Michael's 90 Day Challenge

A few months ago Michael decided to take his sister up on her offer to join in on a 90 Day Fitness Challenge hosted by the gym that she is a trainer at called Fit Mania. He was able to join the online division of the challenge and participated in daily recorded online training workouts. He not only took up regular daily exercise for the first time since I've known him, but he totally changed his eating habits and has been eating 6 small meals per day and much healthier foods. He has really stuck to it and changed his lifestyle, and is starting up a second challenge soon. Yesterday the boys and I joined him to watch the live broadcast of the award ceremony after the challenge. We were all surprised, especially Michael, when it was announced that he was the winner of the online division!  He won $1000!  I'm proud of him that he showed so much dedication and that he's committed to getting healthier. And I'm excited that he won, and he will be able to use his prize money to finally do scuba certification and get the gear so he can start scuba diving, something he's really been interested in for a while now. The other cool thing is that his Dad happened to win the Novice division, and his sister Annette happened to win the Trainer division -- so it was a big day for the Bradshaws at Fit Mania!

As part of the challenge, each participant had to answer some essay questions. Here is what Michael wrote:

QUESTION #1: What does it mean to you to be stronger and more fit?

Prior to this challenge my fitness ability was not really something I thought of or even cared about.  I was blessed with a high metabolism my whole life, and so never really had to worry much about what I ate or how much I exercised.  Physical exams by my doctor showed normal blood pressure and all my labs were normal, so I didn’t really have anything motivating me to change.  Then about a year ago I started to feel for the first time that my metabolism was slowing down, and I started putting on weight.  I knew I was out of shape, and thought I should do something about it, so I joined LA Fitness, thinking that would fix my fitness issue.  But I didn’t have a program, trainers, or a community to motivate me, and left to myself I floundered, going only a few times a month, and not really having a set exercise routine.  So when my sister told me about FitMania, I thought this could be a good chance to try something new.  Also, my dad was going to try it out.  He is overweight and has some health problems, so I thought this would be a great motivator for him and his kids to do together.

Then I got the booklet in the mail explaining the whole program.  I hadn’t realized it included a change in diet and how I viewed fitness and nutrition.  I began to realize that this challenge is for a whole body and mindset change.  The first week of workouts was rough – really rough!  I thought about quitting.  I saw how unfit I was and how little physical endurance I had.  I realized I did not eat very healthy at all.  But with a personal desire and motivation from my siblings, I pushed forward.  I took it one day at a time.  I decided to give it the 90 days to see what happened.  My body got stronger.  I was able to get through more of the exercises.  I was able to eat the required foods and ended up with more energy.  I was happier.

I have taken on a difficult challenge and completed it.  That has made me stronger and more fit physically and mentally.  A person who is stronger and more fit is someone who can face the challenges of life and has the endurance to push through to the end and complete them with a sense of accomplishment and honor.

QUESTION #2: What obstacles did you need to overcome to participate and complete the Challenge?

The most obvious challenge was to just start the program and to be consistent.  I went from minimal workouts a few times a month to workouts 5-6 times per week.  That stressed my body and my mental endurance.  I was in pain all over, especially the first week, but then continued with pain in my right shin for a few weeks, which was frustrating.  I got sick for a few days in the middle of the challenge and had to keep myself mentally strong to start up again after recovering.  I am a busy dermatologist and father of 5 active boys, so trying to find time for a daily workout was tough.  There were times I took my workout clothes with me to work and did the workout in my office after the end of clinic.  I ended up traveling for work a few times and did my workouts in my hotel rooms.  I was at a Boy Scout summer camp for a week in the mountains and found a way to do my workouts in the woods.  My family took a vacation up the California coast to Oregon the last 10 days of the challenge, and I again had to find ways to work out in hotel rooms and at a family member’s house.

The other major challenge was a change in my diet.  For years I was all about the quickest and easiest food to prepare and eat.  I gave no thought to high fructose corn syrup, processed foods, or refined sugars.  Oreos, nacho cheese Doritos, and desserts were daily staples.  Dropping all of that and coming up with things to replace them took time and dedication.  I had to learn to eat new foods and more of good foods, like vegetables and fruits.

QUESTION #3: We can lose in a few weeks what it took 90 days to accomplish. How will you maintain and build on the progress you have made?

I never want to repeat going through the pain and discomfort that I felt during week 1 of the challenge.  That was miserable.  I also love how this challenge has made me feel, both physically and mentally.  I have committed to continue working out 5-6 days per week with the online fitness program and to eat 5-6 healthy balanced meals per day.  I am already planning to sign up for the next fitness challenge in September.