Ben’s Profile Journey: Conquering the Observation Tower

Hi, Ben here, and I’m embarking on a mission to not be fat when I turn 42. To do that I’ve partnered with Profile by Sanford and I want to take you with me on my journey.

OK, you guys, I have to tell you about an exciting thing that happened the other day. My wife, daughter and I went out to Falls Park in Sioux Falls to check out the Winter Wonderland lights.

Now, in the days pre-Profile an outing like this would have terrified me. Walking around Falls Park with it's slight inclines and it's being more than five feet from my car would have exhausted me. But, a change has come over me.

We got out to the park about 7:00 PM. There was a nice crowd taking in the Christmas lights and music on display at Sioux Falls' namesake. We parked in the lot by the restaurant, got out and walked along the path up to the river. My daughter, ever the daredevil climber, wanted to go along the shore to scale the rocks and get as close to the falling water as possible. So I took her hand and we made our way into the spray; shuffling, jumping and high-stepping. We got close enough to get wet and make mom plenty nervous, so we turned around and made our way to the paved path.

When we got back and started for the bridge, I realised that I was not tired. Just that little bit of moving around used to be all I could take. But, now that I'm well into my Profile journey, I'm finding all sorts of energy in my body.

We crossed the bridge and headed for the observation tower. If you've never been to Falls Park, you need to know that the tower is at the top of a pretty steep hill. In the past, climbing that hill would wind me. I'd try to hide it, but making it to the top would have me gasping and my hear flying. This time, I didn't even notice it! Then we discovered something that Before Profile Ben would have dreaded: the observation tower elevator was out-of-order.

I wasn't about to let my little girl miss out on the part of the evening that she has looked forward to the most, so we hit the stairs. I don't know how many flights of stairs the tower has, somewhere between two and 70, but I think it's closer to eight. We climbed the stairs. After walking around the park and ascending the mighty hill, you my recognize a pattern here, I conquered those stairs with ease. The climb didn't wear me out,, didn't drag me down, or make my insides feel like they were a smoldering garbage fire.

All this energy is a clear benefit of my time with Profile. I am eating better than I have since I was a kid. Reversing the 'garbage in, garbage out' cycle that my body was trapped in. I truly underestimated how much better I would physically feel when I undertook this journey. Profile is making me better.

Keep up with Ben's journey by bookmarking Ben's blog. Got a question or comment? Connect on Twitter or email at ben@hot1047.com.

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