I guess I have always been into fitness or sports. In my youth, I played what we called “midget league” football. (Probably not politically correct today, but we were 7 through 10 year olds and it was the 70’s.) In middle and high school I was an athlete, and in college I played rugby. In all I played rugby for 12 years until I was 29, when I finally realized younger people get off the ground quicker than I could. Hahah. Plus being a police officer for a living, I realized a sport could ruin my career had I blown out me knee or had some other serious injury.
So you see being healthy was part of my life. As a police officer, fitness was required simply to do my job. To be truthful every year I got older, but drunk 18 year olds that wanted to fight just kept coming year after year and I just got older. So staying in shape was a must. I was placed in charge of fitness training for my department in 1995 and ran a fitness incentive program I developed. Extra money for staying in shape was always nice around Christmas when I tested my people.
I started weight training when I was 12 when my parents bought me a cheap little weight set and bench for Christmas. My friends and I trained in my bedroom. Today I own a complete gym with thousands of pounds of weights and machines and other equipment, but I still own a few of those cheap weights just to remind me of my humble beginnings. My parents started me on this fitness journey and I am forever grateful. Today I got to share the knowledge I have learned of the past 26 years training others with two 14 year olds. They are strength training for football and rugby. I pray they get the fitness bug like I did. It seems they have. Training can become an addiction.
I am now however, 55 and things have changed. I found out I have a bad heart valve. It was devastating news as my docs said no more heavy lifting. At least super heavy like before. I guess heavy is relative depending on certain factors. So I have made a few changes in my life. I have dropped about 56 lbs. now and much of it was muscle. It was painfully hard to do, but it was needed. I no longer have to be as big as I was when I was a cop. Today, a much smaller me simply shares the knowledge I have learned over the past 43 years of training, and the past 26 years training with my clients. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but losing the weight will increase my time on earth here for my family and pets.
My point here is, that I urge you to accept what changes you need to make in YOUR life whatever that means. One of the hardest personal struggles I have ever had was dealing with PTSD from my days as a cop. Admitting I needed help was something that I struggled with, but in the end I realized I needed it or I would die at an early age. I went to several head shrinkers that changed my life. Just like this decision, losing a lot of weight and muscle was hard, but in the end it was a must.
I urge you to live the fitness lifestyle. Train, eat healthy, drink plenty of water and get your much needed rest. Still, make choices for YOU! Do what is necessary for YOUR life. Losing muscle was very emotional for me, but in the end it was what was BEST for me. Make decisions not on what others say, but what is best for you.
If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, visit my Youtube page, Garan Fitness Consulting for videos on different exercises and training tips.
Stay Healthy
Scott
Comments