Look familiar? You may recognize him as a contestant from Season 8 NBC “Biggest Loser”. Transforming from 367 lbs to 215 lbs right before our eyes, Antoine Dove, my sands and friend, has become one of America’s biggest inspirations when embarking on a fitness journey. Read his interview about his journey to a healthier lifestyle, as well as his fitness tips and motivation to get up and go!
Let’s start with the basics: Name, age, and location.
Antoine, 26, New York
What do you do for a living?
I work for a health insurance company full time, in addition to being a Motivational Speaker, Personal Trainer, and Boot Camp Owner/Instructor
What inspired your fitness journey?
My fitness journey was inspired by a want and a need to live a healthier life for me and my family. I realized that not only was I changing my life but I also was inspiring family, friends, and even total strangers to live healthier lives through my personal journey.
What are some of the services you offer as a personal trainer? If one wanted to hire you, what should he or she expect?
As a personal trainer I work one on one with clients in defining realistic fitness goals and constructing a plan of attack to reach those fitness goals, either in person or online. When I work with clients we focus on more than just working out, we work together in finding ways to overcome any hurdles the clients encounters with living healthier; whether it be in their personal life, work related, physical limitations, or self-empowerment. Living a healthy life is not just about burning more calories then you consume, there are many other factors that can contribute to a battle with the bulge and I do everything in my power to help empower my clients to overcome any challenges they face. I also host Boot Camps and Small Group Training sessions locally and upon request when traveling.
Talk to us about your fitness regimen.
My fitness regimen is truly a part of my lifestyle and I attribute much of my success to maintaining my weight as a result of making fitness a part of my lifestyle. I commit at least an hour of my time to my physical fitness training 5-6 days a week, with one day for resting. Currently, I am training for the NYC Marathon in November, therefore lately I have been doing a lot of running to prepare for the marathon. Prior to the marathon, I did a lot of circuit training (performing a series of exercises consecutively with short rest breaks in between each exercise) and some cross fit routines. In addition to my workout routines I play Rugby a couple of days a week with a local Rugby team in NJ.
Discuss some of your struggles and successes as an individual embarking on a lifestyle of fitness.
Diet is always a struggle for me because to be very honest, I love to eat. 🙂 How I have been able to manage my struggle with eating healthy, is during the week I plan out my meals for the entire week and on weekends I give myself a little bit more flexibility. Giving myself the flexibility on the weekends to “splurge” a little from my regular weekly diet helps me to not feel so restricted.
Talk to us about your “Biggest Loser” experience. What were your expectations going in?
Honestly, I had no idea what to expect going on to the Biggest Loser. When I was selected for the Biggest Loser the only thing I could think about was how much my life was going to change through this experience. I knew in the back of my mind that it wasn’t going to be an easy process, yet this was my once in a lifetime opportunity to change my life and I was going to give it my all.
Your 5 Minutes Workouts are enticing and I have to admit, I’ve been incorporating them into my routine. What’s the difference between a 5 minute workout vs. a 15 minute workout?
I’m glad to hear that you have had an opportunity to take on some of my 5 minute workouts. The concept of the 5 minute workout came about as I was doing speaking engagements with various corporate companies in the Tri-State area and one of the biggest challenges people had was finding the time to workout. I explained to the associates of these various companies that the hardest part in finding the time to workout is getting started.
Therefore, I created these 5 minute workouts as a way to get the ball rolling for people who were limited on time but wanted to start working out. I believe that if you can commit to 5 minutes a day, eventually that 5 minutes will turn into 10, then 20, and before you know it you are getting a solid 30 minutes in a day. When it comes to changing your lifestyle, you have to take it slow, one step at a time and that’s what I hope people are able to understand from my 5 minute workouts.
There may be some individuals who are reading this right now ready to take the healthy road and ready to become more fit. Any words of wisdom or advice?
The one piece of advice that I can give to anyone that is ready to take the healthy road and become more fit is to take everything one step at a time. I know this is very cliche, however when you think about starting the journey down the healthy road to a more fit you, it can be very overwhelming. When you focus on one day at a time, the journey becomes more manageable and success is much higher because you are focusing on what you can control for that day.
I know you are also a motivational speaker. Do you have any upcoming events that the readers could attend?
Currently the next community event that I have will be in January 2013 in South Carolina. All the events I have coming up now are private – corporate company events. However, I will be posting some of my speaking events on my website for people to see.
What is your ultimate goal in life?
My ultimate goal is to live a healthy, happy and fulfilling life and through my life, I hope that I am able to help others do the same.
Website – www.antoinedove.com
Speaking Inquiries – speaking@antoinedove.com
Personal Training/Boot Camps/Small Group Inquiries – antoine@antoinedove.com
Love your blog Ms. Royster! I know this man very well. He is a huge inspiration to myself and family. Both of you two keep up the good wor
-J. Till
Love your blog Ms. Royster! I know this man very well. He is a huge inspiration to myself and family. Both of you two keep up the good work.-J. Till