Sadly, I recently read that over 25% of the United of States is obese. Personally, I have struggled with my weight the majority of my life as it “runs in the family” on both sides! So I know how challenging it can be. I have also learned that there are changes you can make in your lifestyle to fight “the curse”. Many of you may not know this, but in my early twenties I was 100 pounds heavier than I am now. In my sophomore year of college, I was playing offensive guard for Rowan University football, which wound up finishing runner up to the National Championship. The last day of preseason camp, I blew my knee out and wound up having my fourth, fifth, and sixth knee operations, which ended my college football career. A few months later, I was dumped by my girlfriend. I felt lousy.
I studied hard and partied harder when I wasn’t studying. I was eating and drinking, and drinking and eating. When I quit football I was 270 pounds. A year later, I walked around at about 340 pounds and a 44-inch waist. I would sweat just lying in bed. I was gross, partying way too much, and disgusted with myself when I looked in the mirror.
Fortunately, I had my wakeup call early in life. After waking up one morning sweating and being out of breath while walking up the steps, I had had enough. I decided to go to boxing classes and start running. Let me clarify, I went to a boxing class and tried to perform the initial warm up exercises and couldn’t jump rope even once around! I was in the absolute worse shape of my life. I had never been so sore. I could barely get out of bed the next day. I had excruciating pain in areas that I did not even know existed! But I went back to the boxing gym the next day much to my trainer’s surprise. I went five days a week. And although I had always despised it, I started to jog.
In high school, I was petrified of the “mile run” that we had to do for football try-outs. I thought it was the hardest thing ever. But still, I started jogging, or more accurately, jogging a few steps and then walking around my apartment complex. It was not a pretty sight to say the least. I could run for a few meters then had to stop and walk, but I just kept going and going. Gradually, day by day, week by week, month by month, I made improvements. My legs felt like they had been run over by a truck initially, but I would continue with my jogging and boxing. As a result, the weight dropped rapidly. I decided that as much as I hated running when I was younger, it relieved the stress and tension in my body like nothing I had ever experienced. Between the running and the boxing, I could genuinely feel my body becoming more fit by the day.
To make a long story short, I went from 340 pounds when I was 20 to 200 pounds when I was 21 in chiropractic school. I lost approximately 130 pounds. My waistline went from a 44 to a 34. While I have fluctuated over the years and am no longer in “boxing shape”, exercise has been a part of my life ever since and will be for the rest of my life. I work out five to six days a week. My favorite work-outs now are Flip Fitness and Crossfit. Both give me the variety and challenge I need so I don’t get bored and fall off course. I’ve also incorporated yoga as I find it gives me a sense of balance.
I am far from perfect. I continuously strive to make exercise a daily part of my life. I’m also very conscious of my diet abstaining from processed foods as much as possible and eating organic whenever I can. I hope by reading this blog you realize that you too have the potential to do whatever it is you want with your life. You can lose the weight!
For more information, please visit www.crossfit215.com and www.flipfitness.com.
