Who I Am/Why I’m Passionate about this Work/What True Transformation Means to Me

I’m the newest contributor to True Transformation Training – and I’m really excited about what I can bring to the table. Let me give you a quick background on why this work means so much to me. For most of my life, I was the poster child for lazy America. I’m the kid who would pay his friends $5 to carry my backpack home from school on those dreaded days when I had to walk – oh how I hated those days.

For most of my life I did everything possible to avoid exercise. I made every excuse in the book ranging from Sport Induced Asthma (which I doubt I fully understood) to an indented rib making it hard to breathe if I ran too much. Yup, that was me. The kid in gym who always had a note to get out of a run; it’s not something I’m proud of, but looking back I can’t help but be proud of how far I’ve come.


I finally got around to playing sports when I was in high school, but even then, I wasn’t driven by anything other than keeping up with my friends. I bounced in and out of gyms and exercise routines for a few years following high school, but nothing ever stuck. I always wished it would – I envied (and probably secretly loathed) the friends around me who took the time and energy to work out. “Someday, I’ll be like that – I just have too much to do right now… I’ll start Monday.” Oddly enough, as many of you know, Monday never came.

Fast forward to the spring of 2005 – after a minor arthroscopic surgery on my knee I hit an all time laziness level and ballooned up to 275lbs and about 32% body-fat. I hid it ok – at least I thought so on my 6’3 frame, but overall, I was miserable in my own body. As a “friend” so delicately pointed out to me one day, I was shaped more like a pear with my hips being broader than my shoulders. Definitely not the thing a male wants to hear.

That summer I spent six weeks in London for a study abroad program. During that time I was forced to walk everywhere I wanted to go – something I would have never done at home, but it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me. In the time I was there I lost a total of 20lbs just from adding a bit more movement to my daily routine. When I returned to the states I was set on never going back to how I was before I left. My rediscovered confidence was definitely something I didn’t want to lose again. At that point I made the conscious decision to change. It wasn’t about fitting it. It wasn’t about trying to impress anyone. No one was tugging my arm and making me do it. Something in me finally clicked – and honestly, I believe that’s a point all of us need to make before we can truly change.

I went on to lose a total of 50lbs and now sit at a comfortable 225lbs and 12% body-fat. I have been to the gym no less than 3x a week (minus a few vacations here and there, or a week off to let my body recover and reenergize), every week for the last four years. During that time I fell in love with exercise and fitness. I became a personal trainer for a short time early in 2006 and realized at that time that my passion wasn’t just about exercise or nutrition or anything like that, but rather, it was all about sharing my story with the clients we worked with and helping them realize that they have just as much – if not more – potential than everyone else. I have a true passion for motivating others to see the greatness in themselves; something that took far too long for me to realize in myself but has been invaluable since.

As I would explain to my clients, we all have our own shadows that keep us from reaching our true potential – it could be a fear of failure, a fear of success, a lack of knowledge or any number of things. But as I continued to work with others, and with myself, I realized there is a real difference between a roadblock and an obstacle, yet we often confuse the two as synonyms. To me, I see a roadblock as something we have no control over, something that will take us off our predetermined route. If you are headed to the grocery store and the road is closed, that is a true roadblock; but even then, there is a detour route; another way to reach your destination. I’ve found that very few things in life are truly roadblocks because we always have our choices – our options of how we think, feel and act.

Most “roadblocks” are really nothing but an obstacle. Some may be much more difficult to maneuver around, however, there is always a solution – a way to overcome whatever may be keeping you from what you set out to accomplish. The key is identifying whatever that may be in our lives and taking the time and energy necessary to figure out a solution – a way to move past that obstacle to reach your goal. This is what I would focus on with my clients. I saw my training as more than just “this is what you should eat” or “this is what you should work out” because truly, you can know everything in the world about health, fitness and wellness, but without a true belief in yourself and your ability to reach your goal – no matter how long it takes or what the cost may be – that knowledge is wasted.

So – that is what drives me. That is what I hope to bring to the table. Exercise, fitness, wellness, health, call it whatever you’d like, but it is something I truly care about, both for myself, my family, my friends and those of you reading this blog. I believe with all my being that we all have greatness within us; it’s just a matter of tapping into it so we can make the changes in our lives as necessary and grow.

I see this blog as more than just a fantastic place to learn more about how to eat healthy and how to exercise correctly – hopefully it will serve as a catalyst in your personal growth and development on all levels. True Transformation is not just about how clean your diet is or how perfect your form is doing a Leg Press – it’s about plugging yourself in on all levels and truly taking control of your life. Having the self confidence, self respect and self worth to know you are deemed for greatness and the only thing standing in your way is getting started.


Looking forward to more –

Nico