Young athletes inspire personal fitness

Week after week I continue to be inspired by these young Platte Valley athletes, whether it be those who participated in football, volleyball, cross-country running or golf. I am always impressed by how they can win so many games, and be so physically active for long periods of time without shutting down from sheer tiredness. Before I moved to Saratoga, I was the complete opposite of these kids. I was kind of lazy and didn’t exercise or eat healthy like I should have. Being the food-loving guy I am, I also ate much more than I should have. I can recall when I used to have a noticeable gut that extended past my belt, or the times I was embarrassed to be seen poolside in nothing but swim trunks. After watching these local kids run three miles with great ease, or compete hard and win home game after home game, I have thought, “Why shouldn’t I try to be as thin, in-shape and physically active as they are?”

For a month now I have been really focusing on how well these Platte Valley kids run, jump, throw, kick or do anything else physical in sports with such ease, so obviously I have felt compelled to want to do the same. The fact they have won nearly every home game I have witnessed is also a big inspiration. After watching our kids stay in such good shape, added with the fact you can get to anywhere in Saratoga by foot, I have felt compelled to start walking more around town to get to the newspaper office, post office, hot pool or wherever else I need to go. I have been running a lot more, especially around the Veteran’s Island path, and I have done a lot more hiking. I have even broken out some of my old exercise equipment that I rarely used, like my wrist weights, ab wheel, push-up bars and Jillian Michaels-brand resistance cord. My small studio house has now become my own private fitness gym.

Another thing that has helped me stay more fit is the lack of any fast-food restaurants providing tons of fat, calories and cholesterol in the Platte Valley. Being a former urbanite once surrounded by every fast-food chain imaginable, I was, and still am in a way, a HUGE sucker for fast-food. Even when it wasn’t lunch or dinner time, I always found myself going through the nearest drive-thru on my way from Point A to Point B, too tempted by the allure of Big Macs, Whoppers or other huge, greasy signature burgers provided by my favorite chains. Of course, I also had to get the extra-value meal with the large salty fries and giant, sugary non-diet Coca-Cola. Around here, there’s obviously not much of a choice when it comes to fast-food. Sure, you can get an incubating burger or other fast-food item at Kum and Go or the Country Store, but it helps that they’re much smaller than the huge burgers found at fast-food joints. It also helps to not have, or even be tempted by, the huge carton of fries and jumbo-sized drink that comes with your average fast-food value meal. A small burger from a convenience store incubator definitely can’t hurt you as much as a huge Big Mac meal from McDonald’s, which I’ll admit I still get a craving for now and again.

So yes, being the sports reporter has once again inspired me to be a better person physically, and appreciate life in a small valley even more. I hope I can stick to my fitness plan even after the fall sports season is over, and not end up driving to Rawlins everyday to fill my continuous Big Mac or Whopper cravings.