Benny’s #UNSTOPPABLE Journey
In February of 2018, Benny Rieth was inspired to begin his health and wellness journey when he was living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Someone posted a picture of me on social media. I could not believe that it was a picture of me – did I really look like that?”
At that point, he knew he needed to make a change. “I began to eat healthy, and started to watch the pounds fall off,” said Benny. One thing that helped him on his journey was taking Q classes. “By combining healthy eating habits and my Q workouts, I ended up losing 40 pounds!”
Benny says that he first started noticing the progress he was making from Q when one of his coworkers pointed it out to him. “My coworker told me how the muscles on my arms were much more defined, and how fit in general I was beginning to look,” he says. “Since joining Q in July of 2019, the difference both physically and mentally has truly been life changing!”
The progress was not immediate and certainly did not come easy. Rieth says there have been numerous days where he contemplated if all of his efforts would be worth it. “At one point, I even went as far as giving up completely, and gained all my weight back,” said Benny. “However, that was short-lived, and I got right back on track shortly thereafter. I’m currently back down to my lowest weight I’ve been in 2 years, and am hoping to lose 20 more pounds.”
Benny joined Xperience Fitness in July of 2019, and completed his first Q class on his 25th birthday. “It was truly the best birthday present I’ve ever given myself – a gift of believing in myself, and wanting to lead a healthier life.” Joining Xperience has allowed Benny to set and crush all of his fitness goals. While his original goal was solely to lose weight, it has since become much more than that. Now it’s about building endurance, gaining muscle mass, and even becoming more mentally sharp.
Rieth added, “The difference that I feel in myself since beginning Q is truly unbelievable. Before beginning Q, I could hardly walk up a flight of stairs without becoming out of breath. Now, I can take the stairs twice over without a care in the world. It feels like I am taking back a piece of my life one step/Q class at a time by doing the things I used to be able to do like run, swim, hike, etc.”
Benny is at the point where he wakes up every day looking forward to hitting the gym with Q coach Marissa Bieda. “From my coach, to the amazing members I get to surround myself with every morning, it is truly the highlight of my day. And did I mention, I burn between 800-950 calories in under an hour!” Speaking of getting into the gym, Benny knew that in order to see results, he needed to make fitness a part of his daily routine.
“After work was not going to happen for me, as I’m typically mentally exhausted after a long day. Therefore, I started going to Q two times per week in the morning. After easing my way in, I increased my workouts to every morning, Monday through Friday (sometimes even Saturdays as well!). By starting my day off with a workout, it truly enhances my mood, and keeps me energized throughout the day!”
Benny’s favorite Q Class is Combat, as the exercises are so different compared to the other classes. “Without Q, I would not be where I am on my health journey today. Before Q, I knew absolutely nothing about creating a fitness plan, and the thought of doing the research and creating one on my own seemed daunting. But with Q, it was all within reach!”
Benny thanks his husband for being one of his biggest supporters and holding him accountable to his goals. In terms of how he is going to continue setting and achieving his fitness goals, he intends to stay on top of his eating habits, and with Q, with the goal of gaining more muscle mass, and continuing to tone his body in other areas.
Rieth’s last words of advice are to take the first step and just START! “Everyone says that they will either start tomorrow or next week, but it never happens. Join a gym, take a walk, go for a run, or join Q – no matter what fitness means to you, just start!”
He also added, “ There are always going to set backs, hard days, and times when it just feels impossible – and that’s okay! Just don’t give up, and keep the faith – if it was easy, it wouldn’t be called a journey.”
Check out this video and follow @boymeetswoild on Instagram to follow along on Benny’s fitness journey!