After months of not being able to do anything, because of surgeries to get the cancer out, I was finally ready to get back into shape. I thought it would be easy, since before the surgeries, I was at peak fitness. The last time I ran was for wrestling season, and those runs were long. If I am anything, it’s determined. That has come from lessons that my father has taught me, and my own experiences. The lesson that I carry and will carry for the rest of my life is to bite down on the bullet and get through it. This first run was a kick in the face. I was shooting for two miles, but I barely got home in one piece after a mile. That’s when I knew this journey was not going to be a walk in the park, but what journey is. I’ve found one thing to give me motivation, and it’s all about holding on to that. It has only been 3 weeks since that first run, but I’ve ran consistently no matter pains or aches. I know it doesn’t matter how far I run, but to consistently do it.
Obesity is a rising issue today, especially among the youth. Fast food or healthy food is way more accessible or intriguing than healthier food options. If the problem isn’t dealt with effectively, how big will the problem become? It is often seen as okay, or a thing that no one should judge. Someone should be able to judge if you are able to give healthy criticism, and not spout hate or negative criticism. Research shows that being healthy not only comes from physical fitness, but also a good diet. Most fitness coaches have come to a consensus that hard work is key, and a positive attitude is needed. Everyone wants to be fit, but some don’t want to put in the work it takes to achieve it. All it takes is a little motivation and a little self confidence to achieve people’s goals. We need to put more knowledge out there for some people who may not know what kind of diet to go on, or what workouts to do if they are barely starting out.
Figure 2 A graph of a range of ages with male and female percentages. The spike of obesity comes between ages 40-59 (menshealth.com).
"After everything is said and done, the only thing a man has is his word.” This is what my father has instilled in his boys. My subject for “Faces of Imperial” is going to be my father, Mark Benedict. This man does it all. He’s able to fix all things around the house, pay for everything, and most importantly, make time for his children and wife. For the past 20 years he’s worked as a border patrol agent. He has always made sure to teach his kids to not have to rely on anyone, and teach us how to think for ourselves. One mindset of his that I’d like to share, is that, no matter what life throws at you, to bite down and get through it. No matter what adversity, no matter what challenge, you can get through it and nothing can beat you. There is no specific time or memory that can fit this writing. Everything he does is an example of the lessons he has taught his children. It didn’t matter if I asked him to run 8 miles with me to lose weight, right after he had just worked 9 hours, or after getting 4 hours of sleep. He never said no, because he knew I had a goal in mind and he wanted to help me achieve it.
My dad is the most important person to me. He has taught me almost everything I know, and the rules I live by are the rules and lessons he taught me. This matters to me, because it is important to me as a young man to be able to get through anything life throws at me. He leads by example, and the man, father, and husband he is, is who I want to be. No man is perfect, but he sure is close to it. Physical fitness has been a heavy topic for the past decade, especially in America. Obesity is a major problem in America, and it will continue to be a problem unless the individual starts making changes.
Many articles and essays have been written about the best way to get physically fit and what diet to go on. This topic affects all ages and is pursued by billions. There is no one answer for all this, yet some are better than others. Ed Davis wrote an informative yet lighthearted article in the New Pittsburgh Courier. One of his opening statements is, “Habitual exercisers are created, not born” (Davis 7). This statement is severely overlooked. It means that no one is born a hard worker, there is no easy way to get anything. Everyone has to work for all the things they achieve, and most do not have it naturally. In fitness, most people want it to come easy, and don’t want to have to put in the hard work for the results they want. This brings readers to a hard reality of what they have to do in order to get to their goal.
