Marcus Brown, 61, struggled to walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. He had always carried extra weight, but it began to cause lower-back pain, and for an entire year, walking was a challenge. Now, a few years later, he chooses to start each day with a five-mile walk.
Around the time of the wedding, his doctor warned him that if he didn’t lose weight and get his blood pressure, A1C, and other health markers into a healthy range, he would be at risk for obesity-related health complications.
Brown had spent the past 40 years pouring into his family and his business — a local computer service company that he runs along with his wife and daughter. He didn’t think much about his health.
“I’ve always put my family and business first, and that’s been very successful. However, I wasn’t successful with my weight and with my health,” Brown says. “My blood pressure was through the roof, and I was sitting there worried about computers and data.”
Determined to be healthy, Brown decided to start prioritizing his health.
“I want to be there for my family, but I knew I couldn’t do it without first taking care of myself,” Brown says. “I want to be able to see my grandson graduate from college and see him have a life. And I just want to be around.”
He started working out every day, twice a day, eating for fuel, drinking more water, and getting adequate sleep.
“I couldn’t wait to get to the gym,” Brown says. “And when I started working hard toward being healthier, I started getting different results.”
Brown added a morning walk in July and has done it for more than 100 days straight now. Even though he had already been working out for a few years, he noticed he felt better after the first month of walking.
“Over the next 30 days, I got stronger,” he says. “Then I became committed. I can’t do anything until I get out and walk.”
Walking drastically helped his journey. In addition to losing 100 pounds, Brown has more energy for work, his family, and even 18 holes of golf on the weekend.
“If I’m working overtime or on a big project, I don’t get tired,” Brown says. “It’s so rewarding to have the energy to do the work you need to do. You really can have a better life once you start prioritizing your health.”
Brown’s fitness journey has empowered him to face new obstacles with a can-do attitude.
“Things are challenging for me, but it’s also doable because I’ve already done the hardest thing,” he says. “I got myself in a healthy state, where I not only can help myself, but I can help others.”
Brown shares his fitness journey on his Facebook page (@marcus.brown.90813), where he hopes to inspire others to put their health first to live a fuller life.
“It’s not just about me, me, me,” Brown says. “It’s about other people getting motivated by what I did for me, and that’s a blessing. I was able to do it because I saw other people doing it for themselves first.”
By Maya Smith
Photo by Tindall Stephens
