Scared Straight Into Fitness

Jim and Tonia Goodman lived like typical Americans—overindulging in the "good life" until Jim found himself flat on his back in the hospital; now, they've discovered what living large is really all about.

By Sue Mosebar, Executive Editor

Names: Jim and Tonia Goodman
Ages: 39 and 34
Profession: Technical Consultant for Hewlett-Packard; stay-at-home mother of four
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Goals: Lose ugly bodyfat and regain health and energy

A mere year and a half ago, Jim Goodman had just been enjoying his daughter's birthday party—or perhaps over-enjoying. He finished his cake and ice cream and then started to help both of his daughters finish theirs. And he didn't feel very good. In fact, he felt like he was going to pass out... Like he was having a diabetic episode or something.

A short while later, in the emergency room (where doctors thought Jim might be having a heart attack), hooked up to an EKG, Jim started to question his life. He had watched strokes and diabetes kill off members of his family. People he cared deeply about were painfully taken too soon. And this was his second trip to the hospital. Jim was scared...

Would that too be his fate?

Fortunately, it turned out he was not having a heart attack, as he had originally thought. But it was a turning point for Jim. He realized it was time to clean up his eating once and for all. He knew how ugly heart disease and diabetes were, and he wanted to do what he could to avoid them.

In addition to being concerned for Jim's health, Tonia was also ready to do something for herself... anything actually. She was just so tired and grouchy all of the time. She was having a difficult time focusing on simple day-to-day tasks. And running around after four kids feeling tired all the time, well, it just wasn't cutting it. She wasn't a lot of fun to be around at all and even thinks her friends would agree.

Clean Eating

So Jim and Tonia started to clean up their diets. Less sugar. Lower fat. The common "diet." But that wasn't enough for them. Jim also wanted to start losing his gut since he was now eating more healthfully, so he jumped on the Internet to see if he could find some ab exercises and came across the Message Board on RealSOLUTIONSmag.com.

A lot of people on the Message Board were talking about a book called Body-for-LIFE. Jim figured it couldn't hurt to check it out, so he went out and picked up a copy of the book. Little did he know this little book would change his life as well as the lives of his entire family.

Inspiring Photos

Sitting on the sofa with Jim that evening, Tonia was really taken with the photos in Body-for-LIFE. They talked about the success these strangers had achieved. Was it even possible? Could you really transform your body that dramatically? "We were both pretty skeptical," explains Tonia. "Skeptical and hopeful at the same time."

Self-described couch potatoes, Jim and Tonia Goodman, before their journey began.

At first, Jim and Tonia didn't even set goals. They simply didn't know enough about what to expect to set them. They just wanted to see if they could look like those pictures. To see if the claims were real. So if there were a goal, that's what it was: transform like the photos they saw in Body-for-LIFE.

Jim adds, "I thought maybe I could lose 20 or 25 lbs in actual weight." But as far as putting on muscle and losing bodyfat, they didn't have any idea what to expect. "I worked out, I think, once in my whole life for about a four-week stretch when I was 13," laughs Jim. "That's about it. So I really had no experience."

Once Jim and Tonia took a look at some recent pictures of themselves, they realized they looked a lot like some of the Before photos in the book. "After looking at pictures of myself, I realized I was overweight. I didn't like how I looked. And I especially didn't like how I felt," shares Tonia. Both Tonia and Jim decided to give the program a try and see what happened.

"We didn't have to think twice," adds Jim.

Time for a Challenge

Jim and Tonia followed the advice from the book to a T for 12 full weeks, though they never officially joined the contest. They also went back to the Message Board where Jim had first read about this program. "There were quite a few people on the Board who had done a few Challenges, and they were really helpful, especially Mike Packham," Jim says. "He was probably the biggest help for getting us into Body-for-LIFE at the time."

"The people on the Board showed us tangible results, and they really helped us shoot for the stars," Tonia adds. "Mike, Shari, and just a host of other people who have gone through their transformations were a tremendous help."

At first, Jim and Tonia had so much to learn, so they devoured different people's posts on the Message Board. But it wasn't long before they got more involved and friendships started to form. They gained so much energy from the encouragement from others as well as from what they've accomplished. Tonia often found that if she didn't have the motivation for her workout one day, she could get on the Board for inspiration. She explains, "You read about somebody's success, or somebody writes an encouraging message in your journal, and you're reenergized and ready to go!"

