Win Everyday – by Ben Balsama

How it Started 

How did I go from being a top athlete seeking a D-1 Hockey Dream to a person lost in life and now someone who lives a truly healthy life mentally and physically?

When I was in middle school, I played hockey and lacrosse 7 days a week, 2-3 times a day and was always at practice, a game or training session. I felt as if I was unstoppable and unbreakable. I really never had an injury until one summer day at a meaningless summer pick up hockey game.

I lost my edge, went into boards and broke my ankle. It went from a 6 week injury when I left the hospital to a 6 month injury when I met with the orthopedic to never putting on skates again after surgery in any meaningful way again to this day. My life got turned upside down. I was a lost young man not knowing where to go. 

I didn’t necessarily live a healthy lifestyle. I could eat whatever I wanted and it never really mattered because I was burning so many calories playing sports as much as I was. I didn’t grasp that eating better and cleaner would have propelled me even further in my hockey career and I still question if I understood what it took to truly be a top athlete. From age 19 (when I broke my ankle) to 21, I quickly put on 80 lbs and was sitting at 300lbs and a shell of my former self. For years I would bounce around from 250-320 lb, going from different diets and 30 day challenges to not doing anything and watching everything come right back on. 

Internally I was embarrassed of myself and most days I would only leave the house after I put on one of my few outfits that I had to convince myself I looked good in. I was working hard and started to take over our family business but I did not put that attention into myself.

Rock Bottom

When COVID came around my terrible diet led into having a couple drinks almost everyday. I thought in my head I was doing it the “healthy” way by drinking vodka/club. 

Then I finally had something to turn my life around. My wedding day to my amazing wife. I got back into the gym and had a better diet. I wanted to look like the person my soon to be wife had initially met. I did get close, but it proved to be unsustainable and in less than a year,I found myself back at 360 lbs, always tired and not having the drive to do anything besides work. 

That’s when I received a text from one of my best friends about this program called 75 Hard/Live Hard. At this time Kerri was pregnant with our son. I did my research and after reading about the program, Idecided to do a dry run of it until my son was born and once he was born, I would dive in head first. Pretty crazy idea when I think about it now, but Kerri was my rock and supported me in my decision knowing how hard it was going to be with a newborn. She knew that I did not want our son to know me as the person I was at that time, unable to play with him or do things with him.

Getting My Life Back

75 Hard/Live Hard is a year-long program consisting of a 75 day phase and three 30 day phases that incorporate the entire calendar year from when you start. During those days you do two 45 minute workouts one of which must be outside, read 10 pages of a self development book, no cheat meals within your nutrition plan, no alcohol, progress picture, and drink 1 gallon of water. As much as this sounds like a physical program, what you gain from it mentally is really the life changing part of it. 

Through my first year, I developed the mental toughness that no matter how much I craved unhealthy food or decisions I steered away from them and stayed within my plan. 

My results spoke for themselves. 

I went from 360 lbs to 227 lbs and I was walking around with a sense of self pride that I never had and back to feeling undefeatable. I did most of this program in a gym doing traditional workouts. After the first year, things got stagnant so I decided to start at Crossfit Off the Grid and found the love truthfully for fitness again which has made doing this grind easy again.

My nutrition plan consists of a four day carb rotation 0, 50, 100, 150 and hit my other macro numbers which I do now in every phase and when I’m not in a phase I stay within macro numbers I can manage. At this point, I’m just finishing my second 75 hard phase, things have become second nature and I can go through every day with my new found skills of eating healthy and training hard with no hesitation or doubt. My life is better because of this starting with my marriage, being a dad, being a business owner, and my friendships.

If anyone ever needs help I’m a message away I will help in any way and jump in and do this or any program with you. I want everyone to feel the weight off your shoulders of feeling the burden of an unhealthy life.

If you are looking for help with your health, fitness and nutrition routine, we are here to help! Book a free No-Sweat intro with us to learn more! – https://crossfitoffthegridfreeintro.as.me/

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