If you struggle with adversity . . .

If you seek to overcome challenges to become your best self . . .

If you are dissatisfied with the way your life is heading . . .

Kevin Saunders has been there!

His inspiring story can impact your life, and his amazing example can lead you to heights of achievement that you never dreamed possible.

Here’s why . . .

Kevin's 2nd Comeback from Adversity

The Lean Body Challenge

Foreword by Roger Applewhite:

After working as a professional trainer in the fitness industry for nearly twelve years, I can honestly say that Kevin Saunders stands out in my memory as one of the hardest working, most inspiring persons I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I recall the days in which Kevin showed up to workout even after having not slept all night due to constant pain caused by nerve damage as a result from his accident years earlier. In fact, there were a few times in which I didn't even want to train him due to his fatigued condition; however, his "There's Always A Way" attitude and lifestyle allowed him to prevail in the toughest of times. Now that I look at these incredible transformation photos I realize just how much drive and desire this man has. My only wish was that all my clients shared his work ethic. Congratulations my friend on a job well, well done! - Roger Applewhite

Before - Lean Body Challenge

I accepted the Lean Body Challenge as a broken man wallowing in self-pity. Torn from life overweight, depressed, embarrassed and with low self-esteem, no self-respect and no positive energy. Formerly a champion wheelchair athlete, I sustained an injury requiring 6 months of complete bed rest. As I lay month after month in bed, I thought who am I? How can I overcome this terrible situation, now that I had been stripped of my spirit, pride, strength and hope? My soul was in turmoil!

How humiliating! My weight ballooned to 227 pounds. Waist measurements bulged to 48". Body fat: 30% and cholesterol 230. When I finally got out of bed, I despised myself looking in a mirror.

From my pit of depression, the Lean Body Challenge rekindled hope. I found strength from my faith in God, from my Trainer Roger Applewhite, my Nutritionist Keith Klein and Mr. Universe and the owner of Labrada Nutrition, Lee Labrada.

Success for me would include weight loss, reduction in body fat, restoration of self-esteem, self-respect, and the courage to succeed. Most importantly, I would like to share the formula to help others reach their fitness goals using proper nutrition and exercise.

The fact is, the formula worked! I changed my weaknesses into power. My trainer who I feel is the best in the world is so good in fact …he doesn't even need business cards because people are always looking for him. He has graced the cover of countless fitness magazines around the world and is currently on the cover of the June 2003 issue of Muscle Media. Implementing training strategies from my trainer Roger Applewhite's regimen was one of the keys. Initially, I couldn't even budge 35 pound dumbbells. Now 100-pound dumbbells feel light!

After

Eating 5 to 6 small balanced meals a day with the last 2 meals leaving out the carbohydrates and Uusing Labrada nutritional products, the most trusted name in nutritional fitness products as a meal substitute after my morning aerobic workout and then again after my afternoon strength conditioning workout I lost over 40 pounds and 14 inches from my waist. Body fat plummeted to 12.7%, cholesterol to 180. It was founded by one of the most famous and successful body builders of all time Lee Labrada of Houston, Texas. Lee is a man who always gives life his very best and when it comes to fitness and nutritional products, he makes them with best quality products with just the right amounts for all of us, just like he would for himself if he was competing for the Mr. Universe or Mr. Olympia title.

Paralyzed from the chest down, I experience precarious balance. My abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and leg muscles cannot stabilize me. So lifting weights presents an extremely daunting challenge. The closest way I could figure out how to explain and to help you realize how difficult my balance is would be to have you set on an inflated ball on the floor, put your legs out straight about a foot apart and place your heels on an egg carton. Keep as a little weight on your heels as possible and keep the majority (85 to 90%) on the ball. Then have someone hand you a couple Dumb Bells' and do some front and side lateral raises, overhead presses etc. See how many pounds you can use, and how easy you lose your balance. Try learning movements from this position just remember not to use your abdominal, hip flexor, or leg muscles.

