Wellness

Me on Google Maps
on Street View at
almost 300lbs in 2011

This is a short story about my personal journey in wellness that discusses family, physical activity, technology, and how to stay accountable to yourself and others.

Spotted on Google Maps

Finding wellness was more challenging than finding me on Google Streets. What I found was my wellness took a second seat when it came to my work and raising two children with my spouse. What I didn't realize was my two young children were more influenced in my choices then I intended; although I instilled a good work ethic and kindness, I didn't role model physical wellness well. Weighing just under 300 pounds (136 kg) in my early to mid 40s, I saw that my children had a fixed mindset that this "heaviness" or being "non-athletic" was who we were. It was something that needed to be changed. The picture of me on the right is me on Google Maps Street View at my heaviest.

Asking for help can lead to intervention

Being unhealthy became such a concern and overwhelming, I needed help. To respect the privacy of my family and without going into too much detail, we explored together nutrition and a growth mindset on wellness through a reputable organization. With support from a kind friend and neighbor, it gave the initial spark I needed to return to physical activity and different eating habits.

Take your time

Developing new habits was a slow process. The advantage of making incremental changes to routines and nutrition helped me avoid injury and set backs. It also slowly rekindled my childhood love of biking and swimming. These interests also lead to finding fantastic friends who encouraged and supported me to this transformation. I still remember the day I was invited to go for a 100 km ride with them. I dusted off my vintage road bike (1988 Miele SLX Columbus with Campagnolo Athena group set) and didn't look back.

Being a Geek as an Athlete

Using technology is part of the equation too. Curious about how technology could help, I learned how fitness trackers and apps can inform me with my nutrition and fitness. Fitness trackers help with seeing improvement over time that is not easily noticeable. I found the fitness trackers measured incremental changes in my activities, illustrating improvement over time that may not be seen physically or even mentally. (Ever feel so tired and think your perceived exercised effort is horrible? With a tracker, these activities more than once showed improvement).

2019 Niagara Falls Barrelman
Half Ironman Triathlon
Realistic goals and moderation

My sister-in-law, in her wellness journey, introduced me to an app called Fitness Pal via social media. Fitness Pal tracks nutrition, specifically macros and micronutrients, and for those concerned about calories, it can optionally connect with fitness tracking to help with managing caloric totals. I used Fitness Pal for a year and return to it every once in a while to ensure my eating habits are realistic. Our family loves food and the app gives me a good picture on my eating habits with an understanding of how my body responds to what I eat. There are many other great apps as well, my advice is to see what your connections are using and see if you can use it to support one another.

Becoming a Triathlete

I never fathomed that my journey would have such a positive impact with family and those around me. It was unexpected and rewarding. Many many people helped me along the way. The biggest thing for me is "the power of invitation". Those I casually cycled with, suggested the idea of doing a triathlon. I never ever thought in my life of being a long distance runner... the juxtaposition of my body type and doing long distances was foreign to me but interesting and anomalous enough for me to try.

And years later at Ironman California 2022, Mike Reilly, "the official Voice of IRONMAN worldwide and a member of the IRONMAN Hall of Fame, the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame and the Running USA Hall of Champions, is the only person to have been inducted into all three" (mikereilly.net) called my name as I crossed the finish line, "Remember you did it. You are now an IRONMAN, Jonathan."

IRONMAN California 2022