There’s a scene in Forrest Gump when everybody’s favorite purveyor of boxed-chocolate philosophy dramatically lifts himself up from a rocking chair, slowly walks off his front porch and takes off sprinting.
“That day, for no particular reason,” he recalled, “I decided to go for a little run.”
First, he ran to the end of his road. Next, he high-tailed it through his small town of Greensbow, Alabama, and continued through his county and across his state. From there, Gump headed to the Pacific Coast. He then left a Santa Monica pier and kept running in the other direction until he arrived at a lighthouse on the Atlantic Ocean shore.
“And so,” a woman eagerly listening to his story on a bus bench exclaimed, “you just ran!”
“Yeah,” Forrest responded, matter of factly.
As the story goes, Gump kept on running and running and running for years, criss-crossing America in an epic adventure, eventually gaining followers, inspiring people — “It happens” and “Have a nice day!” 🙂 — and attracting the curiosity of media members.
“I just felt like running,” he told reporters.
It’s not a perfect metaphor, but that same feeling happened to me earlier this year. While on a plane flying from Toronto to Detroit for business, I documented how miserable I felt being the fat guy on an airplane. The flight — not to mention the ensuing introspective blog — was symbolic. I was miserable being the fat guy in life.
As I moped around in self pity and tried to figure out how (or if) I was going to try to lose weight for the umpteenth time in my life, my wife decided to start following a health regimen that had helped several women in our neighborhood lose a lot of weight.
I was furious with her. I accused her of being suckered into some silly program. I was extremely cynical and incredulous. I was, well, a jerk.
And then one day — while she was experiencing success — I decided to swallow my pride.
I agreed to try her way for one month.
Like Forrest, I got off of my derriere, stopped feeling sorry for myself and took action.
Why?
I just felt like … living again.
I had some time to kill this week, so I walked about 1.4 miles around Liberty Park.
Seven weeks later, this previous skeptic is so excited about my optimal health program that I almost sound like an infomercial.
I feel great!
My energy is up!
I’m losing a lot of weight!
I’m gaining health!
I’m saying “WOW!” all of the time!
(By the way, if you didn’t get that reference, please go watch some ShamWow infomercials on YouTube.)
It’s long been my desire to inspire people, beginning with myself, to lose weight and to become healthy and fit. My passion and enthusiasm for this desire have led me to becoming a health coach for the program I mocked and dismissed just a couple of months ago.
My extremely supportive wife laughs about my turnaround.
We’re both smiling about the success we’re seeing.
Though it’s awesome to lose weight and to feel better about myself, I’m probably most excited that I have something in abundance now that I lacked just two months ago.
Hope.
I’m very excited about the future. I haven’t been able to say that in years.
I still have a substantial amount of body fat to lose — 166 pounds to reach a healthy BMI — but I’m very confident I will achieve my health goals.
Why would somebody who’s got so much work left try to help others, you might ask?
As somebody who proudly lives his life out loud, I think this is a wonderful opportunity for me to tromp away from my past and run toward a bright future with like-minded people who are also trying to improve their health. I feel like I’ve been given a gift and I want to share it with others — with you!
As Henry Ford once said (according to the Internet, which is always right):
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
If you want to lose weight, desire to improve your health or simply need hope, please join me on this journey.
This health-promoting program works wonders. It changes lives. I will do whatever I can as your coach to help you succeed.
Please leave a message on this blog, send me a private message or text, or email me at jody.genessy@gmail.com if “changing for good” (my mantra) is something that interests you.
Let’s run together (well, so to speak … you’d leave me behind in the dust if we actually ran). Even if you don’t follow my program, please do something for your health. You’re worth it.
I will make you a promise.
If you follow me on this worthwhile adventure, Coach Jody won’t stop unexpectedly in the Arizona desert and leave you stranded.
This week’s weigh-in results:
- Starting weight (March 6): 373.7 pounds
- Last week’s weight (May 13): 327.5 pounds
- This week’s weight (May 20): 325.6 pounds
- This week’s loss: 1.9 pounds
- Total loss: 48.1 pounds
Awsome. Just a suggestion. If you lose something it can be found again. If it is released we don’t want it back. Power of words in our minds. I released 40lbs the last year and work on releasing 5lbs a month.
Hey, Tim! Thanks for the suggestion. Hope you keep on keeping on!
Awesome….in every way. You’re an inspiration! And your progress is fantastic. Thanks for living out loud and setting such a great example.
Marianne! Thank you so much. 🙂 It’s touching when doing what you should be doing is considered inspiring! You’re doing awesome as well, so we both just kinda kick butt!