The team at Getting Fat & Going Broke/The Fat & Broke Podcast is excited to announce a new feature to our blog posting schedule: Stories From the Fat & Broke Tribe. Once a month, we will feature a post from a friend, family member, reader, and/or listener that chronicles their own personal journeys and struggles with health, wellness, money, or any of the things we talk about here or on our podcast. It is tough to write something like this and share it with the world, so we thank those willing to contribute. These stories will help us build a stronger community of people trying to be Better Every Day through honesty and accountability to each other and ourselves.
This week, we feature our friend and co-worker, Chris Urato. Chris has been on his own personal journey to find a balance between his health and life enjoyment. We have seen Chris grow and make many changes over the past few years. In this post, Chris chronicles the effects that regular exercise has had on his life. Enjoy!
Exercise Makes Everything Better
Hello all! I am here to admit one thing: I love food! But, also, I love feeling good too. Finding that balance has always been extremely difficult for me. Take it from a fatty/slightly less fatty: I never knew how bad I was until I got better. My diet and exercise routine has seen more yo-yos than Shu Takada. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit when I found more consistency. My co-workers and I canceled our gym memberships at this time (I was mostly donating to mine) and started working out together during our lunch break. Being held accountable for my workouts is exactly what I needed. Since being held accountable and working out regularly, here are the biggest improvements I have experienced in my life:
Mood Enhancer
Night and day difference! Hands down, you want to boost your mood? Exercise and eat right! Mental fog, fatigue, lack of drive/motivation/ambition, you name it, I experienced it regularly. If I eat like shit, I feel like shit. Simple. If I don’t exercise, I feel shitty. Simple. For me, this is motivation enough. I have two young daughters (3 and 1) that I want to have the drive and energy to play with and not just plop them in front of a TV or device because I’m tired. The mental improvement that diet and exercise has provided me is motivation enough to keep going.
Physical Booster
Diet and exercise have provided me with a total boost in confidence. When I was fat, I kept buying baggier clothes because I became so self-conscious of how I looked and felt in clothes. My man boobs got so big my newborn daughter tried to feed off them. In hindsight, I had no right to be shirtless in the first place. Nobody wants to see that. Listen, my boobs got so big, I cat-called myself. I’ve dropped weight now and have toned up, and I feel so much better. There’s still a lot of work to do, but I’m heading in the right direction, and that itself feels good. Now, I’m buying more fitted clothing. I’m walking taller. I feel better. Again, this has provided me with enough motivation to keep it going.
Sexual Drive
Listen, I’m no roided out Peter but still, not too bad in this department since living a healthier lifestyle.
Just overall more awesomeness
I have more energy to play with my kids. I’m generally more motivated and accomplished during the day. My mental fog is clearing which helps in all aspects of life. My baseline self likes to make people laugh, be witty, have meaningful conversations with people. I felt like my old self was fading away as I became fatter. I became more withdrawn. Exercise has brought new life to my personality. I can’t stress it enough. A healthier lifestyle makes every day better. Don’t get me wrong, life still has its challenges, but your overall wellbeing allows you to address these challenges in life more efficiently and with more confidence.
Challenge to self
My goal now is to exercise 5-6 days a week with a moderately good diet. Yeah, that’s right! I said moderately! How do I know that this works? Because I’m living it! Moderation is key, and honestly, I am still learning it, but at one point in 2019, when I was training for a half marathon, I lost 40 pounds while still being able to have pizza night on Friday and have some social drinks (again, moderation) on the weekend. My training has changed since, and so too did my diet. I’m still learning what works for me, and I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but I’m on the right track to figuring it out. The key is to have your cheat night (mine is usually pizza and a beer or two) but right back to eating cleaner the next day. Eating clean should be consistent because there is no way you can out-train a poor diet. Believe me, I know.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story, and good luck to everyone on their journey! It’s not easy, but it is rewarding!
Stay healthy, be well, and enjoy life.
Chris
The post Stories From the Fat & Broke Tribe | Chris Urato | Exercise Makes Everything Better appeared first on The Fat & Broke Podcast.
