Friday, December 21, 2012

Rich Wood 12


Food is Fuel
A Journey Through Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Diabetes and Lifestyle Change

My passion for improving my own well-being has caused many changes in my life, besides just physical.  I have changed my entire life and career to become a certified personal trainer.  It has become my life’s work to help others feel better and find their passion.  If you need inspiration, or haven’t found that one thing you are passionate about – be passionate about your health.  It will improve all other areas of your life.  I still go to a trainer to help me achieve my goals.  I know the importance of asking for help, and I know how effective getting help from the right person can be.  I surround myself with people who are passionate about what they do.  It drives me to have the same passion about what I do.  I never lose sight of how lucky I am to have people in my life help me stay focused and help me strive for greatness.  Let their words inspire greatness in you:




Debbie Portell
Personal Trainer/Nutritionist Coach



Why did you become a personal trainer, what do you love about training people, and why are you so passionate about it?

I became a trainer because 10 years ago I was so sick I nearly died.  No one could figure out what was wrong with me.  I fought daily to uncover the reason why I was losing weight, then gaining weight and could not get out of bed due to rapid heart rate, persistent dizziness and terrible tremors.  I thought for sure it was the end for me.  I finally tried one last doctor.  It was the 22nd doctor in 2 years.  He asked me what my blood type was.  I told him O positive.  He said you are eating everything wrong.  I said that cannot be, I meet with the hospital dietitian regularly.  He changed my food and I was feeling better within a week.  I had suffered for 2 years.  Thought for sure I was going to die.  I was feeling 60% better in a week.  Food is fuel.  It can save your life or it can cost you all the joy and pleasure you have in your life.  I am so passionate about it because who wouldn't be if they experienced what I did.  God must intend for me to share this information.  I made an agreement with him after I started feeling better daily.  I told him I would save lives every day he gave me on earth.  That’s exactly what I do, along with kissing my sweet doggies every day.

What are you trying to achieve in the future, and what does seeing someone succeed do for you?

We are trying to achieve a lifetime of optimum health. I hope Rich will change lives daily the same way I do.  Just through his story.  His testimony is amazing and he is a walking inspiration to others.   What does that do for me?  Blesses my life more than you would ever know.  Makes it clear that I am doing exactly what I should be doing with my life.  Explains why I jump out of bed every day to do it again and again with each new day.



Kyle Watson
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt/Instructor

What do you love about training people, and why are you so passionate about it?

I love interacting with people and more importantly helping people. I have also always enjoyed the satisfaction of sharing knowledge.  With my passion for Jiu-Jitsu, creating my own gym was a natural fit. On a daily basis I get to surround myself with great people, and help them by sharing a passion of mine that just happens to positively affect everyone it touches. Simply put, it was meant to be!


What are you trying to achieve in the future, and what does seeing someone succeed do for you?

In the future I see not only creating many champions, but I plan on sharing the many life-changing benefits of this art with as many people as I effectively can.  I hope to have multiple locations so I can reach out a broader spectrum of people. This is much more than an art to me. It is a platform that I can use to help people stay healthy, live happier less stressful lives, teach people to be more humble and live by a code of honor, develop many healthy friendships, conquer fears, build self-esteem, empower people to protect themselves, and develop future leaders.

It is hard to describe in words how my students’ successes make me feel. Although I do not have children, I imagine it would be similar to a proud parent.  It is a sense of happiness, not that you achieved something for someone, but that you showed them that through hard work they could achieve it themselves. It is gratification at its highest level, and I am truly blessed that I get to experience this feeling on a varying scale every single day.




Sid Gee
 8th Degree Black Belt, Kenpo Karate Instructor


What do you love about training people, and why are you so passionate about it?
My passion for training people comes from how it changed my life. I can take a shy kid and give him confidence. Take an out of shape person and make him fit. Take a person that's lost in the world and give them a chance to get better at something. The bottom line is that it gives a person confidence, with confidence you can do anything you want in this world. My favorite quote," how do you put a price tag on that".

What are you trying to achieve in the future, and what does seeing someone succeed do for you?

Karate has an endless path; I tell my students enjoy the journey not the destination! We all hit road blocks when we dedicate to something. You have to find what you really want out of your journey. Some people want self-defense, some want to sport fight, some want to get in shape. Everyone has goals. If I have a student that's burned out on katas or techniques we will spar or we can do mitts. All these things will get you to be happy training in martial arts. It's not all about belts; it’s about being happy improving yourself and getting better at something.

I believe Rich has changed his life because he wanted to change, he just didn't have a vehicle to do it. He found it through Martial Arts. Rich and I have a common bond in many ways but especially in MMA, We both have a passion for the stand-up part and we understand it very well. I'm still looking for my first world champion in MMA, someday it will happen.



    It’s important in life to not be afraid or ashamed to ask for help.  I interviewed this group of important people in my life to show you just how anxious people are to help.  Stress can cause you to feel overwhelmed, and maybe you can’t change that immediately, but the one thing you absolutely can control and change instantly is your health.  There are many options available to help you start.  Chase your passion in life, no matter what.  I’m not telling you to quit your job because you've always had an interest in playing guitar, and then overnight hope to be Eddie Van Halen.  But, what I am saying is: go buy a guitar.  Take a lesson.  Pursue your passion.  Life is a journey, and by taking chances you will come in contact with incredible people who will make an impact on your life in a very positive and meaningful way.  If you have any fear about how to get started, and getting yourself on the path to a healthy lifestyle, let these words help you make the first step.  You can contact any one of us to help get you on your way.

Everyone mentioned in this blog has had their own obstacles to overcome.  We can each relate to whatever it is you’re going through.  You’re not alone in this; it’s ok to do something for yourself.  Everything in life can and will get better if your health is running at its most optimum level.