I would like to say thanks to God because whether you are a meat eater or a vegetarian it's better to eat more of what God made and less of what man has made., so eat youre small balanced meals from those fresh products usually found around the perimeter of the grocery store. I'd like tio say a special thanks to one of the world's greatest nutritionists, Keith Klein. Thanks to him, I feel so much better now! My lovely wife, Dora makes all those great tasting meals that he gave us the recipes for out of his Personal Desktop Nutrition Manager (part of Kieth's invention - the.NutriLogic Sytems Inc. or NLS). The NLS is your guide to your home eating management and the accompanying CD and his cookbook "The Healthy Chef" are great references for eating right. Thanks to the information Keith Klein provided us about the nutritional laws, we were able to make the most of healthy choices when we went to shop at the grocery store. We now know how to read labels and understand what they really mean, because we are now aware of those laws that had been passed in Congress that enable a product to be called 97% Fat Free! Those and more amazing nutritional tips Keith gave us played a huge part in my inspirational and motivational routine. Dora and I learned from Keith how to eat right and have the meals still taste great! Like Keith Klein, Roger Applewhite and Lee Labrada have all always said; "Eating right is over 70% of getting in the greatest shape of your life." Those great lean body shakes and bars sure came in handy and tasted great at the mid morning and afternoon meals to keep my metabolism and energy running high!

It was tough! Nevertheless, the hard work, sacrifice, and discipline were worth it. Through desire, determination, and dedication, I fought my way back. I realized with the right information and effort the human mind, body and spirit can break barriers, transcend limitations and reach new levels of excellence, achievement and possibility. With a sound nutritional and exercise routine you too can find the way! If you want to have the body that others will die for, then contact Keith Klein at: www.eatingmanagement.com, and Roger Applewhite's training tips at: www.MuscleJournal.com and Labrada Nutritional products at: www.leanbody.com. They can show you the way. For anyone one out there who would like to look and feel better, and shatter those limitations of time and space, through the wondrous spectacle of modern fitness, I will be pushing my racing wheelchair through key portions into key cities in all 50 states during 2004 and 2005.

We will be bringing the "Kevin Saunders Health & Fitness Tour of America", which is a grassroots initiative, to 125 of our Nation's cities to assemble government, business, educational, health and fitness leaders in an effort to establish a community-based grass-roots approach to achieving a healthier Nation-one community at a time.

The chief objective of the Tour is to facilitate in each city a community-based health and fitness Summit. For those cities that have health and fitness initiatives already underway, these Summit meetings will provide a platform for the city leadership to elevate and enhance their health and fitness messages. These meetings will also serve as an excellent opportunity for government leaders to publicly reiterate their health and fitness agendas while pulling in additional support and commitment from the community. My original goal was to push my wheelchair through key portions of all 50 states in the United States. If I could roll up to every household in America where someone lives who wants to shape up, I would. I plan on pushing through 125 different cities in all 50 states over the next 18 months to facilitate 180 events featuring a dialog among government, business, education, health, and fitness leaders concerning health and fitness. My team and I will provide municipal leaders (Mayors) across America with a detailed framework designed to challenge community leaders to get more involved in the initiatives. This framework (provided at no cost) will offer detailed suggestions on structuring and enhancing an effective health and fitness committee, event ideas, promotional ideas, collaboration ideas, effectiveness-measurement tools, electronic marketing and communication tools, and much more…

In conjunction with the support of mayors, we will also work to bring key players to the table to provide the greatest possible support for continuing health and fitness commitments. Finally, I will present a scholastic award to the school or school district in each tour city that exemplifies leadership in health and fitness education. To get details of the tour and to hear more about the tour message, please visit our web-site at www.ImShapingUp.com on the Internet. The backbone and command central of this tour is "The Visibility Company" and they can be visted at www.thevisibilitycompany.com.

Kevin will also be doing educational and motivational presentations to help improve fitness by using proper exercise and nutrition to schools, organizations, businesses, corporations and local communities. The Call is to YOU! www.healthand fitnesstour.com

The Explosion:

The worst grain elevator explosion in South Texas history changed Kevin Saunders forever. A federal grain inspector, he was a recent graduate of Kansas State University. He and his wife were expecting a son. But on April 7, 1981, fate tapped Kevin on the shoulder.

An incredible blast ripped through 2-feet-thick reinforced concrete of a Corpus Christi grain elevator where Kevin was working. Ten co-workers were killed outright. Kevin found himself flung over 300 feet through the air (more than the length of a football field). Landing on concrete, he felt pain searing through his body like a hot poker.

