BOSTON — A Southie man’s fitness goals started with a bet—and ended with him losing 70 pounds.
His weight loss journey also took him all over the world—visiting over 100 Planet Fitness gyms—in what he credits as helping him live a healthy lifestyle.
Even though he spends countless hours in the gym, Rob Zambito still doesn’t take himself too seriously and makes it up as he goes.
“I know there’s some people who get up and the first thing they want to do is work out,” said Rob Zambito. “That’s not me.”
But he learned how to get over that hurdle the hard way. Ten years ago, Rob worked in the food industry and he taste-tested food all day. He gained 70 pounds, and it took a toll on his physical and mental health.
“I got very self-conscious about my wight and felt pretty uncomfortable in my own skin,” said Zambito.
Knowing something had to change, he made a bet with his roommate.
“I took all the money I had in my wallet, and I said, Chris, this money is yours if I don’t work out five times a week, indefinitely,” said Zambito. “And that was 10 years ago, and now 10 years and 70 pounds later, I’m happier and in better shape than I’ve ever been.”
His partner in crime in his ‘fitacular’ journey-Planet Fitness gyms. Even though he traveled a lot for his job, he was still able to keep his bet of working out five times a week by visiting gyms all over the country.
“I started going to different locations, started tallying them up just for fun as a hobby,” said Zambito. “And I when I hit about 20, I said to myself, well, for number 50 I should go to the first Planet Fitness that ever was created, which is in Dover, New Hampshire.”
From California to New York, Illinois to Texas, Rob kept tallying all the different locations he visited, and for his 100th—he decided to travel to the farthest location—in Delacombe, Australia. Rob credits the easy access to the gyms—— and also the bet he made 10 years ago—— for keeping his promise—— and he has no intention of ever getting his money back.
“He’ll keep it indefinitely,” said Zambito. “I said, on my gravestone, just leave the money there.”
Rob says he’s in a much better place physically and mentally. His advice to others like him is to just start small.
“It could be walking around the block and that will be the thing that it takes to just start kindling the fire, getting rolling, getting going and eventually you just keep finding your finding ways to challenge yourself,” said Zambito.
And speaking of challenge, Rob isn’t done. He just visited his 101st different Planet Fitness gym in Honolulu, HI.
In fact, Rob says he might try to go to 1,000 different Planet Fitness gyms. Most importantly, he says when he works out, he comes back a different person, and getting fit is the biggest mental health benefit he’s ever done for himself.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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