Tish Gulick (my sister) told me she was getting her certification as a personal trainer and to “ENCOURAGE HER” I told her I would love to be her first customer…I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS IN FOR! What follows is a synopsis of what has become a wonderful personal journey of physical, mental and spiritual healing.

The first thing you should know is that I love my little sister. Outside of the fact that we have the same blood, she also happens to be one of my favorite people in the whole world. She and Rebekah make such a dynamic team-they are birds of a feather and their close knit bond is truly a delightful thing to behold. I tell you this because you need to know my mindset at the time I began my journey. I had given up. I had completely “thrown in the towel” on ever getting into any kind of shape or living a healthy life. I found in Tish and Rebekah two people I could wholly trust. And this is important—complete and total trust—the only thing I did right was to commit to them that whatever they told me, whatever they asked of me, I would do, and do it to the absolute best of my ability. I surrendered everything I thought I knew about exercise, nutrition and health and gave them a blank slate on which to write—this was a major key to my success.

Because I live so far away (Cincinnati) the honor system was critical to my progress. We began with a journal. For the first two weeks they had me write down everything I ate—I MEAN EVERYTHING. And again, because it was my sister I wasn’t going to lie to her-so I did what they asked. It’s amazing what an effect this had. I was told not to change anything—just record what I ate when I ate it. The truth is I actually cut down on my normal consumption because I knew they would be watching—I mean, this was me “being good”. After the two weeks Tish and Rebekah did a calorie analysis and determined that I was averaging a minimum of 4500 calories a day! Wow!! There are entire tribes in Africa that eat less than that!

The next step was to get together, weigh in and take all my measurements. I was self conscious, of course. But they handled it with such grace and kindness it was actually pleasant. Their enthusiasm was infectious. We talked about goals and motivations. They got to know me even better—which in retrospect was crucial.

In the early days it was all about the nutrition. I’m ashamed to say I was too far gone to even think about exercise—Even if I could start some sort of program it probably wouldn’t have been safe. So we focused on the food. I’m a very busy single professional and they managed to tailor a program that was feasible for my lifestyle. It was all about the calories. Take in less than you burn off—Simple. Simple should never be confused with easy. I learned all about food and healthy eating.

That was the first of many great ironies! For a man who considers himself a “big eater” it was all about the food! That’s what I thought about all day, every day—I ate six times a day-smaller meals—healthy stuff—and the BIGGEST SURPRISE—I HAD A BALL. It was truly fun for me—my diet was more varied and far more interesting than ever. I learned to enjoy things I would never even consider eating before—it was awesome—and all the while I kept the journal—tracking what went in to my body.

I would weigh in every morning (still do) so I could track my progress and monitor the ebb and flow of my caloric in take. To this day I watch my weight and measure myself in fractions of a pound. That was the second great irony. Between the food journal and the scale every day you’d think I would have felt like a prisoner. Nothing could be further from the truth! It was liberating to finally have some sense of control—it was me, alone, holding myself accountable on a daily basis. And all the while, there was Tish and Rebekah, coaching, coaxing encouraging!


Today is my 44th birthday. As I write this I am exactly 100lbs lighter than I was when I started at the end of 2007. I am off all medication. My reflux is gone. My sleep apnea is gone. My blood pressure and cholesterol are normal. I no longer suffer from gout or arthritis. I run 3 miles four days a week and train with weights 4-5 days per week.

I still have about 30 lbs to go to get to my target weight. But more importantly I have already achieved my ultimate goal—a healthy happy lifestyle!

I would like to leave you with one final irony and it was the biggest surprise of them all. It was out of love for my little sister that I even started this thing. It was her and Rebekah’s love for me that helped me persevere through the peaks and valleys of the journey. And now, for the first time for as long as I can remember I can honestly say that I love myself. Now that’s a feeling that makes any and every effort expended in its attainment worthwhile!

I would encourage anyone who has a desire to live a HEALTH FILLED LIFE to talk to Tish and Rebekah. They share such a passion for the hearts and lives of others that they can’t help but have a positive impact on you. Their expertise and compassion make it so easy to get started and most importantly their love for others and their overwhelming passion to bring deliverance to the lives of those around them sets them far above and apart from anyone else in their field.


Sincerely,



Jim Francis

Cincinnati, OH.