My Fitness Story

November 25, 2013

Since Association President Jonathan Jones has made fitness awareness a priority this year, I thought I would share my own fitness story. I have always been physically active. I am an avid outdoorsman, so farming, hunting and fishing keep me busy away from work. However, a 40-hour per week office job has a way of catching up with you. That's what happened to me. So in July of 2013, after being inspired by Jon Ryan (at that time, he had lost about 40 pounds) I decided something had to give, so I made the decision to change my lifestyle, and I set a weight loss goal. My wife was already doing a great job of preparing healthy meals at home. She uses mostly whole foods and farm-fresh produce. In the beginning, I weighed 193 pounds - my goal was to get down to 175. Things I added:

Running three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) for 15-20 minutes
- I didn't start out being able to run for 15 minutes, but I got there. Took about a month.
Daily push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups (concentrated reps on the days I do not run)
- You tried to do a pull-up lately? Good grief!
Drinking plenty of water

Things I do without or cut back on:

No soft drinks
- I discovered I can live without Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew.
No dessert
- As cute as Little Debbie is, she is not my friend.
No snacks between meals
- When I get hungry between meals, I drink a bottle of water.
Smaller meal portions
- When I find myself eating more just because it tastes good, I stop.
Cut way back on fried foods
- I really miss Zesto's fried chicken.

I did not start a diet because diets don't work. To lose weight and increase fitness, you need to change your lifestyle. On weekends, I relax a little bit, kind of like a reward for working hard all week - no exercise, and sometimes a little dessert on Saturday night. Results: It took a little over four months, but in early November, I hit my goal of 175 pounds! In addition to the weight loss, I have better muscle tone, and I feel so much better! If you do not have a fitness plan, I encourage you to start one (we have samples over here). I spent zero dollars on my plan - just used good old-fashion hard work and self-control. Update: November 25 - weighed in at 172 this morning! Will I be able to get back into those 32" waist pants?

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South Carolina
Firefighters' Association

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P.O. Box 211725
Columbia, South Carolina 29210

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