How I Can Choose to Change
I am an outdoor loving, animal loving husband and father of 2 daughters. In 2005, I found that I had been on a downward trend health wise, experiencing a feeling of pressure in my chest stemming from coronary artery disease. I wasn’t young and I wasn’t old, but here I was. Fortunately, I was given the diagnosis before I suffered any damage, and remained under the care of a cardiologist after a procedure that relieved the symptoms. I also had become moderately overweight, but until a diagnosis of being pre-diabetic, I wasn’t aware of the repercussions of my declining health. Time to change some habits.
I was introduced to a program designed to guide each individual through lifestyle adjustments to combat the onset of diabetes. The program consisted of tracking the amount of fat grams being consumed, assessing what to discontinue, considering healthy alternatives, and developing awareness to the portions being eaten. All of this was a means toward a balance between diet and activity.
This was my opportunity to take control of my physical health. I started to plan for small, doable actions I could document. Plans could guide my decisions on how to initiate better habits. I implemented exercise to increase my stamina. After 6 weeks of making and tracking the adjustments, I saw encouraging results that allowed me to continue with the process I started. My body didn’t always stay pain free as it tried to adjust to this process, so I had to learn to help support areas with a knee strap, compression socks, and in some cases work out the arthritic kinks little by little.
Now after 2 years of following this course of action, I enjoy excellent fitness and I am thankful I could still choose options for a healthy future.
The results I receive from running keep me ready to put my effort into staying active. I experience a feeling of well-being which I believe stems from a deeper breathing, and better cell regeneration in muscles, organs, and my brain. The time spent on my running routes can be shared with another person, such as my wife, or a friend, a group with runners of different pace ability, or just myself taking inventory for my growth. I’ve run in a couple competitive races, but I prefer keeping myself accountable with the Moon Jogger community.
Biography
Curtis McKitrick
Age 64
Occupation – Electronic Test Engineer
B.S. Electronic Engineering Technology
Hobbies – member of local running club, Model train enthusiast
