Friday, April 16, 2010

146. Fatherhood Friday's - What about BOB? My jogging stroller and me.


In about 3 weeks, I'll be standing in a crowd of about 30,000 people attempting to run 10 miles for a cause. It's the 31st Annual Broad Street run in Philadelphia. Now, before you go, "Wow, we've got a healthy runner here looking to do some good" I should tell you that I am far from the picture of health, likewise I'm not really a runner.

In 2004, I my weight was creeping ever so close to 300lbs (270lbs to be exact). It wasn't so much what I was eating, just the amount of what I was eating coupled with extensive inactivity. As the weight continued to climb I decided to do something about it, and about a year later I had lost 70lbs...I thought that was enough. Once I got down to the magic 200lb number I had in my head I thought I could just relax and enjoy that weight for a while. But it's all too easy to fall into those old habits and my weight started to go the other way.

That was when I decided to run. I had changed my diet and was walking/jogging, but it wasn't giving me the results I was looking for. With help from some friends and the motivation of a 'Biggest Loser' contest at work I started to take things up a notch, and lose about 40lbs. I was officially healthy, my bloodwork and weight said so. I ran a couple of respectable 5k races for charity and I actually enjoyed myself.

So what do you think I did? Yep, I got lazy. Life takes over and you forget to take care of yourself. My wife and I had a baby and exercise and eating right suddenly were on the back burner again. I've gained some of the weight back for a third time, but promising to run after work is difficult when you have a little girl at home that you haven't seen all day.
Have no fear spring is finally here! I think we've found a solution. It's not a new solution by any means, but it is new to us. We bought a Bob Revolution jogging stroller. I took it out for a spin last night with my daughter and I think we both had a lot of fun with it. I can now spend time with her and get my run in. No more excuses. I've only had it out once, but I think we'll be getting a lot of use out of it this year! It was fun to watch our little girl wave to people as she rolled by and watch the breeze in her hair.

I want to be healthy for me and my family, but it's hard. I enjoy food so much. I'm out of excuses, and I have 3 more weeks to train for the big 10 mile run in Philly...Wish me luck, gotta Run!

Check out more Fatherhood Friday posts at Dad-Blogs.com!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hey Doug,

I envy your weight loss! I myself am currently 255 pounds..down from 280. I will be using my BOB Revolution as much as possible now. Also, it might be worth noting and telling your fans about Healthy Handles. They attach to the jogging strollers to make the walk/jog/run SO much more comfortable and beter for your body. www.healthyhandles.com or check out the review at http://adventuretykes.com/resources/uncategorized/healthy-handles-review/

I would like to connect with you!