Jason Priest never thought he’d grow up to be overweight. As a kid, he played a number of sports at once and even had a few athletic scholarships roll in toward the end of high school. But thanks to a few injuries and burnout, Priest walked away from all that athletic glory. Slowly but surely, without those steady workouts, the weight crept on until he hit 230 pounds—around the time he turned 30. His weight would have continued climbing had Priest not walked into a single spin class that changed his life forever.
After quitting sports, Priest’s life took a bit of a downward turn. “I grew up in a single parent home and had a bit of a drug history. I spent my 16th birthday in rehab and did not have the outlets,” Priest says. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Priest got his act together, entered community college, and found his true calling: nursing.
In two years, Priest graduated his registered nursing program and was off to work. But at the same time, a few unhealthy habits—like eating junk food and living a sedentary life — were kicking in.
“I worked for the first six years covering post-op heart surgery patients in an intensive care unit,” he explained. “I saw a lot of things that most people don’t want to ever see. It really scared the crap out of me, but not enough to really take my own health seriously at that point.”
At least one good thing happened at the hospital: Priest met his now wife. The pair moved to a small town for her to attend pharmacy school. While happy for his wife, Priest found himself more isolated than ever, thus gaining more weight than ever until he hit his highest point of 230 pounds.
“I was the guy with the mindset of ‘I’m going to eat like crap, I’m going to do whatever I want in terms of nutrition. I’ll drink my beers on the weekend, whatever.’ And I justified it all with two or three jogs a week,” he explained.
At the time, Priest was just 30 years old. But his doctors were already warning him about his weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and so on. Priest knew he had to do something but just didn’t know what. Until one day, he walked into his gym’s spin class.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnCCld0hHRa/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnCCld0hHRa/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnCCld0hHRa/
View this post on Instagram
Absolutely not feeling this today! But I’ve never left the gym and regretted that I went. Even the shittiest workout is better than no workout at all!! It’s all mental. If you want to learn more about my mental preparation and the way I train my clients please message me. Enjoy your day!! #fitnessmotivation #fitnessblogger #fitnessaddict #dadbod #dad #dadbodhealth #dadbodfitness #fitnessblog #fitnessjourney #health #wellness #getinshape #fitnessbody #weightloss #fitness #goals #fitfam #fitdad #fitdadproject #fitnessgram #gymlife #familyfitness #kids #father #fitdadlifestyle #loseweight #healthylifestyle
A post shared by Jason Priest – RN, ACE PT (@dadbodhealth) on
“I got addicted to spin classes,” he said with a laugh about his routine of attending class four or five times a week. “It gave me an outlet and I took it, I ran with it.”
At the same time, Priest shifted his nutrition. He stopped drinking fruit juice and replaced it with water. He stopped snacking on late-night meals and eating ice cream every day. He instead focused on increasing his lean protein intake and now eats fresh fruits and vegetables as often as possible. Thanks in part to these changes, Priest dropped 60 pounds to meet his goal weight of 170.
Though he’s still got a lot of love for the spin classes that got him there, Priest has since moved on and now does a four-day split for a weight routine and two days of steady state cardio to keep his heart healthy.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoxUw7uhKnb/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoxUw7uhKnb/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoxUw7uhKnb/
View this post on Instagram
Ate like crap for 5 days in San Francisco. Drank beer, ate burgers, tacos, you name it. But I knew when the trip was over I would return to Dallas and jump right back into my ninja mindset and have all my priorities strategized. Maintaining a great physique is extremely simple. I didn’t say easy but I did say simple. You see when you have the proper mindset and follow my very simple process you can ditch the Dad Bod for good and get into the ideal physique you deserve!! Message me for more details about my Ditch the Dad Bod Transformation programs. Happy Hump Day!! #weightloss #weightlosstransformation #weightlossjourney #health #healthylifestyle #dadbod #dadbodhealth
A post shared by Jason Priest – RN, ACE PT (@dadbodhealth) on
“I’ll be 40 this year and I’m in the best shape of my life,” he says. “I’m in better shape now than I was when I was playing high school soccer in terms of my physique. I take a lot of pride in that being my age because it’s just not that common.”
Priest was so inspired by his new way of life that he decided to overhaul his career too. After moving back to Texas with his family, Priest became a personal trainer and a fitness nutritional specialist so he could help other people just like him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvPncObh8yK/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvPncObh8yK/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvPncObh8yK/
View this post on Instagram
Travel often? Always on-the-go? Here are some key tips to keep it healthy!
A post shared by Jason Priest – RN, ACE PT (@dadbodhealth) on
“I get to help busy dads and busy professionals redefine their own ‘dad bod’ and get in great shape and feel good again and be able to keep up with their kids,” he said.
Priest doesn’t want people—or his clients—to get it twisted, however. He still enjoys a tasty cheat meal every now and then, and he doesn’t feel bad about it.
“I post a lot of pictures of burgers and tacos on social media and of the things that I really love because I truly believe that in order to have a sustainable plan, most people can’t go and follow a six meal a day meal plan from a personal trainer and live that life,” he says. “You’ve just got to develop that mindset where you have the discipline and the structure in your life to be able to view those as your exception versus the norm.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoSxvKZh0xL/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoSxvKZh0xL/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoSxvKZh0xL/
View this post on Instagram
Part of ditching the Dad Bod is eating the foods you love and still having a beer or two. – The burger has cheese, ham, hasbrowns, bacon and a fried egg. Sweet potatoe fries as a side. Mosaic IPA and a giant homemade waffle cone with peanuts butter topped ice cream. – I’m a firm believer in eating all the foods you love!! – #fitnessmotivation #health #healthylifestyle #dadbod #dad #dadbodhealth #weightlossmotivation #weightloss #fitness #goals #fitfam #fitdad #father #weightlosstransformation #weightlossjourney #gethealthy #instahealth #motivation #determination
A post shared by Jason Priest – RN, ACE PT (@dadbodhealth) on
“Not everyone loves to exercise,” he says. “Getting started is the hardest part. But once you do, you’ll reap the benefits. It’s a matter of buying into the process. You have to embrace the struggle and embrace the challenge. You don’t want to look back five years from now and say, ‘I wish I would have.’”
Source: Read Full Article