Reignited

Steve Cox watched his flame of motivation slow to a flicker but then found just what he needed to transform his dwindling light into a bonfire and rekindle his fat loss and muscle growth

By Sue Mosebar

Who: Steve Cox
Age: 46
Location: Gahanna, OH
Occupation: CPA, husband, and father of four
Goals: Reignite his motivation and lose bodyfat, gain muscle size, and tap into a fountain of youth

Obviously, top finishers in a transformation contest have the tools to succeed: they've proven they know what to do—and how to do it—to transform their bodies. So you would think "top" finishers would continue making gains... or at least maintain their new bodies and lives.

Unfortunately, even for people who have enjoyed the thrill of success, the flame of motivation and discipline can wither. And that's what happened to Steve Cox.

In 2001, he was a top finisher in the Body-for-LIFE Challenge and was very pleased with his success. But over the last few years, he had plateaud both physically and mentally. And his physique revealed all the classic signs of "letting go." He felt like he needed something from somewhere to reignite that motivation—not just to keep on but to keep improving as well.

Then he heard about the Lean System 7/Real SOLUTIONS Spokesperson contest and thought "that's it!" "The contest really kick started my progress back to what it should be," explains Steve excitedly.

First Things First: Goal Setting

Having succeeded in the past, Steve knew the first thing he needed to do: set a compelling yet realistic goal.

His initial goal was to turn around some of the bad habits he had gotten into with eating lately, which had packed an extra 15 lbs on his body since he finished the Body-for-LIFE contest. He also wanted to build and strengthen his muscles.

Steve, a few years older now since his last transformation, had noticed that even in the last year, it had become harder to really maintain his level of fitness and body composition. "My body is just naturally slowing down as I get older." Fortunately, Steve knew that weight training, smart eating, and quality supplements are the closest thing to the fountain of youth, and he chose to drink deeply.

Long-Term vs. Short-Term Goals

Steve found that it works best to separate his short-term goals and long-term goals, still making sure his short-term goals are in line with the long-term goals.

"I'm not so much interested in what I look like, say, eight weeks from now," he says. "I'm more interested in how healthy I am four or five years from now because I'm getting to an age where you notice you're getting older—I'm 46 years old."

Steve's short-term goals, on the other hand, are always changing. For example, when the Lean System 7 contest started, he set new transformation goals using the guidelines from that eight-week program. Steve shares, "The contest spelled everything out, so it was really a no-brainer. You just do what it says, and you're going to see results."

While the short-term goals are always changing, they all have to be in tune with the long-term goals.

Steve explains, "I try to stay away from setting goals that are not sustainable. Because anybody can get on a kick and do something for maybe a few weeks... but something happens, and maybe their schedule gets too busy, and they're off track. So I'm very particular about setting goals that are sustainable because if they're sustainable, they're healthy goals. I try to stay pretty much on an even keel as far as my emotions, so I don't go gung ho one week and overdo it at the gym and end up injured or burned out. I try to be a little smarter than that. I work out intensely, but I also know when to quit."

Adapting a Successful Plan to Suit His Lifestyle

Getting to the gym was easy for Steve. It's a deeply ingrained habit. The harder part for Steve is his eating habits. He's found he has to modify his family's eating plan to work for him.

"In the evening, when I get home from work, I eat small portions of whatever my wife fixes. It makes things go better at home. So I'm not really legalistic about what I eat, but I am very strict on portion sizes. Then, a couple of hours after 'dinner,' I'll eat a second small portion of dinner for my last meal of the day."

Before the contest, Steve had been using an ephedra product from EAS that he really liked. "I'm still convinced that if used as directed, ephedra is safe. But with the new laws, I was looking for something without ephedrine in it."

And that's what Steve says he really liked about Lean System 7 at first—that it was scientifically proven and ephedrine free but still gave him a great boost of energy. But he continues to use Lean System 7 now because it keeps his energy levels high during the early afternoon as well. "After lunch, I used to just get really sluggish, but Lean System 7 helps me keep my energy levels up throughout the workday and do a better job... and that's in addition to the other physical advantages it has, like keeping my metabolism up and helping me burn fat all day long."

Obstacles Overcome

Before he even started the Lean System 7/Real SOLUTIONS Spokesperson Challenge, Steve had injured his knee when volunteering for the high-school hockey team. "I work out with the athletes, and we were running the stadium stairs one day, and my knee was a little sore the next day. Of course sometimes that happens, and it gets better a few days later. But this time, my knee never really did get better. The soreness had been lingering for a few months, and then one day in January, I was climbing a ladder to film one of my son's hockey games, and it just popped. That was it."

The injury halted Steve's lower body workouts for a while, but he continued working out his upper body. And when he heard about the contest, he had actually been contemplating knee surgery but kept putting it off. "Then when I started the contest, I thought, 'You know, I bet if I got back on track, maybe lost a few pounds, my knee would feel better.' And voila, that's exactly what happened!"

He started working out his knee slowly, doing whatever he could with his lower body—leg extensions and low-intensity squats to start with. It didn't take long before he was able to get back to where he was before his injury strength-wise.

Steve may someday need that knee surgery, but he says he knows his success with the contest has definitely helped him postpone it at least for a few years... or more.

A Measure of Success

Steve's Success in the Lean System 7/Real SOLUTIONS Spokesperson contest didn't make him a top finisher. It made him the top finisher.

Steve's honored to have been chosen as the winner for the first round of this prestigious competition. Of course, he had compelling before and after photos, inspiring essay answers, and some impressive new measurements. That is, he lost 15 lbs of bodyfat and gained five pounds of muscle. In eight short weeks!

He also went to a smaller pants size: "That's one of my key indicators of how I'm doing because you can't get away from that," says Steve. "You get a reminder every morning as you get dressed."

He enjoyed other changes as well. "When I started the Lean System 7 contest, I also tried Meta-CEL for the first time. Across the board—in all my weight lifting—my strength increased."

Although he didn't measure his biceps, he now wishes he would have. "I know they had to increase because my shirts, especially in the shoulder area, are fitting tighter," he says.

"I feel great," Steve continues. "Just feeling better physically has helped me in every aspect of my life. I'm a husband and father. I'll be married 20 years now next month, and we have four kids, so we've got a lot going on at home. I've got a demanding job as a CPA with more things to do than there is time to do them, and just the focus and the discipline that comes with training physically absolutely helps in every aspect of life. I'm not alone in that—it does that for everybody. It's really made me a better person. This lifestyle seems to make everyday life just that much easier. It seems like there are no fewer problems, but when problems come up, the solutions become clearer, and decisions are easier to make. It just helps me focus on the important things."

The Next Challenge

Steve's goals for the future are to try to help as many people as he can get healthy. Especially other baby boomers. "I'm seeing my generation get older and less healthy every week. And there's just so much more living we can do if we're feeling healthy, so that's my passion."

Of course, the need to get and stay healthy reaches far beyond just the baby-boom generation. It's really a message for everyone. So whether Steve's talking with people at his work, getting on the internet and participating in the message board forums, helping people reignite their own passion has become Steve's passion.

"People are really starved to know how to transform their bodies and their lifestyle," explains Steve. "It's not like I have all the answers, but I can certainly direct them in a way that's going to help them. Now that my spark has been reignited, that's where my focus has got to be—contributing to society in a greater way than I've done in the past."

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