It’s quite surprising how easily we can lie to ourselves as we accept our unhealthy lifestyles.  “I wasn’t eating that much, I wasn’t drinking that much, and I wasn’t gaining that much weight”.  These were a few of the lies I told myself, but I couldn’t hide from the truth of how I felt, terrible.  My back hurt, legs hurt, shoulder hurt, I felt bloated and uncomfortable, and I wore clothes to hide my weight gain.  This was just life in my late 30’s, right?  I didn’t have time to workout and that’s just the way life goes.

I was putting a lot of time and energy into working 50+ hours a week, going to law school, and coaching my children’s sports for nearly five years, all the while lying to myself that I was working toward a better life for my family. What type of life was that going to be?  One with a tired, stressed out, overweight, irritable father who was running from overnight job to side job starting a law practice, to sports commitments for two teenage boys.  Shortly after passing the bar, Covid struck and I was forced to take a pause on my unending grind.  It was during this pause I realized, I was working for things I didn’t want or need, and I didn’t know what direction to go or where to focus my energy.  Well, God had an answer for what to do with this energy, he blessed me with a baby girl on the way.  The idea of bending and scooping a newborn with my current physical condition was terrifying.  It was hard enough as a 22 and 25-year-old with my two boys, but now at 38, and feeling the way I did, the task seemed impossible. Through this self-realization, I gained a new focus. I wanted to come home feeling energized after coaching, get on the floor and play around with my baby girl, then spring up to help my teenager with calculus, and by help with calculus, I mean, search YouTube videos on “how to calculus.”

I started working with a coach, Andrew M, in the fall with the focus on getting back to being physically functional.  I wasn’t concerned with looks or body composition, just being able to move.  As we progressed, Andrew introduced the idea of the 60day Challenge to me.  At first, I wasn’t interested, as I wasn’t interested in how I looked, just how I felt and functioned.  However, he persisted and framed it as more of a challenge of the mind than a pursuit of vanity. He had bracelets made with Grit, WillPower, GrowthMindset, Mindfulness, and Gratitude. During the 60day experience, these were the things we would be focusing on. Well, I do love a challenge, so I agreed to participate.

I realized again that I was lying to myself, that the excess weight wasn’t part of the problem.  I told myself, that’s just how “Dadbods” look and all I need is to strengthen under my folds to feel better. I began the 60day at 236lbs with 21% body, ending at 209lbs with an athletic 10% body fat. Because of this change, the inflammation throughout my body has dramatically decreased and I now have an improved hormonal state allowing me to better handle the daily challenges of life. I cannot tell you how much better I feel and how much more energy I have without that unhealthy weight on me.

During this 60day experience, I’ve learned that I don’t need to eat at a certain prescribed time or the first feeling of hunger, or when I’m bored. I’ve learned that I’m not owed anything in the form of food for things I’ve done throughout the day or week.  What I’m owed is the freedom to make wise decisions with my nutrition and to feel the freedom that brings in my ability to move without pain.  I’ve learned that I can wait for the right food and I don’t need to settle for the wrong food.  I’ve learned that I’m in control of how I look and feel and that the two are not mutually exclusive. My confidence has returned and I now feel more empowered than ever to create the healthiest and happiest life for myself and my family.