My father was forty-seven when he experienced his first heart attack. At eighteen years old, I hadn’t realized how young my father actually was. At that time, the doctors told him there were several blockages in his heart, and he needed bypass surgery.  In those days (1979), bypass surgery took around fourteen hours, and the risk was high for not surviving. Fortunately, my father recovered and returned to work for a while longer.  

My father’s doctors advised him to lose weight, stop smoking, and reduce his stress. You would think a heart attack scare and surgery would make you change your habits or behavior. 

For my father, this was not the case.  He was able to get the diet under control, losing twenty-five pounds. He added lots of exercise to his daily activities, which included lots of yard work.  Unfortunately, the cigarette addiction had a strong hold. Most would have called him a chain smoker!  The more the doctors talked about his quitting cigarettes, the more he smoked. He spent the next 20 years of his life, enduring multiple surgeries and procedures until they could not unclog him, as they say. He experienced a massive stroke at 78 years old, which was his passing. 

This all had an actual effect on my lifestyle. This is where I was scared straight… making an instant change to my lifestyle.  I was twenty-two years old,  already facing weight problems after the birth of my son. I also smoked, hoping it would keep the weight off, which didn’t work. 

My first step was to quit smoking, which  I replaced with running. Visiting the local high school track every day after work, I started walking and ultimately turned to running. To keep my focus, I set my sights on a local 10-K event that year. Little did I know this would become a big part of my life. I placed second in that race in my age category. (OK, so there were only 2 people in my age category, a win is a win! I earned my bragging rights!) I was so inspired, I knew exercise was going to be a lifelong choice. 

My love for exercise turned to the local fitness center, which quickly turned into a part-time career teaching group exercise.  

My father spent thirty years working in senior management at Monsanto. In 1980, studies were launched suggesting that the employees were all facing the same health issues. These studies implied the employees were subject to toxins that could be causing issues like Cancer, Carotid Artery Disease, Kidney Disease, etc Nothing ever came of those allegations and studies while he was alive.  Now, 30 years later, we all know the dangers of   Monsanto...