Mens_HealthUSA_December_2016

“The most beautiful thing about my

fitness journey is that what helps me

is also helping other people.”

Smith forged this

muscle with portion

control, real food,

and strength training.

26 MensHealth.com | December 2016

Courtesy Vinson Smith (inset, opening spread), +ISM (illustrations)

Useful

Stuff

Three Yoga Poses

for Overweight Men

Go easy. Try these moves.

Plank

In a pushup position with your hands

beyond shoulder width, drop your

bu t t so yo ur head and sp ine align.

Brace your core. Hold for five breaths.

“It’s awesome for building arm and

core strength without crunches,

which can hurt your lower back,”

says Sadie Nardini, founder of Core

Strength Vinyasa Yoga.

Bridge

Lie on your back with your arms at

your sides, palms facing down,

knees bent, and feet hip-width apart

and flat on the floor. Raise your

hips as high as you can and lift your

c hin a li t tle of f yo ur c hes t. H o ld the

pose for five breaths. “This provides a

ton of chest and shoulder flexibility,”

says Nardini.

Tree

While standing, shift your weight to

your left foot as you rest your right

foot against your heel. Slowly raise

your right foot to your shin or the

inside of your thigh. Put your palms

together at your chest and gaze at

a fixed point. Hold for 10 slow breaths

and work up to 20. “It works your

whole lower body,” Nardini says.

THE WAKE-UP CALL I was a groomsman at

my cousin’s wedding and I could barely stand for

45 minutes. I was sweating. The tuxedo coat I

had on was a size 64. I remember thinking, “How

am I going to look into the eyes of a woman

and tell her she’s going to have me for the rest

of my li fe? W hat k ind of heal thy, l o ng li fe c an I

share with her at 500 pounds?”

THE FOOD I’ve learned how to eat enough to

stay satisfied. In the morning, after my cardio,

I’ll have a cup or two of fruit. I eat a lot of water-

melon, cantaloupe, strawberries, and grapes. For

snacks I’ll eat cucumbers and radishes. Then I’ll

typically do chicken, asparagus, and brown rice

for dinner. I still deal with emotional eating, but

now I know where it comes from. I had to cry about

my dad. Opening up extinguished my hunger.

THE FITNESSI started out by walking from stop

sign to s to p sign in my neighb o r ho o d. Even tuall y I

built up the confidence to join a gym. The biggest

battle started when I hit the mid-300-pound

range. So that’s when I started coaching football

and running 40-yard dashes with the kids. Now

I’m a yoga fiend. Every week I practice yoga at

least two or three days, do a strength program

at least twice, and go running and biking three

times. I love the great community of Charlotte, and

on weekends I explore. I might grab a bike and

ride uptown, or run the trails at one of my favorite

places, Freedom Park.

THE REWARD I wen t fro m sho p p ing in p lus - size

magazines to visiting real stores. Now I can go

to Polo. I can shop at Nautica. That’s a treat for me

because I never thought I’d be able to. I like my

shir ts to fi t tigh t now — ever y thing’s sp and ex. T he

most beautiful thing about my fitness journey is

that what helps me is also helping other people.

I’m working toward becoming an exercise physiol-

ogist. I’m still single, but the basis of my workout

plan isn’t about right now. It’s about what I want to

be doing 10 years from now.