Believe in your own abilities

It’s Turnaround Time! Colonels preach optimism at Southland Media Days
August 5, 2015
Locals dominate MMA show
August 5, 2015
It’s Turnaround Time! Colonels preach optimism at Southland Media Days
August 5, 2015
Locals dominate MMA show
August 5, 2015

Football is just close enough to be excited about, but just far enough to not be the topic of my weekly column.

Basketball is over, the Women’s World Cup is over, baseball is boring and 2015 isn’t an Olympic year.


Guys, I have nothing worthwhile to talk about.

It’s that time. The dog days of summer are officially here once more.

So with very little going on, and a mind focused solely on the football preview guides (coming to a newsstand near you in the near future), I decided to use my column this week to tell our readers a story about my life.


Trust me, it’s not meant to be taken as bragging. It’s actually my hope that people will read this piece and use it to spark change in their own lives.

I’m not special, nor a freakish athlete. So if I can do everything that I’m about to explain, I know that you can, too.

You see, about three or four months ago, I was covering a track meet at South Lafourche High School. I left the house not feeling well that morning, but didn’t think much of it.


The truth is that I hadn’t felt very well for a few months. I was always groggy, tired, bloated and felt nothing but aches and pains.

It wasn’t hot on this day, but after 25-30 minutes, I was drenched in my own sweat. I knelt down to shoot pictures, and when I stood up, I felt really dizzy and had a little bit of pain in the back of my head.

It was a pretty awful feeling.


So the next morning, I was at the doctor’s office for a check-up. When I stepped on the scale on that day, my pants hardly fit, even if I had too much pride to admit it. I stepped on the scale and weighed 193 pounds – the most I had ever weighed in my life.

My face was swollen. My gut was swollen. I ate poorly. I ate far too often and far too much. To top it all off, I sat on my butt all day and never did any type of physical activity. Video games were the most exercise I got – that and walking from my front porch to my car to start the morning. I was a ball of grease, and I felt miserable. I couldn’t do anything without panting, and afterward, I would be so gassed that all I’d want to do is rest.

The doctor’s results came back clear. My bloodwork was mostly OK, but the doctor urged me to exercise more, change my diet and do things to stay more active.


Challenge accepted.

As soon as I left the doctor’s office on that day, I knew that I needed to reprioritize a lot of things, but I didn’t necessarily know how. I’ve always been a sports geek, but I’ve never been physically active nor physically fit.

So to start, I got on my parents’ treadmill and started to walk – as much as I could and as fast as I could.


I also joined a Facebook group focused around healthy living, which my friends and I use as inspiration for our movement. Those guys in that group are my backbone. They are why I don’t quit, because if I do, I’m letting them down just as much as I am letting myself down.

My goal in that first workout was to walk for 30 minutes. It was hell to do. I remember staring at the clock on the treadmill for probably 29 out of the 30 minutes. When I got done, I was drenched in my own sweat and I was exhausted.

The next day I did the same. Then the day after that, I did the same again. Each day that went by, it all got easier. The pounding of walking started to hurt my shins, so I now do most of my work on an exercise bike.


The first day, I rode 30 minutes and 10 miles. I was exhausted and had no clue how I did it. But I pushed myself and didn’t give up, and just like with the walking, each day got easier and easier to endure. Today, I ride for 60 minutes and 23.5 miles per day, and it’s a lack of time, not fatigue, that stops me from doing more.

When not on the bike, I am also making a strong commitment to eating better. I’ve almost completely cut soft drinks out of my diet, and I am not nearly the junk food eater I once was. Instead of fried foods, I eat more things that are grilled. Instead of potatoes and carb-rich foods, I eat more green vegetables and protein-filled meats.

When I want snacks, I chose almonds over Doritos. When I want ice cream, I eat yogurt. And when the cravings become too much, I don’t punish myself. I cheat at least two times a week.


Put it all together and here I am just 120 days later, and I weigh 175 pounds – give or take a few in either direction on a given day. My clothes still don’t fit, but now it’s because they are too loose. My belly has noticeably flattened and the fluid that once was drowning my face is all gone, as well.

Most importantly, I feel amazing. I have energy, and it’s easier to get out of bed in the morning.

Look, I am not a hero, nor am I anything special. I write this today to motivate people out there to do the same. Don’t be a dummy like me and wait for the doctor’s orders. Take the bull by the horns and do it yourself.


If I, and my friends, can do it, you can, too.

If you need any help or inspiration, email me at casey@rushing-media.com, and I will do anything I can to help motivate you along the way.

Six months ago, I would have laughed at anyone who’d have suggested that I’d write a column about exercise or nutritional living.


But now, it’s a passion, and I’m in it for the long haul.

WeightCOURTESY