We recently ran a contest & giveaway where we invited you to share your “Fit After Fifty” stories—and we loved hearing what you have to say! After filtering through the submissions, we chose Paul Beals as the winner. We were so inspired by the changes he’s made in his life that have caused other wonderful changes in his health. (We also thought his unique fitness activity was pretty cool!)
Here’s the story he shared with us:
“I am 56 years old in November this year. 5 years ago I was 105 kg. This weekend I was 88 kg. A lot of the weight I have lost was water retention due to me having a heart condition called cardiomyopathy. Other of it was due to inactivity… also due to the heart condition, I guess. I also liked my beer then and used to drink at least one or two cans a day—possibly the cause of the heart condition! I had also been a smoker until 2006 when my youngest son Jonty was born. As soon as my condition had been diagnosed and treated I immediately felt a hundred times better! My cardiologist also told me that I must not drink any more alcohol and I have not touched a drop since August 2011. It was at this time that I started walking, and I enrolled on a number of charity walks for heart charities like BHF and Heart Research. Last year I did a run/walk half marathon—in bare feet! This year I am currently running about 10K a week training for a 10K barefoot run on 4th May. I have not felt this fit since I was in my twenties and my particular joy is being able to walk, run and play outdoors with my eight year old son.”
Finding out about a heart condition is no easy news—and changing your whole lifestyle to help fix that condition is no easy feat! From quitting alcohol & smoking, to getting active and all the way to running a half marathon… BAREFOOT… Paul is an inspiration to all of us! We also love that he took the motivation from having a son, and translated it into making a difference in others’ lives by walking & running for charities.
Thanks to all who entered—and thanks to Paul for sharing your story with us! We’re about to launch another contest that invites you to share your story—so stay tuned into our social media channels!
