My health journey began in the 1980s. I was in my 30s, often traveling for my work as a mechanical engineer for a major oil company. One day after weeks of traveling, I looked in the mirror and was shocked at the image staring back at me. At the time, I was 5-feet-10-inches and weighed over 225 pounds, which is considered overweight for my body type. The image shook me so much that I vowed to make a change in my life.
I started by changing my eating habits and created a strict diet to lower my calorie intake that I still follow today. I logged everything I ate and challenged myself to cut out the unhealthy high-calorie foods. As a result, I lost over 50 pounds and have been able to keep off the weight over the past 37 years.
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By the summer of 1981, I was promoted to a highly stressful position that caused me to be very unpleasant. My wife recognized that I needed a way to release my stress and bought me a gym membership to a nearby YMCA with the caveat that I would work out every day before going home. I started by running the track inside the Y and slowly worked up to running a mile and then around my neighborhood. As time went on, I began running 10Ks on the weekends and ran my first 8-mile Turkey Trot that fall. Since then, I’ve run 10 marathons, including the Boston Marathon three times and the New York City Marathon once.
My running days came to a halt after a skiing accident injured my knee. While I didn’t need surgery, I developed arthritis in my knee and could no longer run. I knew I needed to stay active and started cycling full-time. I had been cycling to cross-train for years in the summers to avoid running in the Dallas heat. Each summer I trained for the 100-mile Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred cycling event in Wichita Falls, Texas. I enjoyed cycling so much that I looked for more ways to challenge myself, and in 2007, a month after my 60th birthday, I participated in the Bicycle Tour of Colorado, a weeklong ride that does at least one major climb every riding day.
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After hearing about the National Senior Games presented by Humana from a fellow cyclist, I registered to compete in the 2008 Houston Senior Games and the Texas Senior Games. I went on to compete in the National Senior Games in 2009, 2011 and 2013 in the 40K and 20K cycling road races and the 10K and 5K individual time trials. In 2016, I had a serious cycling accident that took me two months to heal from a series of broken ribs and collarbone. Once I got my strength back, I was back to my routine, and nothing could stop me from reaching my goal to stay healthy and active.
Before I competed in the senior games in Alabama in June — winning a silver and two bronze medals in my age group — I was selected as a Humana Game Changer for exemplifying healthy aging and providing encouragement, motivation and inspiration for all seniors to start with healthy. As a result, I am eager to inspire fellow seniors to get involved in athletics, get in shape or simply start on their health journeys.
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My biggest piece of advice for seniors is to take their health journey one small step at a time. Anyone can start with healthy by changing one eating habit a day and incorporating exercise in their daily routines. As long as they take these small steps, great things will be ahead when their health is ready for them.
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How Cycling and Small Steps Led This National Senior Games Medalist to a Healthier Lifestyle originally appeared on usnews.com
