My brother has always been a positive influence in my life. We were very close, but we were very different, especially when we were younger. Rich always had a calm, relaxed nature, and I was his klutzy, quirky, emotional, ‘cloud of dust around me’ younger sister.
He graduated high school, and dove head first into the world of health and wellness – becoming certified in everything from massage therapy to nutrition to several types of fitness to black belting in martial arts. When I graduated, I dove head first into the world of trying to ‘find myself’, warring with my weight, struggling with stress, and gaining the college Freshmen 50, 60, 70, 80 pounds!
I got into yo-yo dieting and obsessing over size, but when I was on the verge of type II diabetes, I knew something had to give – I was completely out of balance. I had to learn what it meant to just ‘be healthy’ rather than trying to ‘get thin’ (or get anywhere for that matter). Rich was my mentor, and taught me so much about real nutrition and fitness, and I not only released the weight, I was inspired to learn about the other side of the coin – the internal factors that contribute to the ‘balance’ conundrum so many women find themselves in. And this began my journey into working with women, opening our Curves franchise with my mom, creating B.A.L.A.N.C.E workshops, studying, exploring, learning, teaching, writing, sharing…
Rich has also done so much with his knowledge on nutrition and fitness – he developed a revolutionary line of all natural nutritional products, including Bionic Edge Whey that has no chemicals or additives and tastes delicious, he trains athletes and fitness competitors, teaches classes, and now is entering the world of offering revolutionary fitness videos – his first is called Fusion Fitness which combines his martial arts background, kickboxing, and traditional strengthening methods. This promo video says it all! I’m so proud of my brother, the superhero!! Check it out:
Rich Tuma’s Fitness Fusion Promo from Apogee Media on Vimeo.
