It’s not too late, and it never will be.
One of the coolest traditions that my dad and I shared when I was a kid was attending the Ohio State Football home opener every year.
We always arrived at the stadium a few hours before kickoff, talked about the expectations for the season, and parked 2 miles away from the stadium to appreciate the long walk through campus.
Until this past Saturday, that long walk became harder and harder for him.
My dad was a stand-out basketball player at Poland High School and a resilient runner who not only broke records at Poland, but at Ohio State in Cross Country and Track. Did I mention he ran a sub 3-hour marathon and could’ve qualified for Boston? Yes. He was THAT good.
After a long stretch of competitive running, my dad struggled with a lot of back issues and nerve damage. Injuries that affected his running and ultimately took away the sport he loved…for nearly 30 years.
Until this past October, he hasn’t been able to return to running and has been limited to any physical activity. His health was at a steady decline and there really wasn’t much he could do about it.
Until he made a CHOICE:
– To make better decisions with nutrition
– Approaching exercise 1 step at a time
– Receiving a MyZone Heart Rate monitor for his birthday (Okay, that was my choice)
Those 3 decisions have led him to losing 30 pounds since October of 2018, completing 3 races in 2019 and officially registering for the 2019 Columbus ½ Marathon, his ultimate goal for the year. His health is the greatest gift he’ll receive when he turns 60 in December.
In addition, those 2 miles of walking to and from the stadium and climbing 7 flights of steps to C-Deck in the horseshoe were completely painless on Saturday.
So…what’s the point in telling you this?
- My dad BELIEVED he could turn his physical health around. #Thoughts
- My dad was tired of pain and told my family he was going to do something about it. #Words
- He met with a dietician regularly and began a solidified exercise and running program…one step at a time. #Actions
Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your flesh. Your flesh become your actions. Your actions become your character.
And your character, ultimately becomes your LEGACY.
It’s not too late. It’s never too late.
#BuildYourLegacy
