrounded by addicts my entire life, I inevitable fell into that lifestyle, starting with smoking weed and slowly progressing on to harder and more dangerous drugs. 

  When I left home at 16 I was already headed on a downward spiral that I never seen coming. I began hanging out with party animals and became one myself. I binged on drugs and alcohol for weeks at a time , only coming back home to shower and sleep. It got so bad I began taking from loved ones and getting into more serious crimes like dealing drugs and theft. I was about to crash and burn and the only thing that kept me from that was my at the time girlfriend. 

  Then I was stricken with tragedy as my family was in a horrific car wreck, that killed my (step)Father and nearly my Mother and little Brother only a few days before christmas. My brother was heroic , and at 10 years old he saved my mother by flagging down a passer by and calling for help in the middle of a cold winters night. When I got the news of the accident my already off the rails life, was totally derailed. I started partying more and getting into serious trouble in a life of crime I knew I did not want. So I moved out to my aunts for a few months to clean up my act and get off all the substances that were causing my issues.

  My mom was in the hospital for a long time and seeing her didn't help my depression. I became an expert at the art of hiding in plain sight. My friends and loved ones had no idea I was dying on the inside. Then things got worse in my relationship and I really stopped caring about everything and everyone. I truly believed I was going to marry the girl I was with , but I didn't see her growing distant through the fog of my depression. And then came the day she had enough and left . That was the breaking point.

  I dealt with suicide in the past and knew I didn't have it in me to kill my self, so I decided to do it another way. A much longer and sad way , I made the decision to take the worst possible care of myself until I died of some sort of health issue. I put on more and more weight , and got sadder and sadder, and I spent much of my time in the digital world of video games. I even started taking prescription pills again such as percocet and Oxycontin  I just dug the hole deeper and deeper until before I knew it nearly 6 years had passed and I had nothing to show for it except I now weighed 350lbs and had quite an impressive World of Warcraft account.  Heck there were full months where I didn't even leave the house. Through the depression and weight gain I developed crippling anxiety, I stopped talking to all my friends and most of my family. I missed birthdays and get togethers because I couldn't face the judgement of others. I hated what I had become.

  I was trapped inside the shell of the person I use to be, and had no idea how to break free, nor did I want to. Until September 27th 2013. My little brother had a beautiful baby girl , Skylar Rose. The very moment I seen her I knew ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH. I was finally fed up with myself, but all I could think of was, "how do I fix this? Is it even possible"? 

  I have been a long time listener to the Steve Austin Podcast, (Hosted by the global icon and national treasure, Stone Cold Steve Austin. :D ) and I was listening one day and heard him mention this program called DDP Yoga? A yoga program made by a professional wrestler? HA yea right I thought, so I did a bit of research. I came across a video from a Youtuber who I loved Boogie2988 and seen he was using DDP Yoga. I also checked out Christina Russell videos and seen how "simple" the workout seemed. 

  Hey Maybe I can do this I thought, so I ordered it just after Christmas, kind of as a new years resolution. It arrived and excited I jumped right in. Lets get this straight, I was so heavy that walking up stairs winded me and had me sweating, so I struggled a bit at first. But with in the first few days I was feeling amazing. I quickly progressed through the program and by week 2 I was doing Fat Burner 2 times a day and was feeling energized and reinvigorated. I moved up to Diamond Cutter and was loving my progress and I watched the pounds melt away. I was so happy with myself I didn't even notice the depression fading and before I knew it I was actually going out into the world again. My anxiety was gone to! I was finally proud of myself for the first time in many, many years.

  DDP Yoga helped me get to a point in my weight loss journey that enables me to do things I loved so much and could no longer do because of my weight. Now I bike , swim , run, and most of all connect with the people I love and spent so long hiding from. I'm now looking forward to my future for the first time ever.  No longer will I be a slave to the thralls of depression. now I finally OWN MY LIFE! 

When I started my journey with DDP yoga two years ago, I never could have imagined how my life would be today.. I figured at some point I would "fall off the wagon" like so many others have before me , but the exact opposite happened .... I fell in love with fitness!! 
 The question I'm asked most is "How do you stick with it?"
The key to success is being your own hardest critic. Others might attempt to keep you on track but in the end YOU have to keep yourself accountable . Once you learn to appreciate all of your imperfections , they can no longer have the power to hold you back! 

   Before I felt I was useless and was destined to die lonely and fat! But now everyday I get to inspire others to embrace a healthy life and I have even had the pleasure of coaching people who where just like me, to help them break free of the chains of depression. I have even fallen in love again with the most amazing person I have ever met . She helps keep me motivated and we both share a lot of the same aspirations !
Fitness can't just be something you do because you have to , it has to become part of your routine, so make it fun! Mix it up but always remember that DDP yoga builds a strong base for you to achieve any fitness goals you set for yourself. 
Personally I have found a passion for bodybuilding , being in the gym is where I am most calm and relaxed . But when I'm all stiff and sore from lifting weights I am lucky to have DDPyoga in my arsenal to help keep me limber. 

They say putting positive energy out into the universe attracts positive energy back .... I always thought it was nonsense , until I tried it! Now I'm over 165lbs down , have a dream job and an amazing girlfriend , I think that's how you OWN YOUR LIFE!