John, a 58-year-old employee at UNC-Chapel Hill was 30 lbs heavier, borderline hypertensive, stressed and exhausted when he came in for a fitness consultation less than 1 year ago. Today, he looks fabulous. His blood pressure is well within the normal range; he has dropped over 30 pounds, and lost over 5 inches in his waist. He has volunteered to share his story:
Karla (K) - What advice would you give people who think it is too late for them to get in shape?
John (J)- You might be like I was, thinking: “other people just have (something) better, or never got overweight; it must be easier for them”. Or “it’s this stress (job, life, etc.) that’s killing me, and there’s not much I can do about it”. But, it is never too late to help yourself. And when you do, you will find others that notice, and you can help them, too. If we don’t take that first step, and then a second step—whatever will work for us—then, we might find ourselves in “health horror land”. Karla and others here are ready, able and eager to help us improve our body-mind-spirit aspects of ourselves.
K – What made you decide to make a healthy lifestyle change?
J – I was experiencing a lot of stress and inflammation that were affecting my health. My doctor recommended exercise for mood enhancement and weight and stress reduction for years. I was also encouraged by my wife’s healthy habits and I used to run and cross-country ski 15 years ago, and I missed doing that.
K -What were some of the hardest changes to make?
J – I really wanted to jog to help lose weight but I never thought I would be able to do it without pain or damage to my joints. But, one day, it dawned on me that “I can walk a ways, then jog a little bit, then walk some more, etc”. At the Assessment Karla suggested beginning to walk 100 paces, and then run 200 paces, etc. I did this for 20 minutes, then 30 and now I go out and jog for over an hour, 3 times a week.
K – What can you do know that you couldn’t do last year?
J – Besides the jogging, I play tennis with my son, weight-lift and bike. Tying my shoes is a lot more comfortable, too!
K- How has your family been helpful/influenced by your experience?
J - They’ve been great! My wife and one son adopted a healthy style of eating, and food preparation, which has led to a loss in body fat. My wife continues her exercise routine example, and has been a major encouragement to my progress. And my other son picked up on our jogging and exercise example. He has now quit smoking and is doing regular exercise and bodybuilding.
