Billy Blanks

By: Joseph Knowles

It's about time America had a leader who knows how to get things done.

Global warming, unemployment, the economy, you name the problem and Billy Blanks has the answer. "Get all the presidents and world leaders in the same room," says Blanks, "and let me work them out for an hour. Sometimes people don't listen until they get tired. Then they sit down together."

That's a stimulus program guaranteed to get quick results.

If those world leaders know what's good for them, they'll listen to Blanks, a master motivator who has been inspiring people around the globe for decades. The martial arts expert and creator of the Tae Bo fitness program has helped millions get in shape with his revolutionary combination of dance and Tae Kwon Do. Blanks has also become a regular visitor to U.S. military bases overseas, showing support for the troops and carrying his simple but powerful message of self-improvement.

If you've watched television at all in the past, say, 20 years, you've most likely seen the energetic and tirelessly enthusiastic Blanks touting the benefits of Tae Bo. "Tae" is the Korean word for "foot and leg" and "Bo" is just an abbreviation for boxing. The essence of the program, says Blanks, is the way it stresses the connection between the body, the mind and the spirit.

Tae Bo was born in Blanks' basement back in his hometown of Erie, Pa., when he added background music to his typical workout. "I was a karate champion, but I was cardio tired," Blanks says. "I didn't know my cardio was bad until I put on the music."

The music gave Blanks' already-strenuous workout regimen a boost of energy and rhythm. It also gave him an idea. By mixing martial arts with dance, Blanks had created something truly unique - workout program that had something to offer for men and women.

Blanks began teaching Tae Bo in Boston in the early '80s, then brought it westward to California in 1989. Before long, thanks in part to the magic of TV infomercials, Tae Bo was a worldwide phenomenon and Billy Blanks was a household name. His list of celebrity clients is impressive and includes Paula Abdul, Valerie Bertinelli and Vivica Fox as well as athletes like Wayne Gretzky, Randall Cunningham and Shaquille O'Neal.

But Blanks might be proudest of the work he has done with U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. He and his team have made several visits to the war zones, where they hold workout sessions for the troops. "We don't go to the Green Zone," says Blanks, referring to the officially designated safe area. "We go to the front line. We sleep in the barracks, we eat with them. We spend two or three hours working out with them, motivating them through the tough times," Blanks says. "They get homesick. They appreciate that someone comes to spend time with them, to lift their spirits. I go as an ambassador for the people at home, to show the soldiers that we care and that we appreciate what they do, not just for the U.S., but for the world." Blanks also spends time talking to the soldiers about dealing with stress and what their plans are for the future.

"I ask them if they're ready for the possibility that everyone may not pat them on the back when they get home," Blanks says. "How will they deal with that? How will they take the values they've learned as soldiers and apply them to their lives?" Blanks realizes that the physical challenges of the battlefield aren't the only obstacles soldiers have to overcome. They also need to work their way through the mental and psychological hurdles. This is one of Tae Bo's main themes – using the mind to make the body stronger, and vice versa.

When Blanks speaks about this subject, it's not just abstract philosophy. He speaks from his own experience. As a young man, Blanks was afflicted with a learning disorder that wasn't officially diagnosed until he was an adult. "I didn't know I had a learning disorder, but I knew something was wrong," Blanks says. "Developing my body gave me confidence."

Blanks says fitness can help people develop what he calls "eye confidence" - the visual confirmation of your self-image. "If what you see in the mirror doesn't coincide with what you hear or think, you'll quit," Blanks says. "The first thing you do after a workout is go on the scale. You want confirmation that it's working." But he reminds people that it's not about instant gratification. Patience and persistence are the keys to getting in battle shape. "A baby learns to walk over time," Blanks says. "You need to remember the three Ts: truth, trust and time."

In other words, be truthful with yourself. Trust your workout. And stick with it long enough to get results.

Blanks is living proof that persistence pays. And after spreading the gospel of Tae Bo to more than 100 countries and translating it into more than 30 languages, he's not slowing down. In fact, the 53-year-old dynamo has his sights set on the White House. "I'd like to be on Barack Obama's Presidential Council on Physical Fitness and Sports," Blanks says. "I served on President Clinton's. I'd like to do the same for President Obama."

While he's at it, maybe Blanks can ask the President for an hour at the next G8 summit to work those world leaders into a sweat. Before you know it, they'll be ready to sit down and figure out how to get the global economy back on its feet again.