My Turning Point

That Moment

That Moment you WAKE UP

And realize you need a change.

We’ve All had one of the moments. We’ve all woken up and said, “No, I can’t do this anymore”. Regardless of the reason we have all said this about something in our lives.

Lynn Bruner shares that moment with us here. That moment when he realized he couldn’t continue on his current path. So instead he took the next fork in the road and found Bonza Bodies Small Group Fitness Studio, located in downtown Denver at 1800 Glenarm, and decided to participate in the Bonza Bodies 50 Day Total Body Transformation.

My Turning Point

So, I was having a bit of difficulty in finding my “turning point moment”. For those of you that aren’t sure what a turning point moment is, it is that point in time, where you realize what you’ve been doing isn’t okay anymore and you really want to change. I found my “turning point moment” while looking through some pictures and trying to find a “before” picture for last July’s Total Body Transformation with Bonza Bodies Fitness Studio (yes I procrastinated, but just a little). I managed to pull off a win during that challenge by losing 33.2 pounds and dropping 5.5% body fat, but back to my moment… So I’m looking through pictures and here are the ones that I took on a hiking trip with my brother back in 2010.

 

Now, beyond the easily understandable, “Whoa, is that a sweat stain?”, reaction that this picture has gotten, there it is. My moment. It happened right there, sitting on that rock and looking down at the valley. I realized at that moment I wasn’t nearly in the physical condition that I thought I was in, much less where I wanted to be. I was borderline dehydrated (genius call on the beer that you can see in the background, by the way). I really felt like if that trip had taken ten more minutes, I might’ve passed out, or had a heart attack right there. And that’s not the half of it.

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This hiking adventure took place on Father’s day, near Deckers, CO, and the purpose was one that made me keenly aware of my mortality. My brother and I hiked to the top of that mountain to put my father’s ashes up there. My father died at age 58 from complications due to congestive heart failure as well as other fairly serious heart problems. In this picture I am 38 years old. At that time, my two children were 5 and 3.

At that moment, I knew I couldn’t keep doing what I had been. I was in worse shape than my father had been when he was 38, and I could clearly see where this lifestyle was taking me, if I continued on that path. I wasn’t just out of shape, I was cheating my wife and kids out of the only thing that I can give them that no one else can… me.

So here I am, sitting there, breathing hard and being mad at my dad for not doing the things that he needed to do. Then it dawns on me that neither am I. I promised myself at that moment that I was not going to keep walking down that path anymore.

Since that moment, I have been improving. Sometimes in hitches and starts, but I’ve generally been heading in the right direction. I’m currently still a good bit lighter and in a lot better physical shape than I was, and best of all, I’ve been acquiring the skills and tools necessary to make this permanent.

So, that’s the thing that keeps me going. Even when I fall down in the mud of life, I get back up and start moving in the direction I want to go. I want to enjoy my family and really be involved for as long as I can. They deserve that. They deserve… me. I deserve me.

What was your “turning point moment”?

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Like what you’re reading? Feeling inspired?

Contact us at info@bonzabodies.com

Stay True to Your Goals

Jamie Atlas

2 Comments

  • Adrienne says:

    Such an awesome and inspiring blog Lynn! I’m proud of you!!!! Keep kicking ass daily! YOU CAN DO IT!!! (Rob Schneider voice… waterboy)
    🙂

  • Natalie hess says:

    Inspiration! You have inspired me and soo proud of you. I’m glad that you know you deserve it and your family does and we want you here with us too.
    Natalie hess

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