A natural athlete, Oscar Gastelum has always been a competitive spirit. He has been a mortgage professional for the past 20 years in San Diego, California, and was bred into the money-never-sleeps mentality. He approaches his business with the same performance driven attitude as fitness.
However, a demanding and prosperous career led to overindulgence in his personal life. A photograph of himself in 2010 led to a moment of clarity that he was no longer in the top physical condition he had come to expect of himself. “As an athlete, you aren’t always trained how to eat and be healthy,” he says. “The focus is on results and performing at your best, so I didn’t understand how what I was putting in my body was a ecting it.”
Oscar began a three month cleanse that involved eliminating dairy, alcohol, coff ee, flour, and fried foods. He shifted his focus from weight to eating clean. “How I felt was addicting,” he reflects. “I had an experience unlike any other I’ve had before. My body felt in sync with itself.” Education on what was happening internally was key, and was his turning point.
In 2011, a colleague and fellow top producer inspired him to look into Men’s Physique Competition, a physical fitness and physique contest. “I was hooked after my first show,” says Oscar. However, he was hesitant to share his experience and physical progress on social media. Once he did decide to share and posted his first photo, the response and feedback was overwhelming.
“Positive reinforcement and leading by example is incredibly motivating,” Oscar explains. “It’s what kept me moving when I was an athlete and is a key part in my professional success.” He shares the parallels of sports and health with that of business, mainly detaching emotion from both. Removing that element from fitness and analyzing himself objectively has allowed him to continuously do well in Men’s Physique.
Oscar is currently in training to accomplish his next goal to compete locally in San Diego in August. “There is no magic formula to success, just commitment to whatever you’re doing in life,” he stresses. “Take the action steps and the rest will follow.”
