An Amazing 90-day Transformation

Powerhouse Gym's 90-Day Body Transformation winner Joe Haslem with personal trainer Jed Hodges | Lawrence Tabudlo photo

Joe Haslem, a 37-year-old Navy sailor stationed in Hawaii for the past four-and-a-half years, always has been active. But when he suffered an ankle injury playing basketball in 2011, he stopped working out and started eating poorly.

Before the injury, Haslem, who is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighed about 210 pounds, and in just a year he went up to 245 pounds. “I looked at myself and I knew I needed to make a change,” he says. “I knew if I kept eating like this, I’m not going to have a long life, or if I do it’s not going to be a comfortable life.

“I was eating a lot of fast food (once or twice a day), and a lot of candy bars, such as Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.”

So Haslem got help from Jed Hodges, a personal trainer at Powerhouse Gym in Aiea, and entered the gym’s 90-Day Body Transformation Challenge, of which he recently was named the winner. He now weighs 203 pounds and dropped from 30 percent body fat to 19 percent.

“(What helped me was) my trainer, most definitely, because it’s hard to get out, especially when you just start on your own,” says Haslem. “It helps to have somebody push you and someone with the background to teach you how to do the stuff.

“I exercised at least twice a day, five to seven times a week. And he helped me change the way I ate. I would eat lean meat and protein like chicken, ground beef and fish, and brown rice, steel-cut oatmeal and green vegetables.”

Haslem is originally from Ohio, but has fallen in love with Hawaii and plans to stay here when he retires in July. He says he plans to continue his gym workouts and has a goal of running 700 miles by the end of 2013, including the Honolulu Marathon.

Hodges, who has been a trainer at Powerhouse Gym for about eight months, credits Haslem’s success to dedication. “I laid out the plan for him and he stuck with it,” says Hodges of Haslem’s body transformation success. “He pushed himself pretty hard in the gym. For his diet, he got up to six meals a day totaling about 3,200 calories. Joe is a prime example that to lose weight and to diet you don’t have to starve yourself – you should be giving your body everything it needs.”

This success story just goes to show how beneficial a personal trainer, hard work and dedication can be! If you’re in a similar position to Joe then take a look at https://personaltrainerinnyc.com to find a personal trainer that can help you reach your fitness goals. Whether you want to go on a weight loss journey or train for an event, you can help achieve your goal through a personal trainer.

There were about 120 participants in the challenge, and Powerhouse Gym is taking applicants through March 31 for its next challenge. Grand prize is a $1,000 travel voucher, an annual gym membership and $200 Pearlridge shopping spree. For details, call 484-8000 or visit powerhousegymaiea.com.