Welcome to another article in the U-Kandu Inspiration series, celebrating someone who embodies the spirit of the U-Kandu Way and keeps me inspired and motivated with their spirit of character. Today's post is about a very good friend of mine, Jason, and his voyage to freedom through fitness.
I first met Jason when I was working in the City of London. At the time, he was battling personal problems that lowered his self-esteem and left him overweight due to excessive eating, smoking and drinking. As a result, he had no interest whatsoever in a healthy lifestyle. Now, 9 years on, he is slimmer, fitter, doesn’t smoke or drink, and spends most of his free time enjoying the fresh air.
Jason has completed numerous cycling events such as London to Paris (3 times, no less!), Paris to Nice, Geneva to Nice across the Alps (again, 3 times!), Venice to Geneva across the Dolomites, and Barcelona to Biarritz across the Pyrenees. He’s also completed a number of ultra-endurance events, the largest being a 210 mile cycle around the base of Mont Blanc in a day, traversing 9 mountains in three countries. On foot, he has completed four marathons; Dublin, Paris, (twice!) and London. In September 2017, he came fifth out of 240 people who completed a 50km walk across Dartmoor in a DAY. These are just a few of the events he has completed. Not bad for someone who was obese less than 10 years ago.
For Jason, being outdoors and completing events isn’t something he does because he wants a certain body fat percentage, or to be at a certain weight. Those things are a happy side effect. Enjoying the outdoors is a way of life. It keeps him healthy, both physically and mentally. Through his cycling, he has become part of a community, who help each other realise their potential when the going gets tough. Perhaps most wonderful of all, is that he does most of these events with his equally inspirational wife, and they enjoy the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and physical improvement together.
Jason began his journey towards a healthier lifestyle as many people do. He simply wanted to lose weight. But as he continued along the path of weight loss, he discovered that he wasn’t driven by numbers on a scale. He began to enjoy how good he felt physically after every spin session. He began to believe that he could train to run a marathon. He realised that he loves being outdoors in the fresh air, and gradually began to see himself in a positive way. He began to see himself as someone who could proudly attend cycling events, accepting his starting point and dedicating himself to improving his technique, and fitness. He started to recognise his self worth, and to believe that he deserved some self -love.
He took the leap and discovered his freedom through fitness. With enough patience, self love, and effort, you can do it too.
