Jared
A journey first begins with purpose. A successful journey begins with purpose but if it lacks direction will never reach the destination. For me, Eupraxia supplied the direction in which to apply my efforts. For my Eupraxia journey my purpose, originally, was weight loss. It’s been 9 months since I began at Eupraxia and my whole life has completely changed. Not only have I lost my targeted weight but I’ve actually exceeded my original goals. I have already set and exceeded additional goals as well!
It’s hard to put a finger exactly where my journey really began but I know that like many people who find themselves overweight and unhappy with their health I remember a time when I was not that way. I have always been an athlete. I played sports from the time I was able. I often played school athletics along with clubs outside of school at the same time. As a young man I never considered what I ate outside of whether it would be “enough” and delicious. I remember saving money for school lunches just so I could buy honey-buns. I LOVE food and always have. Eupraxia has not changed that and I don’t think anything will!
In high school I played football and basketball and during the spring I trained for football the following fall. Instead of a summer job my father offered to pay for what I needed if I was dedicated to weight training for football. He believed that I could earn a scholarship for college and knew that a scholarship would pay more than I could ever make during the summer. My dad was the first one to believe more than I did about myself. I did workouts in the weight room 5 days a week for 3-4 hours a morning. And I did eventually earn a scholarship.
I loved college and the freedom found there. One of the things I loved most about college…food! I loved the chance to eat any kind of food I wanted and whenever I wanted. I had an unlimited food plan which meant I could eat as much as I wanted from between 7 am and 7 pm. I also visited Taco Bell frequently enough to be able to tell you the exact change for any single item on the menu. None of this was really a problem…in college. The real problems began once I was done with school and football.
My wife and I married a week after graduation and our apartment was less than a block from a local gym. I think I went 5 times in the year we lived there. I found that after almost a decade of working out I just had no desire to work out. My desire to eat, however, remained very strong. I easily maintained the weight I had while playing defensive line in college but without the muscle and health. I didn’t really notice much of a difference in myself so I didn’t really care. The big wake up for me came when we had children.
The tipping point in my life came when I found that at the end of a day of work I had no energy. When it was my wife and I, it wasn’t as noticeable. When we had kids I began to see a gap between what I could do and what I wanted to do. I have always wanted to be the kind of dad my dad was. I wanted to be able to run and play with my kids. I wanted to be able to help them develop and grow ALONG SIDE them, not just watching from the sidelines. I also knew that this wasn’t something I could do on my own. I knew I needed someone or something that could provide accountability and also challenge me. That’s when I called Lindsay and Eupraxia!
Beginning in January I joined and with the help of the Eupraxia community I have met and exceeded goals I wasn’t sure I believed I could achieve. It took a long time. It was hard work. And because it was hard, it was worth it. Dr. Steve isn’t about gimmicks. Dr. Steve has developed a philosophy about eating that changed the way I live. I know many people who have complimented my on some of the changes and when they asked me how I did it they were surprised. I always respond with Diet THEN Exercise as being the key. Changing my diet has given me exponentially more energy and the challenging work we do at Eupraxia continually rewards me with gains and progress beyond what I thought I could do. I had thought that my time of being in great shape was way over; but the truth is that I just completed a Tough Mudder and feel like I am in the best shape of my life.
When I began my Eupraxia journey I thought the goal was weight loss. Now I realize that what I really wanted all along was a new lifestyle. Lindsay and Dr. Steve and everyone I work out with have become a new “direction” in my journey and have helped to enable and direct towards a revitalized life. I have essentially received a new life and couldn’t be happier about it. I still have goals. I will continue to trim fat and build muscle, but instead of doing it because I “need” to or because others with like me better, I am doing it because I want more out of life. Thank You Eupraxia for showing me how to live life more fully!
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