4 Tips to Mastering Fitness from a Guy Who Donated His Kidney to His Father
Today marks my four-year anniversary where I donated my kidney to my father. Being active and living a healthier lifestyle has always been important to me because I believe a healthy life is a wealthy life. On December 21st, 2013, my father was diagnosed with level 4 kidney failure due to an unknown virus. The sudden dreadful news nearly shattered my family’s joy for the holidays. Seven months later, on July 31st, 2014, I successfully donated my kidney to my father and prolong his time with us. My father’s condition motivated me to lead a healthier lifestyle that would ultimately affect how I value my mind and body. The physical and mental preparation for surgery influenced me to build Jeremy Colon Enterprises. My crippling experiences have empowered me to motivated other people to lead healthier lifestyles, it is my passion and what I believe to be my calling.
Fitness can be tricky but have no fear, it’s totally possible to master your fitness. Here are some tips I’ve used to prepare me for the surgery I had four years ago that will make a difference in your life since it made a difference for my father and me.
1. Decide Your Goals
Fitness is important and crucial to staying healthy and feeling good, but everyone has their own individual goals! It’s important to outline your goals first so you have something to actively work towards. My Goals was to lose 40 pounds between January and July so I could be in the best shape of my life for my father. Do you want to lose weight? Gain strength? Run faster? Whatever your goal may be, setting that goal allows you to set smaller goals and milestones on the way there which can be highly motivating!
2. Pick a Routine
Once you’ve decided on a goal, it’ll be a little bit easier to pick a routine. There are tons of resources for getting into fitness from home. Examples include but are not limited to: YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, or even workout routine books from Amazon! When I made the decision to donate my kidney to my father, I decided to do cardio conditioning in the morning for 30–45 minutes and Strength Training at night after classes were over. Depending on what your goal is, you’ll probably be able to find videos geared towards your goal on YouTube at the very least. The opportunities online are endless!
3. Add it to Your Schedule
The hardest part of mastering fitness is getting your work out in every day. If you don’t write it down somewhere or put it on your calendar, it will never happen. The easiest way to make sure you stay on track with your fitness is by scheduling time for it! I had the day of the surgery in my calendar as a constant reminder that I needed to work my ass off 3–5 times a week! Whether you wake up early before work, get in your work out before bed, or even just utilize days off for fitness, it’s important to make time for it if you want to achieve your goals!
4. Have an Accountability Group
When you are working out, it can be easy to get complacent and slack off because nobody’s watching. Find an accountability group on Facebook or have friends and family keep you accountable and motivated! This is also a great way to connect with people who share similar goals and motivation! When I told my friends that I was donating my kidney to my father, not only were they shocked but I asked them to check in with my on the days I worked out to make sure I was keeping up with it. Reminders are key! We live in a society where so many things go in and out of our minds.
Thank you for reading!
