My 2013 Lifestyle Change

My name is Nate Schwartz, owner of Shape Shifters Fitness in West Melbourne, FL.  This is my story....Due to family struggles for most of 2012 I was severely depressed.  I could barely get out of bed each day.  The trials and tribulations of life finally seemed to have brought me down permanently.  I was already 35 lbs overweight but now I gained 20 lbs on top of that and was continuing to eat horrible.  I was not fitting in most of my clothes anymore.  Worst yet I was continuing to gain each week.  Being a personal trainer this was beginning to impact my business.  After all, how can you motivate and train someone if you're a mess?

Since moving to West Melbourne, FL located in Brevard County I have met some of the nicest and caring people I have ever met in my life.  They were generally concerned about my well-being and also hoping I pull through my personal family struggles.  

While laying in bed, in darkness, (I had my windows covered.) on a beautiful sunny afternoon.  It was these very people and my Mother which made me ask myself the question, "What if I lived 2013 to complete perfection?".  Since everyone has their own idea of perfection or not knowing what society's perfection actually is, I decided, I would determine how and what perfection is in my life.  Meaning, each day I would get up and make the right choices on: what to eat, where and what to spend my money, and lastly people I surround myself with.  In addition, over the years I have heard about so much about doing things to get out of your "comfort zone" so I decided to make a personal commitment to get out of my comfort zone in 2013.  I wondered how much I would achieve or how much my life would change for the better if I would live 2013 to the best of my knowledge and ability.  Maybe I would be an inspiration to others to help them change their lives for the better.

On January 1, 2013, I set out on my quest.  I decided the best way to approach this goal is to simply take it day by day and choice by choice.  First, I threw out all the bad foods in my house and replaced them with healthy foods.  How can you make a bad choice if there is no bad choice around?  Second, I reviewed all my bills and listed everything in an excel spreadsheet and calculated everything out to the day.  This made it register in my head on how much money I need to earn each day to cover my bills.  Third, I thought about all the people in my life and how each of them influenced or contributed to it throughout the years.  This might seem cold to some, but being a nice person, I get taken advantage of very easily so I decided it was best to put a no tolerance policy in place for those I even had to question if they were bringing "good" into my life.   I simply stopped associating with those who did not influence my life positively.   Mainly these were a lot of acquaintance or "happy hour" type friends.  Lastly, I thought about things I could do to get out of my comfort zone.

Fast forward to today, March 12, 2013.  I have lost 28.4 lbs and continue to lose an average of 2.5 lbs per week.  My finances have improved significantly.  I am sleeping better.  Because of my weight loss and positive outlook I am inspiring my clients which is helping my business grow.  Most importantly I see the glass half full inside of half empty, sunshine instead of darkness, and opportunity instead of failure.

To get out of my comfort zone I joined the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce and started attending events and mixers, some of which I had to stand up (without prior notice) and go before my peers and speak about my business.  Being a true introvert this was an extremely big step and continues to be work in progress. On February 6, 2013 I had a 1 year anniversary ribbon cutting at Shape Shifters Fitness.

For my friends of Brevard County which ultimately inspired me I have been making donations to local charities whenever possible to assist them in raising money.  Quite often I donate gift certificates for free personal training sessions at Shape Shifters Fitness to charity auctions.  Actually to arrange a donation, I can be reached on my mobile at 321-474-0534. 

I created this blog to share my story as my journey continues.  I will share nutrition tips, inspiring stories, and accomplishments of myself and my clients.  You may also view highlights of 2013 as the year unfolds by viewing my Facebook page:

Nate Schwartz from Shape Shifters Fitness

My business could always use more exposure so I would be grateful to people that "Like" Shape Shifters Fitness business Facebook page below:

Shape Shifters Fitness in West Melbourne "The Body Transformation Studio"

I need to run for now but I'll be back soon.