Staying on Track

For two people who had never before followed a training program or smart eating plan, Jim and Tonia did exceptionally well. In fact, it wasn't even difficult for them to stay on track. "Surprisingly, it's been incredibly simple," shares Jim.

Even more surprising is that Jim spends a great deal of his time on the road, traveling for business, living out of hotels. But once he made the commitment, somehow, he's found that things always manage to work out. "I've heard people say it's near impossible to do," says Jim, "but I've been maintaining since that first Challenge. And I haven't had any issues."

Tonia adds, "Once you set your mind to doing it, if you want it badly enough, you figure out how to make it work. It all just falls into place from there."

Only 14 weeks after beginning their transformation, Jim looks nothing like the couch potato he used to be.

That doesn't mean they haven't faced their share of obstacles. Jim says that in his job as a technical professional, he's regularly at dinner meetings, lunch meetings, executive meetings, meetings, meetings, meetings... And the food they serve at these functions is anything but optimal. Plus, when he's on the road, he often works long hours that aren't conducive to finding healthy restaurants and quality gyms.

Even as a family, they've had their challenges. Whenever there are family gatherings or gatherings with friends, for example, they find that the meal choices aren't always optimal.

But Jim and Tonia overcome the obstacles by having a good strategy. Jim recommends, "Just don't get hung up on overcoming those obstacles because that can lead to an even more negative result. Sometimes you have to more or less go with the flow. But once the lifestyle is habitual, it's much easier to make the best choices you can in any given situation." And if all else fails, they simply watch their portion sizes, so they don't overeat. "Pick and choose. Generally, you can get through any meal with this strategy," says Jim.

Tonia also stresses that when the situation allows it, they bring their planned meals with them, whether that's protein powders, MRP's, or in an emergency a nutrition bar.

When it comes to training on the road, Jim chooses his hotel based on what type of fitness facilities they might have or if they have contracts with local gyms. But he admits he sometimes finds himself in small towns where the nearest thing to a "fitness facility" is the local farmer's bales of hay. Even then, Jim doesn't let that stop him. "You don't necessarily need to be in a grade A fitness facility to stay fit on the road. It's just a matter of making the choice that if you want to stay fit, you do what you can: bodyweight exercises and stair climbing, for example. It's amazing what an intense workout you can get going up and down flights of stairs for 20 or 30 minutes." Jim also packs bands and tools of that nature in his suitcase, so he can use those to improvise a workout. (Click here to read Jim's "On the Road Journal" to see how he trains and eats when he's away from home.)

Tonia may not be traveling like her husband, but with four kids, it's no easy task to find time to exercise. Now that most of her kids are in school—only one is still at home—it opens up a bit of time for Tonia. But it's still a juggling act.

"It just comes down to planning my day," Tonia explains. "I'm almost always able to find time to get a workout in, even if it's just for 45 minutes of weight training or a 20-minute HIIT [High-Intensity Interval Training] cardio workout." It's a matter of making her workouts a priority.

Fortunately, Tonia has also found that both Jim and the kids are really supportive, so if she needs to take some extra time, they let her have it.

A Family Affair

When Jim is at home, he and Tonia work out together. "It's great for us," Tonia says, "because that's together time for us. That's our bonding time, I feel. It's a good time for us to just go off by ourselves and share a common interest and a common goal. It's brought us closer to each other. We've always been close, but we've created a bond we didn't have before. We're probably each other's biggest cheerleaders."

Jim adds, "After 17 years of marriage, definitely, the last 15 months have been a real step forward. We went from having a close marriage to literally being best friends."

"We do so much more. We're not just sitting around on the couch, grumpy and tired," explains Tonia. "We have energy now, and we enjoy each other's company."

Both Jim and Tonia believe it's the support of the family that makes all the difference in the world. And now, even the kids are showing an interest. In fact, their 13-year-old daughter wants to be a "bodybuilder" as soon as she's old enough, and the younger girls love to train with Mom. Especially when that means dancing around the living room for cardio. They also do bodyweight squats or pull out little dumbbells and try to imitate what Mom's doing. It's one of Tonia's favorite ways to spend time with her kids.

And now Jim is putting together a workout plan for their son, who's 15, since he wants to put on some muscle and get healthy.

"We just have a great time, and I feel it brings our family so much closer in ways I never would have expected when we started with this lifestyle," shares Tonia.

