WALKING
for the Kids
At the beginning of March , after a massive lifestyle change and investment in my long-term health over the past two years , I tackled one of the greatest physical challenges I have yet attempted , the 4x4x48 Challenge , to raise funds to change the lives of kids with cerebral palsy . It turned out to be another life-changing experience for me as well . – BY MIKE SAID
Let ’ s start with a little back-story … About two years ago , I was in pretty good shape , but developed a rather unhealthy relationship with food : Way too many sweets , chocolate and potato chips . Coupled with a sedentary lifestyle , my weight shot up , and my health deteriorated . Then one day , I was shooting and editing a video for a client that featured me sitting in my car and speaking to the camera . When I saw myself , I got a real fright ! Fat , old and tired was the only way to describe it . I decided to start training and change my diet the following Monday , but when I went home , took off my shirt and took a pic , I realised I could not wait for Monday , so I went straight to the gym . There I weighed myself – 89.6kg , the most I have ever weighed .
Now committed to getting my health back , the first two weeks were spent getting to the gym and cutting the junk out , and the weight started to come down a bit , just enough to motivate me . For the next two weeks , I started intermittent fasting and added a walk a couple of times a week , and a little more weight fell off . At this stage , I used the “ Body for Life ” training routine ( you can Google it ). I believe that the best gym programme is always the one you can maintain , and this was a good start for me .
The July 2023 pic that prompted Mike to make big lifestyle changes .
Images : Mike Said
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