Dear Genes, Youd be surprised to hear that I havent always been so fit. In fact, its just the opposite: I grew up on a small farm in Cuba, Illinois. And believe it or not I was a chubby kid who loved to eat, and eat, and eat. Most of the food was made with bacon grease and filled with fat and not very healthy. On the farm where I grew up, we were always busy but never actually worked out. I milked the cows at dawn and helped my father with chores around the farm. I was your typical farm boy. When I got to high school I took off a few pounds and played football. But a bad injury put me on the sidelines and cost me a college scholarship. Thats when I really got fat and out of shape, sitting at home with nothing to do but eat junk food and play video games. Unable to afford college, I joined the US Army. But because I was so out of shape I flunked my first physical fitness test and ended up in the unofficial "fat boy" program. That was a real wakeup call for me. I was so embarrassed -- I couldnt write home to my parents and girlfriend and tell them I was a "fat boy." After the Army, I spent some time in college but got disillusioned and dropped out after a couple years. I roamed the country for a while then ended up as a bartender in New Orleans, getting caught up pretty hard in the whole drugs and booze scene. Things got pretty bad, Ill leave it at that. But thats when I really discovered fitness. And I can honestly say that fitness saved me from all those bad addictions. I started out slowly because I was in such bad shape and worked my way up to all sorts of crazy fitness competitions and events like a 135 running race through Death Valley and a 520 Mile trek through the Himalayan Mountains.. Then I decided to take the ultimate challenge and try for the Guinness World Records "24 Hour Physical Fitness Challenge." Breaking that record in 2000 was definitely one of the most amazing days of my life. So, this fitness stuff isnt necessarily in my genes at all. My parents were hard workers but didnt know the first thing about exercise and fitness. What got me where I am today is hard work, pure and simple. If anyone tells you that its going to be easy - that you can get fit by taking a pill or exercising just a few minutes a day then think again. Im not saying you have to go to the gym for hours and hours everyday, but you will have to work. Theres no getting around that. Plus, I feel you appreciate things more that you have to work hard for. Once you make the commitment to change, thats the first step. When people say, "I can never look like that or do that, its not in my genes," many times theyre just making excuses. Good genes can only get you so far. The rest of it is up to you. © Joe Decker 2003 |