Spotlight on Success
by Karla Mohtashemi
Partnering with Beachbody has been a great honor. I’ve met some of my best friends through Beachbody! Kat and I became Coaches because we wanted to help people. We think of it as AA for health and fitness. It’s so rewarding when we can spotlight someone who took the challenge to the next level.
Let me introduce you to Rudy, who inspires me with his story!
Karla: What motivated you to get started?
Rudy: I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes a few years ago. I was about 315-25 lbs. Wearing a size 48 pant, XXXL shirt. I had a A1C of 9.something. If it’s a nine, it’s extremely high! The decimal don’t matter at that point, but I think it was 9.6.
I was put on Metformin, for diabetes, and Lisinopril, for high blood pressure. About a week or so into taking the medications, I had the pills in my hand and knew there was no way I was going to go that route for the rest of my life.
I made the decision right then and there to change everything…. starting with my nutrition. Fast forward about six months, after a 3 week sugar detox, stumbling upon the Ketogenic Diet, bringing my A1C to a 6, getting off the meds and dropping about 30 lbs.
I knew it was time to REALLY get to work. I made the mental commitment to change but I knew to keep it going, I needed to take it to another level. I turned to something and someone I knew was not going to let me down. Something I had held onto for years for a certain reason….my P90X DVD set.
Karla: What was your first program?
Rudy: P90X Lean was my first program, start to finish. I had started and stopped about 2 times years ago….after I first ordered it but never completed it until a few years ago.
Karla: How have you maintained the success, and set new goals?
Rudy: Honestly? With tons of family support and inspiration from people I’ve never personally met!
After P90X Lean, I did P90X Classic, then about a third of the way into another round of P90X Lean on DVD, I signed up for BOD and threw myself into P90X3.
After that…knowing there were so many programs to choose from, I just kept going from program to program. That made it SOOO much easier.
Along the way, I dropped sizes and more weight, improved my self-esteem, got even better with my nutrition, and started believing there was no way I could ever go back.
There was no way I could be ok with letting myself just stop. New weight goals and new programs kept me wanting more and kept it fun! I knew by challenging myself with a new program, I was gonna be committing myself to time. So my goals to improve were more like goals or promises to just not quit whatever program I started.
If I can just make it through however long it was, I was going to reach my biggest goal, completing it. I had to trust the program, and the trainer. Along the way, I racked up wins by beating my own numbers and maybe even keeping up with the guys on the screen or better yet, beating them.
Karla: You told me your kids are now working out. How important do you think it was to see their Dad sticking to his goals?
Rudy: I believe any time you can see someone attain a goal in real life, from a first hand perspective, it will change you a little. Even if it’s just a little spark to do something.
Most of them have completed at least one program. I’m grateful for that because they did it for themselves. They reaped the benefits of their hard work. I was able to contribute some tips and experience but exercise is one of those few things that a parent just can’t do for a kid no matter what. It’s on them or nothing.
We can push but they have to do the moving. We can motivate but they have to decide. They know first hand what can be done over time, with guidance, with dedication, hard work…and some old DVD’s!
Karla: You’ve been in many of our online private boot camps, on the BOD app. How have those groups helped?
Rudy: The groups have been a major part of my success along the way. I needed that camaraderie after a while, especially in the beginning. It did feel like I was on my own for a bit. My family was super supportive and physical changes were coming but I was the only one working out at the time.
So finding a bunch of great people all over the place, on a similar path, being motivators, living examples, making mistakes, using modifiers, sweating it out and then brave enough to put up pictures of their journey…I didn’t feel so alone.
I’ve never been a ‘gym’ person. However, I totally get and can appreciate the social part of belonging to one or even just training with someone else. The groups let me plug into a network of people just out there doing their thing. I didn’t have to know them personally to connect with them.
They didn’t have to know me to give a thumbs up or vice versa. Everybody brought something to the table in just being a part of the group but inspiration was probably what I found most. Once you’re inspired to do something…it’s still tough but not so HARD. Does that make sense? lol.
Karla: What do you have planned for the future?
Rudy: I plan to continue. I’m so excited when I look on BOD and see all the ‘new to me’ programs I want to do.
I’m gonna continue learning more about nutrition and how it affects ME in all aspects of my life. I have body goals that I’m working towards. I have business goals I’m working on. I have relationship goals I’m working on.
I have been working on a friendship with time and reality along this journey. I realize time is never static. It will pass me by no matter what I do. I’m gonna age, my kids are gonna grow, all whether I push play or not. I can watch it go by or jump in.
When I’m in it though, I’m riding time like a wave and coming out better at the end. It’s like I’m riding the 20 minutes of Shaun T or 45 minutes of Sagi or a full hour of Tony’s time from years ago.
Waves that they put into motion are carrying me now. I want to make some of my own waves for the future.
I asked Rudy if I could spotlight him. His journey is so inspiring, and I love hearing how his children began working out, too. It touches my heart to see someone pay it forward like this. Thank you, Rudy. You are a true hero, in my eyes.
A little more about Rudy V. Hyde Jr., in his own words:
Born and raised in deep South Texas, Brownsville, TX exactly and now living about 20 miles north of that town. I’m married to Patricia and we have four children from 24 to 16..3 boys, 1 princess.
I am currently working as an Administrative Assistant for the State of Texas at a Mental Health facility in Harlingen, TX. That’s the day job.
My passion is art. I am and have been professionally…a graphic designer, a commercial muralist, a fine artist, an art teacher, a martial arts practitioner and instructor at different times of my life. I describe myself as an “artist in everything but a student first”.