Q: Why do you want FLIP?
A: My motivation right now has to be my age. I am still young enough that I feel I should maintain a high level of activity. Not to say that age won’t be a factor my entire life but I have a goal where I want to look into the mirror and say, “this is the best I have ever felt in my life.” And if I am lucky enough to stay healthy, I will continue saying that the rest of my life.
Q: Tell me more about the mindset shift that you have gone through and why that has been important?
A: For me to be successful at this, I had to make a total lifestyle change. This meant I had to learn to say no to a lot of things that I typically could not say no to and then convince myself to say yes to a healthy lifestyle that I really never had before. And saying no is so much harder than it should be.
Q: What has been the biggest challenge along the way? And what kind of challenges do you run into on the day to day?
A: The biggest hurdle has been to maintain a high level of motivation. Every day is still a chess game with me. There are many habits that I still struggle with, such as: over-indulging, under-eating, and a consist schedule for meals.
Q: Have those challenges deterred your progress?
A: There have been days where I could do better but I have stayed committed to my cause.
Q: What changes have you made?
A: The main change has been diet. I say no to lots of things that I use to indulge in and have replaced them with healthier options. My gradual and more consistent change has been regular exercise. I stopped letting myself talk me out of going for that run or finishing the extra set of sit-ups.
Q: What advice do you have for our readers, searching for the motivation and determination to live a thriving and preventative lifestyle?
A: Don’t quit. No matter how discouraged you get, how tired you feel, or if there seems to be no time. It’s your health and your well-being that you need to take control of, because even with how crazy life can be, the one thing we can have at least some say in is our mental and physical health. And I’ll put five on that.
“Everyday Athlete, John Oyer” – From FLIP’s blog series featuring everyday athletes, fighters, parents, and cancer preventers. – Carl Seiley