FitView by Efren Martinez Fun In The Run
On October 1st I was invited to speak at a School Assembly to promote running, the school jog-a-thon and a healthy lifestyle but had to readjust my program on the spot. You see, at the beginning of the school day, the kids were given a photo of me when I weighed in at 330lbs along with a mission statement introducing myself. The teachers informed the kids that morning that this was who their guest speaker was to be at the Jog-A-Thon Pep Rally Assembly. At the start of the assembly I remained hidden from the kids and when it started I was introduced. As you might figure, the kids were very much surprised when I ran up on stage a lot thinner than in the photo that they had seen of me earlier that morning.
Just as soon as I jumped up on the stage and let the kids know that I am/was the same guy in the photo I instantly got this feeling that they weren’t buying it. I admit; I wasn’t really ready for that and/or the kid’s unbelievable reaction. After all, here I was standing in front of them at 140lbs compared to the fellow they were expecting to see. ModestoView friends, I’ve done plenty of motivational speaking to adults on fitness, addictions and weight loss and it has always been mostly at churches or drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers. This was different, these were kids and the concept of losing so much weight and how unhealthy I was wasn’t something they could appreciate just yet. I quickly changed my approach from the science of running and living a healthy lifestyle to keeping the fun in the run.
Good thing, as I got into my silly antics and entertaining, I realized that these kids could care less about how large I was nor could give a hoot on just how many races I’ve won. In the end, we all had a silly good time and I encouraged the kids to participate in their upcoming Jog-A-Thon.
Ok, so here’s the skinny, sure it’s great to win races and who doesn’t want to have that perfect body, but what I learned from those kids that day is that it isn’t nearly as important to win a race as it is to keep your fitness fun. We should all look forward to exercise as a kid looks forward to recess or PE. Friends, I invite you to embrace this very concept with your kids in keeping the fun in your fitness. If you have a child that is getting ready for a school Jog-A-Thon, encourage them to participate, encourage them to get off the video games and play more. This is also sound advice for moms and dads. Chances are you have a basketball, football or bicycle somewhere in your garage. Dust it off, grab your kid’s, lace up your running shoes and get your family play on. Leading by a positive fitness and nutrition example is a great way to combat family/child obesity. Doing so will help your family grow stronger, healthier and who knows, at the end of it all you just might end up a lot thinner than if you were sticking to being one of those armed chaired athletes.
