MBA - Mind, Body, Activity

My employer has designed a 16-week program called 'MBA' - Mind, Body, Activity. It's designed to get leadership in shape, and be an example to our community. I decided to join, and will document the journey here. Our first assignment: an essay about why we decided to join. In the interest of full disclosure, here's mine.

When I think about the reasons why I chose to join the MBA program, they are too numerous to list. I know that I want to lose weight for the obvious health benefits, I want to be an example to others that it’s possible to make time for healthy habits amidst the chaos of our schedules, and I want to be a beautiful bride come next summer when I get married. I want to be a better person, all around, and I think that having a healthy lifestyle makes you happier and gives you the extra edge in dealing with stress.

But some of these reasons are more pressing than others. I lost my grandfather to heart issues at a younger age than I wanted. He was like a father to me, and it broke my heart to watch him struggle in his later years with heart problems coupled with diabetes – both ailments which have a strong dietary component that he chose not to control. He did give up his cigars, which took a ton of courage, and I was so proud of him for that, but I often wonder how many more years I would’ve had with him if we would’ve decided as a family to get healthy. A couple of years ago, I lost my Uncle to a massive heart attack. He was 39, had gone to the emergency room two weeks prior with arm pain, and left AMA. Most recently, one of my other Uncles went to the hospital with shortness of breath. He was rushed by ambulance and had suffered what is referred to as the ‘widowmaker’. He was lucky to be alive. During his simple heart cath the next day, he went into anaphylactic shock, a reaction to the dye. He was in rough shape for several days, with all of us wondering how this could happen to a guy who eats all organic, runs half marathons, and is generally, in great shape. How could we lose him a week before his 51^st birthday? Luckily, he came through it all, but it became abundantly apparent that I’m in a fight, not only against my poor eating habits, but against genetics as well.

I have always been an athlete, and ironically, have always struggled with my weight. The exercising is fun to me, but the ‘diet’ (which isn’t really a diet – it’s just eating normally) has always been difficult. What the Elite Biggest Loser program taught me is that I can control what I eat. What it also taught me, was that I wasn’t quite ‘fixed’ of my bad eating habits when confronted with extreme stress. I resorted back to poor eating habits and gained back some of the weight I had worked so hard to lose. I was devastated, but what separated that from previous ‘falling off the wagon’ experiences was that I knew I could get back on. I just needed a little accountability again, which is why I’m here. I have chosen a career that I love, but that I have sacrificed having kids early for. Now that I’m getting married, I see that portion of my life coming together, and I want to be there for every bit of it.