Sometimes all we need is a little motivation to make drastic changes in our lives, and that’s exactly what Michael Hearn needed to make the lifestyle changes needed for a better life. health.
Michael, who is almost 60 today, recently told his story to Men’s Health magazine, but he was overweight when he decided to do something about it. One night he watched a documentary about ultra runners and after that there was no looking back. Michael became obsessed with running and today he takes it easy with a half marathon of over 21 kilometers at a time.
I had gained 200 kilos
“When I was 55, I weighed 200 kilos. Every movement, however insignificant, proved difficult for me and I spent practically all my time at home or in the office. It was a challenge to leave the house because I didn’t want people to see my condition.”
Michael does not hide the fact that obesity is difficult to deal with in today’s judgmental society. It’s easy to get carried away with high-calorie foods, and he points out that a tall glass of soda at restaurants like McDonalds costs almost the same as a small drink.
Michael says when he celebrated his 55th birthday in November 2018, he realized time was running out.
Michael contacted a doctor and after several visits and interviews he was deemed suitable for bypass surgery. He then lost 25-30 pounds and started doing light exercises. A few months after the operation, he saw a documentary about an ultra-runner, which gave him great motivation to go running himself.
“The film pushed me to put pressure on myself by setting goals – goals that I would have thought impossible to achieve at one point.”
Completed 28 half marathons
Michael says that at first he could run several hundred meters at a time. With practice and the right gear, good running shoes and supportive socks included, the distances slowly started to increase.
Then he socialized himself, so to speak, and created an Instagram page where he allowed friends and family to follow the races. He specifies that it is easier to get up at four in the morning to go out for a run if you have already told your loved ones that it is on the agenda.
It’s an understatement to say that about two years after the operation, Michael had lost 200 pounds and was in a running shape that some people can only dream of.
“Today I am a completely different person, but at the same time I am aware that I was lucky that my obesity did not cause serious damage,” he says, adding that he is also aware that he needs to keep exercising to keep the weight under control.
Michael has already completed 28 half marathons and completed his first full marathon last fall. “My goal over the next five years is to complete 100 half marathons in all 50 states in the United States,” he concludes, but as of last fall he had completed 28 such races in 18 states.
