29
RECOVERY: Customer Aaron Silva Achieves the Impossible
Aaron Silva defies all the odds with plenty of guts and a little help from his Total Gym.
Mr. Silva is an inspiration to us all. Below is his story.
Dear Total Gym,
My name is Aaron Silva. I am from the island of Maui. I suffer from a neuromuscular and autoimmune condition all-in-one called Myasthenia Gravis. And this is a testimony about how Total Gym assisted me in taking back my life—which this illness had robbed me of.
About a year ago I was weighing in at about 260lbs before working out with Total Gym. One day I made up my mind and was determined to loose my weight. I also wanted to be able to do something that was unheard of for people who suffer with Myasthenia Gravis, and that was to ride a cross-country style mountain bike up very steep hills along with single track trails.
So, in April of 2008 I started working out on an older Total Gym model that I had already purchased about 1 year before. We never really used it all that much. That model was the Total Gym XL. Within the first week of using the Total Gym XL, I added walking around Napili park into my workout plan. I could hardly complete one lap around the park.
Within the second week I had lapped it twice and then by the third week I was lapping the park 4 laps which is about 1 mile and it seemed that I was getting stronger each time. The park is very hilly so I got a good burn too. In a period of six weeks, along with working out on the Total gym XL, I wasn’t just lapping the park four times, I was doing it within 25 minutes and I managed to drop about 35lbs in 6 weeks.
By the 7th week I started riding my bike for 30 minutes, 3-4 miles every other day. The whole time I worked out on the Total Gym XL my body kept on changing and getting stronger. One day in May 2008 I was checking out the Total Gym web site and I came across the Total Gym 14000. It is one of the smaller, older designs of the upgraded models and it seemed to be what I needed to assist with the fitness goals I had to reach along with the price being just right. So I went for it.
I spoke with a Total Gym representative and he assisted me with my purchase. He was totally awesome and with his help in that purchase he did have a major part in me [reaching my] fitness goals. After I upgraded to the Total Gym 14000 I started to loose more weight. I incorporated more bike riding over the summer of 2008. In the fall of 2008 around the month of October—as I call it ROCKTOBER—I took my bike off road for it’s first mountain run. I was out of breath as I hit the wall on the trails but it felt good. And every time I managed to hit the wall I was getting stronger and stronger.
And now here I am one year later I am weighing in at 158lbs. 102lbs I lost—what a change. I can even ride up very steep hills close to 2000 foot level at the top. And those totally cool single track trails are fun to ride. I am still cranking out strong sets on the Total Gym. And the keg that I once had for a for a mid section has been traded in for in a six-pack. I still have Myasthenia Gravis but at times, I don’t even feel it.
The Total Gym is everything that Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley said it was and more. It assisted me in taking back my life. Thank you for allowing me to share this with you. As we say in Hawaii, Aloha. Oh yeah! Please tell Mike Gold I said Mahalo again for helping me with my Total Gym purchase. And the next trail run Mike is for you DUDE!!!!
-Aaron Aliiloa Silva, Total Gym Customer
Aaron is right on with his comments about Total Gym and Mike Gold – I also have a weight issue, and lower back problems for years. With the use and dedication of the Total Gym XLS with the accompanying Blast series discs, that Mike Gold spoke with me about buying, you too can produce some great results – all you need is a goal and some discipline!
Hooyah it really does it for me!
Awesome story.
What specific workouts did he do on the TG, starting with the XL and then on the 14000?
Awesome progress, Aaron! keep it up! Total Gym helps me too.
Frank
Nice going Aaron Aliiloa Silva, I’ve thought about buying a Total Gym , but I have onething stopping me. I’m on full disability for Epilepsy & at times i’ve wanted to buy the Total Gym . But I’ve always talked myself out of it due to my siezures & how they hit me at anytime without notice. I Hope it worksout for you – Dave
When Aaron said he had such a great experience buying his upgraded model, I knew it must have been Mike Gold that he worked with. Mike sold me my GTS about a year and a half ago, and it was a completely enjoyable transaction, even though it had to be shipped from California to Georgia. I have improved my fitness dramatically since incorporating it into my high intensity interval workouts – it is a thing of beauty!!
Aloha,
Juan – John asked about the type of workouts that was performed on the T/G XL and the 14000. On the XL I did my workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays I started out with Monday – An upper body area workout with the Chest, back, arms, shoulders, and Abs. Wednesdays lower body area with the Legs, Quads, calves, hamstrings, ad & abductors and finished it off with an ab routine. Fridays was a repeat of Mondays workout. Every week I would switch out different types of exercises for each body part so that the body won’t have a chance to get use to the workout. I would do this for about six weeks and then switch out the workout routine. Now I am doing the T/G full body workouts it takes me about 25-30 minutes to do. I do this 2 times a week now. I walk 1 day a week and mountain bike 3 times a week and one day for rest and recovery usually on Sundays. Mahalo – Aaron Aliiloa Silva
Aaron…I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of you and your accomplishments! But most of all, your perseverance and will to live! We have much in common! If it weren’t for my determination to LIVE, I would have allowed an unknown virus to just take my life, because it was easier than fighting for it! Fortunately for me, I had met the amazing owners of Total Gym (EFI Sports Medicine) many years before when I knew I needed a meditation program to help me out of my sickness. They didn’t know that I was sick at the time, nor did they know, I had a virus that was preventing me from losing weight. I tried dieting and ended up in a worse state. It wasn’t until I started using my Total Gym (the exact model you used), and implementing my meditation program created with the Total Gym, and of course eating extremely clean, was I able to lose 100 + pounds! My virus has been in remission since I started this program in October of 2008, and I can’t tell you how proud I am of this….but I have been struggling with another condition that it apparently created and is extremely difficult to combat. I am confident, that continuing on with this amazing machine, The TOTAL GYM, and clean eating, and regular meditation (my Affirmatherapy program) that this too shall pass! I will keep you in my prayers, and pray for your CONSTANT recovery! Because my results have been so PHENOMENAL, I became certified with the Gravity Program so that I may inspire everyone I come in contact with. As of April 2010, I opened my first training facility SPECIALIZING in TOTAL GYM equipment, which I call “TransFIRMation Training” to pass on what I have learned and to promote these AWESOME machines!!! Why not do the same in Maui????? I’d be happy to help you in any way possible! Good Luck to you and NEVER, EVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!
In Health and Healing,
With tremendous respect and admiration,
Demi
Aaron: Your story is very inspiring and motivating! I am glad that you have chosen to come into my life!!! Once you change the way you see the world the world will change around you, and you my friend have done that! You are helping to better this world; Keep doing what you do!!!! Aaron Aliiloa Silva a true success story for all of humankind!!!!!