When they first started, Jim and Tonia did most of their cooking together. Now they "tag team" it in the kitchen—sometimes together and sometimes separately. According to Tonia, Jim's pretty creative in the kitchen, and he makes some delicious, healthy meals. They also plan all of their meals together with the kids. "At first, the kids didn't really like the healthy choices that were coming about. Our oldest son thought we were trying to kill him," Tonia laughs. "Now he's even changing, and I don't think he realizes it."

All three of their daughters are reading labels now and pass on the food if it's got too much sugar in it. "They honestly like the food we make," Jim says. "I think they were resistant in the beginning, but now they're really loving it."

"The first time I remember everything changing as far as their taste," adds Tonia, "I had made a pot of vegetables, and the kids devoured them all. That may seem like such a little thing, but it was so representative of the changes that had come about in our house."

It goes without saying that the Goodman household is dramatically different. Their kids went from being couch potatoes to getting involved in school athletics. And of course, both Jim and Tonia are on the sidelines cheering them on. They go out as a family on their bikes. And they all support any activity they're interested in.

The Goodman family enjoys meeting with former Body-for-LIFE Champion Kelly Adair.

Tonia has also started working with her mom, who's now interested in doing Body-for-LIFE. "She also had a scare where she was worried that she might have diabetes," says Tonia. "Plus, she's achy—she's got arthritis—but she knows it's not too late for her to get into shape. She's ready to go ahead and change her lifestyle now before it's too late. Before she doesn't feel well enough to do anything. "

The Results Are In

When Tonia and Jim first started, they didn't even know what bodyfat percentage was. They did, however, keep track of their scale weight. So far, Tonia has lost 23 lbs of scale weight. And Jim's gone from 179 lbs all the way down to 145 lbs.

With help from folks on the RealSOLUTIONSmag.com Message Board, they were soon a lot more familiar with all of the terms and rushed out to get their bodyfat percentage taken. After that first challenge, Tonia found she had 22.9% bodyfat. And her most recent measurement came in at an awe-inspiring 10%! "I don't recognize myself any more!" Tonia laughs.

Jim's results have been equally impressive. His first measurement was 31.9% bodyfat, and at his most recent check three weeks ago, he had gotten down to 10.7%.

Gaining Ground with Goals

Though Jim and Tonia's original goals were anything but specific, that's all changed. Now they're both meticulous about setting S.M.A.R.T Goals.

Tonia explains, "After the first couple of weeks, I took a picture to see if anything was changing because I was starting to feel discouraged. I couldn't tell if I was making any progress from looking in the mirror because my mind would play tricks on me. But when I took the pictures at about the two-week mark and compared them to my before pictures, I saw the subtle changes. That's when I decided I should try to lose 15 lbs. And that's when the goal-setting started happening."

Tonia now feels like she doesn't have the motivation she needs to move forward unless she has a goal she's striving to meet. This is quite a dramatic turnaround since she was never a goal setter before—in any area of her life. "I didn't know what it was to set a goal and try to see it through and believe it could actually come to be. That was foreign to me. But now that I set goals and actually work toward them and see them come to fruition... well, today, I can't imagine living without my goals," she explains.

A Positive Influence

For a long time, Jim and Tonia's friends just sat back and watched, asking "Would they stick with it a short while and then gain all of their fat back? Would they give up on this whole 'fitness kick' they were on? Was this just a typical 'diet'?"

But now, friends and others in the community are coming out of the woodwork, inspired to follow in Jim and Tonia's footsteps. "It's mind-boggling," Tonia says. What really seems to resonate is not the physical changes but the changes in their moods. Jim and Tonia are happier. They're filled with energy. "I think people are drawn to that," Tonia shares.

"Some people are really gradual in making changes. Others are just boom... right into it," says Tonia. "It's been so exciting. I think it's one of the most exciting things—just getting to see other people changing their lives as well."

Jim and Tonia have also stayed very active on the Message Board. "It's a great group of people. Such an encouraging group and a knowledgeable group," Tonia explains. "It's almost a family-like atmosphere on this Board. And I don't see this anywhere else. Anywhere!"

Now Jim and Tonia spend even more time on the Board to give back all they've been given. It's so important for them to share what they've learned and give other people inspiration and motivation to spur them on.

