By Dale Cory
Brian Russell is overcome by many feelings these days.
He no longer feels the pain of past years when he took on something as simple as walking from room to room in his house. His knees don’t hurt as much, and pain no longer rips up and down his back.
Most of all, Russell’s mind is no longer in pain.
The longtime Ponoka resident can feel a sense of pride over what he has achieved since last Christmas.
That accomplishment?
Russell has shed more than 140 pounds in the past eight months. That large body he used to manoeuvre through lineups and up long sets of stairs is now a distant memory.
“It’s like I’m in a fairy tale. I had a vision this was something I could accomplish. When I started it was whatever happens, happens. Within two weeks I was feeling enormously better,” says Russell, who credits Isagenix with turning his life around. “Changing my nutrition plan completely changed my body inside. I kept working on it, and the next thing you know, I started shedding pounds. A side benefit is the weight loss. A huge benefit is how much better I feel.”
Russell was encouraged to shed the pounds when he hooked up with a company called Isagenix, which lays claim to being the world leader in nutritional cleansing and replenishing.
When he stepped on a scale to weigh in January for the 2010 IsaBody Challenge, a yearly weight-loss competition hosted by Isagenix, he was shocked when it read 371 pounds.
“At first it was kind of overwhelming to think I could achieve anything like this. But momentum caught. The more persistent I got, the more encouragement I got until finally the phone rang in July and Iagenix said I should get to one of their conferences because I was going to be recognized for my achievement.”
The hard work paid off when Russell travelled to San Diego, CA. in late August for the IsaBody Challenge. He knew he was in the top three in the 50-year plus category, but didn’t know in which position he would finish.
“They called third runner up, then second runner up,” recalled Russell. “Then they announced me as the winner. The cool thing too was that I was the only Canadian. There were over 3,000 applications. In the top 30, there was one Canadian and 29 Americans. So, I put on my Canada T-shirt and went on stage and accepted my medal.”
Russell lost 114 pounds to win the IsaBody Challenge. Overall, he has shed more than 140 pounds. His goal is to drop another 35 pounds.
“It will be as easy as 1-2-3,” claims Russell, insisting his body and mind began to change within two weeks of starting the Isagenix program. “I started to get out of bed before my alarm, and I had amazing mental clarity. After about 10 weeks on the plan I dropped about 60 pounds. I started on an exercise plan and I got exponential results. There’s hope out there (for over-weight people) and it’s not that difficult.”
So, the next time you visit the Ponoka Subway, where Russell is the general manager, walk up to the new slimmed-down version of Brian with a quizzical look on your face, and ask to speak to Mr. Russell. You will make his day.
“The biggest kick I’m getting is a lot of people come in to the restaurant and go, ‘Holy cow, we’re looking for Brian, where did he go. I say I lost him about three months ago, and this is the new one.”
For more information, feel free to contact Brian at: bruss101@shaw.ca