Is Tony Horton a Vegetarian?

Fitness buffs, may be familiar with him from the Power 90 Extreme (P90X) program that frequently graces TV ads as well as his ripped body that is the envy of lanky men everywhere. But for those of you who have absolutely no clue who he is, here's a brief introduction to Tony Horton and his secrets to attaining the ideal body.

The 52 year-old Tony Horton has a long and illustrious history in the area of fitness. Before he hit gold with his popular P90X program, he served as the spokesperson of the NordicTrack fitness machine empire. His exercise techniques has gained widespread recognition, as evidenced by the success of his ASH Fitness training center in Santa Monica, CA; features in Men's Fitness, People, and LA Health; and multiple appearances on national television. He also trained athletes and some of the most notable denizens of Hollywood, such as Antonio Banderas in preparation for his grueling role in the film The 13^th Warrior, David Akers of the Philadelphia Eagles who names the P90X Extreme Home Fitness program as a major factor in helping him set his NFL record, as well as Ewan McGregor, Sean Connery and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.

Today, his fitness empire has grown into a lucrative body that builds its name on the effectiveness of his routines and the magnetic personality of the man that built it. Aside from the P90X, other fitness programs under the Tony Horton brand include the Power 90^®,One on One with Tony Horton Power Half Hour^®, Tony & the Kids! (for kids ages 5 to 12), Tony & the Folks! (for senior citizens), Great Body Guaranteed!™, the 10-Minute Trainer® (for those who have the will to be fit but not enough time to spare), and the P90X+ (for advanced fitness enthusiasts). Together, these programs have brought in $200 million in sales, a testament to the trustful relationship this man has cultivated with his followers for almost two decades.

But Tony Horton was not always as fit and trim as he is now. In fact, Tony Horton started out pretty much like any guy who is embarking on fitness for the first time. Before becoming the Tony Horton, Tony was a bony fast-food addict with a distaste for exercise and a dream of becoming an actor when he left for Hollywood after finishing college in University of Rhode Island. This native of Trumbull, Connecticut arrived in LA a 98-pound weakling, and though he enjoyed some success as a stand-up comedian he was promptly told by his agent to get in shape if he is to make it in showbiz.

And so Tony began working out in World Gym, the home of bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-California-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in order to get the required physique. While there, Tony took note of the celebrity's workout and nutrition programs but made his own adjustments. He was after a sleek, athletic look, as opposed to Schwarzenegger's ungainly bulk, and so he tailored his exercise routines to work on speed, balance, flexibility, and muscle growth. Tony later incorporated interval training as part of his regimen, and before long the gangly guy who never had much interest in exercise became the fitness powerhouse that he is now.

Now, as for the title question, is Tony Horton a vegetarian? Yes, he is, folks, and his eating philosophy figures pretty much the center of his health outlook.

Tony Horton eats healthy whole foods, all of it vegetarian. As his personal chef Missy Costello says, "When you eat healthy whole foods, what happens is your body uses the whole foods for fuel instead of storing it." Tony also emphasizes the idea of "eating clean or fresh as often as possible". This means no alcohol or caffeine, dairy products, refined sugars ( white sugar, high fructose corn syrup , and other sugars that are added to the food as it is being processed) flours, gluten, and (of course) meat or animal products, including eggs or fish.

Tony is particularly emphatic about this, and he has particularly good reasons for this. For meat, Tony states that fish and animals raised for meat are ridden with hormones, antibiotics, and all sorts of harmful chemicals, and so everyone is better off eating beans, tofu, nuts, and other vegetarian products to satisfy their protein needs. Tony makes similar arguments for the other foods he cites. Alcohol, for instance, slows your metabolism as well as muscle growth by its dehydrating action and so makes you fat and less muscled. Refined sugars have a negative effect on your metabolism. Caffeine affects sleep as well as boosts the production of cortisol, both of which block lean muscle growth. By eliminating gluten by skipping on the wheat and rye in favor of millet and oats, one gets a much cleaner body, says Tony.

So are you gonna make a switch to a vegetarian diet? That will depend on your lifestyle, but it could help to look at Tony Horton, P90X guru. At the age of 52, this meat-shunning fitness buff definitely looks great.

Rick Young has achieved impressive P90X results, and now works to help others achieve similar success. He particularly enjoys highlighting the lifestyle of P90X guru, Tony Horton.