In our latest Fit Kids segment, we touch base with a guitarist who was once a chubby kid and struggled with unhealthy eating for years, but he figured out a way to finally lose weight without hitting the gym. NY1's Cheryl Wills filed the following report.
The street performer who goes by the name of "G-Wyll" was a pretty big deal decades ago. He played guitar for Marvin Gaye and many other big names. But he could never beat his weight problem until he left Hollywood for his bright dreams of Broadway and started hauling all of his gear underground.
"I do fifty of these," says G-Wyll as he did a chest press with his speaker.
And suddenly all those years of southern cooking finally melted away.
"That's how I stay fit. I work out with my speaker because I always be on the go all the time," says G-Wyll.
In between songs, G-Wyll uses his equipment as free weights. One might call his portable stage a mobile gym. His amplifier stand doubles as a dumbell.
"You just take this mike stand and this is for your upper arms," says G-Wyll.
Every single day tens of thousands of commuters here in Penn Station stream by this subway performer as he sings and exercises and exercises and sings. The real challenge is when he heads toward the A train.
In the middle of a crush of people during rush hour, G-Wyll easily pulls more than 100 pounds of equipment including two guitars, wires, microphones, and stands inside a flimsy shopping cart up multiple flights of stairs. In the process he's lost more than 75 pounds.
"People be like ‘Oh my God’. They can't believe it," says G-Wyll.
G-Wyll proves what fitness instructors already know. You don't need a pricey gym membership to stay fit. You can start right where you are and use what you have and your hard work will pay off. One way or another.
During the month of February, Time Warner Cable News is committed to informing our viewers of the sometimes alarming trends facing our kids' health as well as provide helpful tips for busy parents. Get more information on Fit Kids February, including the Fit Kids Challenge, healthy shopping suggestions and ways you can get involved to help make you and your children healthier!