Saturday, June 7, 2014

Some Visible Progress



















In the late Summer of 2013, I began having night coughs that kept me awake. By December, those coughs had turned into a real struggle to even breath. I was two-hundred and five pounds, way heavier than I'd ever been in my life. I tried to exercise every day, but I couldn't really work my muscles before my breath let out, and I'd find myself coughing and throwing up just to walk a few simple blocks. All of this is documented on video on the FMK channel.

Seeking medical assistance, I was diagnosed with asthma, and through a series of blood tests I learned that I'm allergic to several common food ingredients, including wheat, egg whites, and peanuts. With the help of a dietary change, some control medication, and just sticking with as much training as I could handle, my health has rapidly rebounded. Now, six months later, I'm losing the fat, I'm able to run for an hour at a time to exhaust my muscles without ever losing breath, and I've started to gather a crew together for regular martial arts and fitness sessions in my basement kwoon.

I don't know why I got sick. It seems so strange, after forty, to suddenly develop allergies and such a serious asthmatic condition. Sometimes there are no easy explanations, and bad things can just happen out of the blue. I think there are a lot of people who would have probably given up training when they found themselves puking every day, and just focused on the medication alone. But I really doubt my health would have rebounded the way it did without daily training. To me, this is part of what the martial arts is about. It is a weapon to wield against disease and deteriorating health. I'm sure this won't be my last such battle. This is only the first time I have had to put my art to use.

4 comments:

  1. I'm very glad that you found out more about your body and have learned to move forward towards greater health. This is what the Martial Arts is really about, healing and greater health towards longevity. Awesome before and after picture.

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  2. Glad your health is getting better, and you have made a big transformation great job

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  3. Wow, Ryan. That is a great transformation. I was also wondering where you were too. I have not seen you in a long time.

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