Written by Mike Eisenhart, PT (@MikeEisenhart)

I’m really proud to re-post this….it’s a story I’m absolutely ecstatic to have watched unfold over the last few years. It speaks to the reality of our generation….that there are many people out there who are not-acutely ill….but definitely want to be more…to be well. More importantly it speaks to the fact that these same people can ABSOLUTELY take back their health — start with a few Yes, No, Yes, No…..put a high-quality plan into action and then stick with it.

  • Yes, it’s pretty simple (in that it’s not complex)
  • No, it’s definitely not easy (it takes lots of effort)
  • Yes, ANYONE can improve this way.
  • No, it doesn’t happen nearly as fast as the fairy tale being sold on TV

This is a very short version of a steady build….over 5 years…..which culminated in a bunch of really impressive successes along the way.  

It can be done; with proper guidance people find the healthy version of themselves again….and BIG CHANGES can result….even if it happens one yoke at a time.

Way to go Mark!

Mark Cawley, 52 years old (as posted on Facebook – July 12, 2016 @ 9:41PM EST)

MarkFB

Five years ago, I started on a journey that has change my life. Full disclosure – the original goal was to change my lifestyle so I would lose some weight and be healthy again. The picture of me from 5 years ago tells the story of what I saw and realized I needed to change. MarkCawley_OldThe left hand side of the 2 running pics in the blue shirt is from 4 years ago when I completed my first 5 mile race in Spring Lake. 3 years ago, I decided not just to COMPLETE races but to COMPETE in them and asked Eric Eisenhart to train me. That year I set PRs in the Half and 5k and finished my first marathon. A year ago, I decided to take the next step to PERFORM and signed up for Eric’s 6 AM strength and conditioning class at Pro-Activity. The results speak for themselves in the right side (red shirt) of the running pic from this year’s Spring Lake 5. I set PR’s at every distance I ran, including dropping my marathon time from 4:20 to 3:47:30 and lowering my body fat from 18 to 9%.

“It takes a decision….to change your lifestyle”

MarkCawley_Runner

My point of this post isn’t to say “yea me” – it’s that if I can do this, anyone can. To quote Mike Eisenhart (again) – “Ordinary people doing extraordinary things”. It takes a decision, not to diet or exercise, but to change your lifestyle. It also (to quote one of the things I do agree with Hillary on) takes a village. No way I would have done this with out support. At the risk of missing someone…thanks to Eric, Louan and Daniel Minzner, Mike andLindsay Eisenhart, John Weidner, Lou Palma, Frank Batiste, Steve Mruskovic, Connie Fortunato, Kristen Haughey Prendergast, Michelle Webb Cyphers and everyone else at BaseCamp31 and Pro-Activity and to all my FB for putting up with my running posts and liking and comment on them.

Truly, this is transformation.

  • Yes, it can be done 
  • No…body can do it for you
  • Yes, it’s totally worth the effort
  • No, he’s not done yet….and neither are you.

FreeTheYoke!

Mike E.