My father has always been big on working out, and getting fit. He is a federal agent, and works out there. Yet, he is always for working out at home with his family. One night, it was only us working out, and I decided to ask why he loves to work out. He gave me an answer I was not expecting. He started off by explaining his childhood, and all the hardships he went through. My father was the small one in his family, the youngest, the smallest, and he’d get bullied by his older brother. He told me he was 5’7 and one hundred and thirty pounds his senior year. The more he explained, the more that I understood his passion. He told me, ”Hardships are the greatest motivators. You need to take those moments, and don’t let them break you. Life doesn’t get easier, you just get stronger.” This sunk deep within me, because life is not easy and he knows all the hardships that I have been through in this short time that I have been on this earth; cancer and injuries. As we are talking, I see in his eyes that he is reliving those moments. He told me that things started to change for him when he was in the military and deployed. “There wasn’t much action, and all there was to do was to lift weights.” He gained 40 pounds of muscle, and by the time he got home, his brother couldn’t bully him anymore. He was no longer the small scared kid. This was something that I could relate to. We were both the youngest of our families, bullied by our older siblings, and having the need to grow.
This was the first time that my father opened up to me, but he knew that I needed to hear his story. “Don’t let situations define you. You have to define the situations. Nothing has control over you except yourself.” He told me that when he was in his early twenties, that he was his own motivator. He wanted to get better for himself. Now, his motivators and heroes are his children. “I want my children to look at me, and see how much they can achieve through hard work. I was never smart, so I had to work and work and work.” That night, my father made sure that I saw a different side of him. He wanted me to have motivation, and to hold on to that.
After months of not being able to do anything, because of surgeries to get the cancer out, I was finally ready to get back into shape. I thought it would be easy, since before the surgeries, I was at peak fitness. The last time I ran was for wrestling season, and those runs were long. If I am anything, it’s determined. That has come from lessons that my father has taught me, and my own experiences. The lesson that I carry and will carry for the rest of my life is to bite down on the bullet and get through it. This first run was a kick in the face. I was shooting for two miles, but I barely got home in one piece after a mile. That’s when I knew this journey was not going to be a walk in the park, but what journey is. I’ve found one thing to give me motivation, and it’s all about holding on to that. It has only been 3 weeks since that first run, but I’ve ran consistently no matter pains or aches. I know it doesn’t matter how far I run, but to consistently do it. My father was not going to let getting older get in the way of staying fit, and physically active. He knew it was going to be harder, since he was getting older. His bones aren’t the same, and neither is his body. My father knew within himself that he would have to be consistent with his workouts, and his eating habits. Although his diet has never been bad, because of an unexpected heart attack years ago, snacking has always been his weak point. All of this was consistent with my research about getting fit at an older age.
This I Believe: To my father, his motivation comes from within and from his kids. To be a good role model for anyone in his life, his kids, his wrestlers, coworkers, and family members. Even with his busy schedule of being a father, husband, coach, worker, he'll find time to load up the same weights on the same bar that he has had for over 20 years. The bar helps him stay grounded, and to stay true to the process. He knows there are no shortcuts when it comes to anything in life, and that you have to go through the trenches to see the light.
Work Cited
Davis, Ed. "`SAY WHAT?': Enriching Lifestyle through Physical Fitness." New Pittsburgh Courier, Jan 23, 1993, pp. A-7. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.imperial.edu/docview/368180388?accountid=38876. Accessed 16 Sep. 2020.
Bryant, Milo. Fitness c. "Physical Fitness Adds Quality to Life." The Gazette, Jul 19, 2004, pp. LIFE1. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.imperial.edu/docview/268254762?accountid=38876. Accessed 16 Sep. 2020.
Buch, Linda. "Body Language: Advice on Physical Fitness from a Personal Trainer."Oakland Tribune, Oct 20, 2008. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.imperial.edu/docview/352362201?accountid=38876. Accessed 16 Sep. 2020.
"Physical Fitness; Reports from National Chin Yi University of Technology Describe Recent Advances in Physical Fitness (Evaluating the Performance of Physical Fitness by Statistical Inference of Physical Fitness Index)." Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, Jan 13, 2018, pp. 176. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.imperial.edu/docview/1984594824?accountid=38876. Accessed 29 Oct.
"Physical Fitness; New Physical Fitness Findings from Louisiana State University Discussed (Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, and Health-Related Quality of Life in School-Aged Children)." Education Letter, May 04, 2016, pp. 134. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.imperial.edu/docview/1784886907?accountid=38876. Accessed 29 Oct. 2020.