By: Ethan Quant
I remember sitting in the barber shop waiting for a haircut, this well-built guy walked in and my barber freaked. In his shock he exclaimed, "Bey, you lose so much weight. You 'does eat dem' weights ay? I need you to train me!"
While listening and watching this exchange, I remember thinking how great it must feel to have people respond to you so differently after revamping your body. At that time I weighed about 306 pounds and wasn’t even thinking about losing weight or going to the gym. I didn’t start my fitness journey as yet, but little did I know, years later this same exchange would happen to me over and over again after losing 110 pounds and transforming my own body.
Early in my fitness journey I would stand in front of the mirror (for lengths of time that I will not mention😉) looking at my 306-pound body while imagining that the reflection was of me with muscles and a six pack. I would look around the gym and picture myself doing pull-ups, leg raises and bench presses with 315 pounds of weight. I could see it so clear in my mind. I would imagine walking into rooms and having people stare at me in awe of my amazing physique. I could actually see them…I could hear the whispers and feel the eyes all on me.
I’ve always had an active imagination, but it wasn't until I became an adult that I understood the power and value of visualizing your goals. I realized that when you imagine what you want in life, a powerful force is released into the universe to bring in alignment what you see in your mind and what is in real life. Many years before I started my health and fitness journey, I was introduced to the concept of vision boards by my good friend Keshelle Davis. I learned that a vision board is a collection of visual representations of your goals, dreams and aspirations. Since then, I’ve used this concept to bring life to what I want in my relationships and business endeavors.
Naturally, I used this concept when I started working towards my health and fitness goals. I literally went online and searched Google for images of a "black man with six-pack abs". I came across a picture of Tyson Beckford and he became my target. Interesting enough, each time I got closer to achieving the body I wanted, my vision for my dream body would change. This led me to continually replace my targeted body picture.
I implemented the same practice when I trained and coached individuals throughout their health and fitness journeys. I always asked my clients, “what's your ideal body type? If you could have any body that you want, what would it look like?”. Surprisingly, many of them never thought of a ‘dream body’ until I asked this question. For some clients, this is an exciting task to entertain the thought that they could have their dream body. For others, it's sometimes searching for the impossible.
"I look at this process much like using a GPS. The only way you can get to your destination is if you know where you want to go and plug that information into the GPS. Like my daughter Becca says, begin with the end in mind."
My advice for anyone wanting to transform their body would be to first visualize your dream body. Once you have visualized this, you have an idea of how it will look and feel. Next, imagine the life you can have off of pressure medication, having the energy to play with your children or walking up a flight of stairs without feeling out of breath. Once you have imagined how all of that feels, you can start the process of reverse engineering. Look at all of the stages of evolution that you will have to go through on your journey to get to where you want to be and then reverse engineer it back to your current position. This becomes your action plan. Once that is formulated, you're ready to begin!
I followed this and got great results but I didn't only apply these steps to health and fitness. I use them in every aspect of my life. I visualize the life I want, the money I want to make, the deals I want to close and the relationships I want to have. As children, we used our imagination so easily but as we grew older we lost this ability because of “reality”. Guess what though!? You create your own reality, all you have to do is see it then become it!
EQ
About The Author
Ethan is an entrepreneur that specializes in wellness. He is also a motivator and people driver who strongly believes in giving back. He has found success in many areas but prides himself mostly in being Becca's father and Dekel's husband @BowflexBarbie.
For many years Ethan struggled with his weight and body image. He realized that becoming healthy was about changing his mindset and modifying his behavior. His successful approach to wellness and the transformation of his own body led him to help others. He launched Elite Wellness Solutions - the leading employee wellness firm in the Bahamas - in 2013 and has helped countless people transform their bodies and their lives. He is also the CEO of Lifestyles Digital Media Group.
Ethan is available for corporate wellness programs and coaching.
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