Fitness Transformation Tuesday with Donnie Hodge
by Dani Stevens
Today's transformation makes me smile. It's people like Donnie that are making a difference to other peoples lives and not only his. Donnie decided to make a change in his life and along the way changed a lot of other lives as well.
It's amazing how you can change the simple things that end up making such a big impact. Donnie lead by example and today his parents too are living a much healthier lifestyle.
You look fantastic Donnie!!!
Here is his story;
-
I am 23 years old. April 14 was when I first started my journey to living a healthier lifestyle. I started off working out but not taking it to serious. I was still eating unhealthy foods. So I said I'm going to do a 2 week detox. I juiced for 2 weeks and only did light cardio. Once I grab hold of my eating I started going to the farmers market every weeks to buy my fruits and vegetables. I began to workout 5 times a week, working a new body part every day. Once I started getting into better shape I applied for my personal training certification. So I began to train other people and workout with them at the same time. So not only helping myself I was helping others. I started turning 5 times a week into 3 times a day for a 6 day period. My body started to form into what I wanted it to look like. I started training my friends and we all shared results together. My journey started in april and it still continues I'm still not where I want to be. So I'm going to keep working hard.
-
As a kid I ate hamburgers, pizza, all the fast food. White castle used to be one of my favorite things to eat. I used to eat a whole pan of meatloaf. As a young adult I ate hamburgers, pizza even more fast food because I was working and I can pay for it. So food was never a problem to get. What changed for me was I stopped eating late at nights. I don't eat after 7pm now. If i do its a piece of fruit only because I just left the gym or working out. I juice in the mornings and that consists of spinach, cucumbers, green apples, and maybe another fruit. I eat my heavier meals around 4pm. That will consist of a type of protein, maybe a tuna sandwich, fish, chicken breast. My third meal will consist of more vegetables and fruits. I dont eat any candy, I don't drink any alcohol, no red meat, no cake, no juice, I only drink water and juice that was prepared by me.
-
I used to play basketball, baseball, and football. I lost interest in them and now I am a boxer. I watch baseball, basketball, football, tennis, golf, boxing, and volleyball.
-
What makes me smile is when my clients say they already feel healthier. When a client says they are sore but they want more. What really puts a smile on my face is when a client says they can fit in a pair of jeans that they have been trying to fit in for a while. My passion in life is to help people reach there goals in life. My passion is to inspire people to look how they always wanted to but they didn't have any guidance.
-
My Great Grandmother died of a heart attack. My Grandmother died of a heart attack. I said I will be dammed if my Mother or Father died of a heart attack. I said to myself if I can get in the best shape of my life and document everything., I can help people around me live a healthier lifestyle. So one day I stayed up thinking of a plan on how to get healthier. I already had an athletic background I just was using my abilities. I was partying every weekend sometimes starting on thursdays and ending on sundays. I looked at some old photos of myself and I thought about what happened. I started boxing may 18 but I was still partying, smoking and drinking. I found out the hard way, those things dont go together. I couldn't breath some days I felt like I was going to die. So I had to stop. If I really wanted to pursue a boxing career I had to stop. I had to not only stop for me, I had to stop for my family. Being the youngest in our family, I had to lead by example. Once I started being healthy the whole family jumped on board. Since my change, my mother changed and she has lost 53 pounds and my father has lost 33 pounds.
-
I will win the golden gloves championship for New York state come this January. I am looking to open my own gym by the end of next year. A place where it is very affordable for people and they can still get a great workout. I am also looking forward to winning other boxing tournaments to help build my resume as an amateur boxer. I am also looking forward to competing in a physique contests in the summer.
-
It's not easy but what in life is. Being healthy builds confidence, you're not as tired, you start to become a motivator not by choice. You start to get a hold of your life. Food controls you whether you think it or not. It controls how long you live, it controls the people around you, it controls how much energy you will have to do in your daily task. The healthier you are, the better your day will become. Every time I look at how far I have come, I just smile.