"Best Body" Contest Overall Champion: Barry Ratzlaff

"I love the feeling of being a person who walks the walk and doesn't just talk the talk."

Congratulations to our first ever Real SOLUTIONS Magazine "Best Body" Contest Winner: Barry Ratzlaff!

As the winner of our contest, Barry won a trip to Casa Del Mar Spa, in Cabos, where he had the opportunity to work out with Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adele.

Though the competition was fierce, and the number of entries piled up high in our office, Barry's physical transformation as well as his ability to successfully overcome mental roadblocks translated into his taking the top place in this exclusive competition.

We asked Barry to share his success, the roadblocks he overcame, and how the experience benefited him—in his own words. We believe you'll be inspired... perhaps enough to even try competing in this year's iSatori/Real SOLUTIONS Best Body Contest. We hope so... we'd love to meet you at the beautiful Casa Del Mar Spa in Cabos San Lucas, Mexico, this winter!

Inspiration

Now that I'm no longer a minister and have since turned my passion to being a personal trainer, I want to be the best I can be, for myself and for my clients. I respond well to goals and fixed timeframes, so an eight-week contest was a great opportunity to reach some goals.

For the past four years, I've been hovering between 12 and 14% bodyfat, all the while saying I'd like to be in the single digits. My concern was that other forays into the lower realms of bodyfat have left me feeling freakish and desperate, craving carbs like a madman. I wondered if "under 10%" was unsustainable for me, but I knew that wasn't true, and I saw this contest as a great incentive to put thought, and desire, into action.

Barry and his wife, Jana, also enjoyed wonderful meals at the spa!

Roadblock

My greatest obstacle was the sugar-coated roadblock called Christmas. I said at the outset, "If I can make it through that season unscathed, I can resist anything!" I made it, and it was a real character builder, and I didn't even really suffer.

Transformation

The biggest impact these changes have had has been on my clients. They all thought I looked great before and wondered why I would want to enter a contest to "get in shape." Now that they have observed the process and seen the results, they are inspired. I love the feeling of being a person who walks the walk and doesn't just talk the talk.

Stay tuned for Barry's full Success Story, including wonderful photos from the Casa Del Mar and his proven secrets for building those amazing abs—in the next printed edition of Real SOLUTIONS magazine (due out in July)!

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