Food for thought: Chase your passion, not your pension. 

-Rich Wood

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Lisa Klaus


I grew up in the traditional farm family where food was home cooked and a big part of each day, every celebration. 

Food was used to show our love…

if someone was happy or sad; had a success or a failure, food was made to express how much we cared.   Exercise was working on the farm.  I had no idea what the inside of a gym looked like or was used for until college friends asked me to join them for a workout. I was blessed to have the childhood I had, but it was a childhood that instilled very bad habits that led to me being overweight and unhealthy most of my life.  

I really didn't know much else, and as intelligent as I may be, didn't realize there was another way of life.  That is, until I went to college in Champaign.  My roommates were from Chicago and Peoria, all of them had grown up in a world completely different than I had.  My freshman year I put on the Freshman 15, lived on little sleep, ate anything I wanted, and developed daily headaches that would haunt me for 20 years.  In college I did learn that exercise could be fun and used it to control my weight.  I joined Weight Watchers and by my Junior year was down to 115 pounds.  I ate yogurt and green beans and walked. However, this was nothing I could maintain and the weight crept back on slowly.  I graduated, got married and all the weight came back, plus some. 

  Even though I learned a lot about healthy eating, I never really did change many of my eating habits.  

Over the next several years I would gain and lose weight and exercise on and off, but never really established habits that would cause me to change my lifestyle and make them permanent.  About the time I turned 37 I found myself fighting to keep my sanity.  I was dealing with a failing marriage and daily headaches that were getting worse.  I was on seven prescriptions medications….four for headaches and three for high triglycerides….and was around 230 pounds.  My days started out miserable everyday when I woke up with a headache, and didn't usually get better….I was constantly tired and in pain.  Exercise was the last thing I wanted to do.  But, somehow I did get into the habit of getting up early to workout….looking back; I am not sure what it was that got me out of bed every morning.  Once I did get into a routine, I started to notice how much better I felt. My headaches got a little better and I had more energy through the day.  I started lifting weights more, I took some classes, and eventually found that I could push myself harder than I thought I could.  The harder I pushed, the better I felt.  Eventually my headaches got much better and I reduced the medicines.  It was a gradual process that took about two and half years but I has lead me to places I NEVER would have thought I would be. I lost 100 pounds and have found that my body is capable of so much more than I ever dreamt.
In March of 2012 I attended a Bodybuilding/Figure Camp that PowerHouse was holding and my life would never be the same. I met Debbie and decided immediately that I had to figure out a way to train with her and be a part of the PowerHouse team. I instantly felt like I had found something amazing.  My first meeting with Debbie reinforced that feeling.  She went through the assessment with me and found several structural issues and corrective exercises to address them. Her excitement and heartfelt sincerity were infectious. I could not wait to get started.

I did the foam rolling and stretches as instructed by Debbie and quickly saw changes. 

  I am convinced that I would be never be where I am now and possibly be injured if I had not met Debbie.  

When I met her my goals were to do a figure show and she got me there.  She gave me the tools I needed to take it to the next level, mentally and physically.  The knowledge, love and commitment Debbie gives is unparalleled and is what makes her different than anyone I've ever met. 

Friday, December 14, 2012

Adrienne Hood 3


It was time. I sat in the front lobby of the gym waiting to meet my new trainer, Debbie Portell. I’d dabbled in a gym before this day but I was so nervous it felt like it was the first time setting foot in one. When she approached, I saw a smiling, petite woman but I quickly learned that her size was deceiving. Debbie was a forced to be reckoned with! The first meeting consisted of basics like determining my goals, imbalances, what my current eating habits were, etc. It was a LOT of information to take in and Debbie meant business! Without ever setting foot on the workout floor, I’d been sent off into the world with my first marching orders.


The first week’s focus was completely on my food. At first, I was dismayed because I really wanted to start working out, thinking that was the key and how I was going to get the weight off. Now, I know different. I really needed to focus on just my food to start off on the right foot. I once read somewhere that you lose weight in the kitchen and get fit in the gym. I didn't know this yet but it is so true. So, off to the grocery store I went. I’d never eaten like this so all I could do was rely completely on the list Debbie provided me as I wondered around the store.

I was placing a lot of faith in her as this was uncharted territory for me. I didn't know how I would feel or if I’d get the results I was looking for but, here’s the thing, I needed to let go and let someone else guide me for once because I’d clearly failed at being my own expert. It didn't matter how much time I spent researching on the internet, how many programs I’d tried, how many supplements I’d taken promising weight loss, I was not the expert and needed to stop fooling myself into thinking I could do this alone. For those of you still searching for the magical weight loss secret out there, here it is: a personal trainer.

So, here I am, with a new eating plan. I was watching the clock to make sure I was fueling my body at proper intervals and measuring my food, etc. Things that were completely foreign to me! I think for most people, food is the hardest area to tackle when trying to transition to a healthy lifestyle. Commit to do what your trainer tells you and be accountable to them. It’s what they’re there for because being accountable to just yourself has most likely failed you in the past. Integrate your trainer into your life. Let them be your first healthy-minded friend as you’re probably surrounded by the opposite. They’ll be the first of many as you take steps to a healthier you.

Admittedly, I made lots of mistakes, particularly with food, but every day I was determined to make progress. I’m a bit of a perfectionist myself and I used to really struggle with an all-or-nothing attitude when it came to weight loss. I was all too familiar with thinking I’ll just start over tomorrow or the next week if I ate the wrong thing or caved and went through drive-thru. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably good at beating yourself up but you have to learn to let mistakes go and try to love yourself again. Again, corny but true. Forgive yourself and immediately get back on track. A favorite motto of mine is to strive for progression not perfection.

The next week, it was time to add the exercise component to my weight loss plan and Debbie took me through my first workout…