| That pleased Alvarez, a certified personal fitness
trainer who delights in helping people transform their lives through better
eating and exercise. But despite his charisma, his extensive training
and his enthusiasm, he finally met someone he couldn't easily inspire.This
person was in a rut and didn't know how to get out of it. He needed something,
something to convince him to eat differently and use his gym time more
efficiently.
The person: Joe Alvarez.
"I needed a kickstart. I was so busy helping everyone
else that I neglected my own workouts. Or I was so tired at the end
of the day that it was really hard to lift (weights) myself," Alvarez
said.
It wasn't like Alvarez, 38, was rotund. Right before
the first of this year, the 6-footer carried a very solid 196 pounds.
But in the past 10 weeks, Alvarez has dropped 9 pounds,
lost 4 percent of his body fat and 2. inches off of his waistline. Now,
he looks like a tanned, walking-and-talking brick.
How'd he do it? How did the trainer train himself?
The inspiration came during a visit to his brother
in Houston last December. About three months earlier, his brother had
begun the "Body for Life" regimen founded by EAS owner Bill Phillips
of Golden. The company is well-known in Colorado for its work with former
Denver Broncos Shannon Sharpe and John Elway, helping them to cut body
fat and gain muscle through nutritional supplements and a very strict
eating and weight-lifting regimen outlined in Phillip's best-selling
book, "Body for Life."
The "Body for Life" regimen is a very structured and
intense 12-week program demanding total commitment with no breaks, no
lapses, no, "I'll get back to it next week."
"My brother's transformation was huge," Alvarez said.
"He encouraged me to do it, and Kathy (Alvarez's wife) and I decided
to do it."
The program was exactly what Alvarez needed. The book
gave him what he has given to his students: inspiration and an action
plan.
"It's been great for me and made a big difference in
how I feel and look," Alvarez said. "And it's been inspirational to
my clients, because they see anyone, even someone in pretty good shape,
still can improve."
Now, Alvarez is at the Total Fitness Center in Belmont
at 5:30 a.m. nearly every day.
"It's hard to commit. Everyone works long hours and
has lots of distractions. But you can and should make the commitment
to exercise," he said.
"It's definitely worth it. There's a strong correlation
between improved physical well-being and improved mental well-being,
outlook on life. Exercise makes people more organized and increases
their confidence."
Alvarez plans to continue working with people to feel
what he's felt. And having gone through a recent transformation himself,
he has extra inspiration ammo.
"Really, everyone can improve. I've worked with 68-,
70-year-old people who have made great progress. I have a 71-year-old
in fantastic shape. It's never too late to start; never too late to
improve."
Alvarez can be reached at 542-3749. |
