Exercise and Fitness Forum

by Ronda Einbinder

Geoff Wolf was one of ?those people? who claimed there was not enough time in a day to exercise. Between running the family business with his father and brother and raising two young kids, exercise was never a priority. But since losing 180 pounds after Dr. Norbert Richardson performed his January 2005 Roux-en-Y surgery, Geoff is now ?that person? who tells others they need to make the time for exercise because exercise for Geoff is now a way of life.

It was in 2004, after visiting the family doctor, that 34-year-old Geoff realized he needed to make drastic changes in his life or his children would grow up without their father. The doctor said, ?you are on high blood pressure medication, anti-depressants and your blood sugar is out of control. You will be dead by the time you reach your forties.? Geoff said, ?The thought of my kids going through their lives without their Daddy is too unbelievable.? After countless unsuccessful diets, and spending a few months researching weight loss surgery, Geoff knew what he needed to do to get his health back. ?My insurance company would not cover the surgery,? Geoff said. ?I paid for the surgery myself and it was the best money I ever spent.?

It did not take long for Geoff?s determination and positive attitude to guide him to success. Always embarrassed to walk into a gym at his highest weight of 350, Geoff knew that his commitment to health needed to include exercise. ?I became an expert at using the tool [of WLS] that I got,? he explained. ?I learned all the good things and all the bad things. I did not want to go to the gym because people at the gym are fit and they look at you funny. I drove to the neighborhood YMCA and walked up to the desk and said I want to join. I did not want a tour of the facility, I just wanted to join and leave.?

Weighing 300 pounds at the time, Geoff was not ready to run. ?I had never really been in a gym before and I did not know what to do,? said Geoff. ?I found my way up the stairs to the fitness room and looked at the machines and said, ?Okay, I can work a treadmill?you just press start.? I started pressing buttons and decided I would walk a mile. I did not make the mile that first day, and was sore the next day, but I still went back.?

And back again he went. In the beginning, Geoff faithfully went to the gym three times a week, taking weekends off. ?I was so proud of myself when I walked a mile on the treadmill,? he recalled with pride. ?I was feeling better every day. I made my exercise program a little harder every week. I made the distance further, or set the incline a little higher, and challenged myself week to week going a little further.?

After weeks of this routine, Geoff decided he had lost enough weight and realized that walking was only going to get him so far. ?I had a lot of plateaus and set-backs, but every day I got back in the gym and tried a little bit harder than the day before,? he explained. ?I then started running a mile on the treadmill. The weight came off fast.?

The ?new? Geoff was now recognizable at the St. Louis, Missouri, YMCA.  ?I became known as the guy who lost all the weight,? he said. ?A lot of people were cheering me on. It felt very good being that guy.?  A friend at the Y told Geoff about an indoor triathlon that would soon be held at the gym. ?It had only been 13 months since I joined the gym, and I did not know what a triathlon was,? Geoff said. ?He told me it was like an Ironman but shorter. I thought, I am already running, I know how to swim and I have taken some spinning classes. I did my first [triathlon] and did pretty well. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I knew from that day forward that this was something I wanted to do.?

Relatively new to exercise, Geoff did not own a bike. ?The next thing I knew I was buying a bike and spent the next summer bike racing with friends,? he said. ?I signed up for every triathlon race within 50 miles of St. Louis. I then went back to the bike shop and bought a triathlon bike.?

Geoff had become obsessed with the races. The half-Ironman at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, was the next step for Geoff. ?I brought the whole family to Florida and finished the race in five hours,? he said. ?The race ran right through the resorts. My kids thought this was the greatest thing ever. It brings the family element back in, and we stayed there for an additional five days.?

That would only be the beginning for Geoff, who completed 11 triathlons in 2007. ?I qualified for the USAT (United States of America Triathlon) National Championship that took place outside of St. Louis,? Geoff said. ?That was the biggest race of my life and it was tough. It was the pinnacle of everything, so now I am turning towards the Ironman, which will be held in Wisconsin in September 2008.?

With training beginning as early as 5 a.m. on some days and exercising through his lunch break, Geoff?s life now revolves around exercise instead of exercise revolving around him. The ?new? Geoff is running circles around ?old? Geoff. ?My wife loves the new Geoff,? he said. ?New Geoff cleans the house and has energy and wants season passes to Six Flags. My wife is a trooper and knows that exercise is something that I have to do.?

What would ?new? Geoff tell ?old? Geoff? ?If you only knew what you were missing. If you only had an idea of how good life can be,? he said. ?When I started all of this, who knew an athlete was hiding in me? I have a goal now to compete in Ironman, and I know what I need to do every day for the next few months.?

Geoff says it is somewhat bittersweet crossing the finish line, but then he just looks around for another racing challenge. ?I hope someday I will compete in Kona [Hawaii] in the World Championship. That is the goal of every triathlete.?

April 2008