Doctors sadly told family members that Kevin would not survive. With massive internal and external injuries, collapsed lungs, and a severed spinal cord, there was no way that Kevin Saunders would come out of the experience alive.

"THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY!"

But with an indomitable spirit and a tenacious will to live and excel, Kevin beat the odds. "There’s always a way!" he reminded everyone within earshot. Never mind that he was paralyzed from the chest down. Never mind that the rest of his life would be spent in a wheelchair. Kevin Saunders elected to approach life with optimism, enthusiasm, and determination. He was compelled to improve himself through continuing education and physical training. In spite of adversity, he lives life to the fullest.

Kevin reached for the stars and became a champion.

Kevin’s broken body required exhaustive rehabilitation, but he was more than equal to the challenge. In fact, he sought out exceptional fitness trainers to help prepare him for competition as a wheelchair athlete. “Never Give Up!” he told himself between gritted teeth. His unquenchable thirst for success led him to countless gold medals as he discovered the champion within himself.

"You, too, can discover the champion within," Kevin assured others. “There’s Always a Way.” His grueling training and indefatigable energy led him to the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, and Barcelona, Spain, where he collected even more medals.

Kevin also blazed new territory for the disabled. He became the first person with a disability to be appointed to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. President George H. Bush chose him for the honor, and Kevin worked alongside Chairman Arnold Schwarzenegger. Kevin’s efforts helped to educate Americans on how to achieve and maintain healthier lifestyles. He was the only council member re-appointed by President William J. Clinton.

Kevin’s success as a wheelchair athlete captured the attention of Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone. This led to an appearance in the Tom Cruise movie, Born on the Fourth of July.

Soon after the movie experience, Kevin founded the Wheelchair Success Foundation. This fund provides scholarships to help persons confined to a wheelchair to pursue their dreams of a higher education.

Kevin Saunders today:

Along with his wife, Dora, Kevin travels the country with a compelling message of motivation and hope. He is in demand as a speaker for organizations, schools, associations, and Fortune 500 companies. In every venue, he shares the motto that pulled him through his own darkest days: “There’s Always a Way!” Saunders has even penned a book by that title, recounting the story of his amazing life.

Kevin’s book is a clarion call for change in the American political and social consciousness. It also provides practical encouragement for anyone who faces overwhelming challenges. "You can forge a new path to success," Kevin writes. “Don’t ever give up. There’s a way to realize your long-cherished dreams.”

No wonder that Kevin is one of the top inspirational and motivational speakers in America.

Kevin’s call is to YOU! His message can change YOUR life—as well as that of your family, friends, and co-workers. Feel free to contact him. Your organization can become a part of his current The Kevin Saunders Health & Fitness Tour of America.

His passion is to educate, motivate, and inspire every person he encounters to bring out the champion that lies within them. “You can do anything if you never give up!” Kevin proclaims. “It’s not what happens to you that matters, but how you respond. Hard work and dedication are not outdated values. They make all the difference in our everyday lives.”

A source of encouragement to all:

Kevin firmly believes that his accident happened for a reason. He seeks to maximize human potential at every turn, urging everyone to live a fit and healthy lifestyle. His wit and wisdom are a catalyst for those whom he teaches and exhorts. “You can face challenges, overcome change, and develop a truly unstoppable spirit,” Kevin declares. "You can be a champion. Yes, YOU! If I can be a champion, so can you. And I will show you how."

Be among those who benefit from Kevin’s clear instruction on your journey to becoming the best person possible. Share his message of unbelievable triumph with those you lead.

Kevin’s seminars have increased productivity among the top leaders of major companies. His encouragement has fueled the imagination of inner-city kids and Midwest farmboys alike. His compassion has rekindled hope among his disabled brothers and sisters. "Humankind is one great family," Kevin points out. “If I can help one person today, it makes all the difference.”

Take the challenge Kevin offers! Read his book, or contact him for a speaking engagement. The principles that he teaches will set your feet firmly on a path to success and achievement. A true champion who cares about others, Kevin will never cease to inspire individuals to their own pinnacle of success.

With a smile, he says, "If I can do it, so can you. Let’s get started today."