At home, Tonia's also started working with a couple different groups of women who want to start following a fitness lifestyle. She regularly gets together with them, and they put together eating and workout plans. Tonia checks out their exercise form and teaches them new exercises. And most importantly, they all support each other.

She's also heavily involved in a Body-for-LIFE group in Omaha. Again, she's found it's a great support system. She and Jim field questions and help people get started or get back on track if they're struggling.

Tonia enjoys an intense leg workout with her new trainer, Kelly Adair.

The Evolution of a Training Program

Though the principles of Body-for-LIFE are always going to be at the foundation of anything they do, due to its commonsense approach, Tonia and Jim are no longer following that program. Their training is much more advanced, and right now, they're on an intense mass-gaining program.

Jim credits one person on the Message Board in particular with helping them advance their training: "Robben Salyers helped open my eyes to new possibilities. Everything has bumped up a notch," explains Jim.

Although Jim's spent more time communicating with Robben than Tonia, she also credits him with inspiring her to take her workouts to another level. However, Tonia credits another trainer with her evolution: former Body-for-LIFE Champion Kelly Adair, who's a fitness coach in Omaha, Nebraska.

"When I started working with Kelly, she saw how motivated I was and how much I had accomplished, and she suggested I compete," Tonia shares. "At first, I said absolutely no way!"

But Kelly kept persisting during their training sessions. She told Tonia all about figure competitions and encouraged her to enter her first one. For months she kept after Tonia until exactly 12 weeks out from May 14. Which turns out to be the date of Tonia's first competition. "Kelly finally talked me into it, and I have no idea why I said, 'Okay!' But I did," says Tonia.

What was really special for Tonia was that Kelly also competed in this show. "I can't imagine doing my first show without Kelly being there with me and sharing the moment. It was just incredible."

Now Tonia's addicted. Since that first contest, Tonia's competed three more times. In her first two contests, she didn't place. Her third contest, she got second place. Just a year and a half ago, Tonia was a self-described lazy couch potato. Yet in September, Tonia competed in her fourth Figure contest, where she was crowned the overall Fitness Champion in the Cedar Rapids Best of the Midwest. And this upcoming spring, she'll be competing again to try to earn her pro card. "I'm working on mass training—gaining some more muscle this winter because I really want to try to earn that pro card!" says Tonia.

Jim is very instrumental in her success as a competitor. He's her biggest cheerleader, coach, and trainer. "He makes my workouts better and kicks my butt in gear," laughs Tonia. "It sounds funny, but it's a good thing."

Moving Forward

Their new lifestyle has affected every aspect of their lives. For Jim, the big difference has been his motivation. In his job, for example, after completing the first Challenge and seeing what happened, he had so much more self-confidence that he stepped out into areas that he wouldn't have risked before. "My boss gave me enough rope to either make a bridge or hang myself, and I took the risk, developed a new piece of business within the corporation, and a promotion came out of it," Jim shares. "I don't think I would have taken the risk before."

Only 15 months after beginning her transformation program, Tonia was crowned the overall Fitness Champion in the Cedar Rapids Best of the Midwest

Tonia adds, "There's nothing that hasn't been touched by this. It has to do with the confidence. You realize the sky is literally the limit and you can pretty much do whatever you put your mind to doing."

Now both Jim and Tonia are working on getting their personal training certifications. In addition, Jim wants to help Tonia earn that pro card. "Getting to train Tonia, coach her, and just pour everything we've learned into a program to advance her is what's most important for me now. That's my deepest goal: to get her to that point where she receives that pro card," says Jim.

Tonia is pretty fond of her coach. "He's doing a great job! He's a genius," she says. "He puts together my plans. The first time he ever put a plan together for me was prior to my September competition, and I needed to gain mass, and with the workout he gave me, I put two inches on my quads in four weeks." Click here to read Tonia's Mass-Building Journal to see exactly how she trained and ate.

Though he hasn't yet received his certification, Jim is now putting together plans for people around the country, and he'd really like to step up the fitness consulting and do some custom workout and meal planning as well as work with special needs people.

It's emotional now for Tonia to look back at where she came from. She looks at old pictures, and remembers how they felt: moody, tired, grouchy, and unhappy. Today, she's a bubbly, fun, vibrant person, so it's difficult to image her any other way. And Jim... he was scared straight—straight into the fitness lifestyle. Now, there's no turning back for either of them.

Tonia and Jim's Current Workout Plan*

Example Leg Day**

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