March 27, 2014
Rico Willis (left)†presents Troy White†with a†gift basket for being named 91¹û¶³´«Ã½?s Fittest Employee†of the Month†for March. To receive this award, an employee must†be caught practicing †overt wellness behavior and attitude.â€
â€
The Wellness Committee is on the lookout for an April recipient!
Here's a message from Troy regarding his†personal wellness plan?
†Well, if I can, anyone can!†That was my first thought upon hearing I had been selected as the ?Fittest Employee of the Month.?†The term ?fit? often implies a lot of things I am not.†I have always been athletically minded, but not physically able.†In high school, I was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy (you know, the Jerry Lewis telethon thing) similar to Myotonic Dystrophy.†This is a genetic muscle disease that slowly deteriorates the muscles in my body; however, the biggest symptom is the difficulty in relaxing my muscles, especially during high energy activities, such as exercise and/or athletic events.†For me, sports was never a real option, other than recreational.†Lifting weights and other forms of exercise often made the conditions worse.††As a result of the muscle deterioration, and common for those diagnosed with MD, my back has always been an issue.†For those of you who know me, I am like a person living in California waiting on an earthquake.†You know it is eventually going to happen, but when is always the question.†It?s only a matter of time when I will find myself unable to move with my back for a few days, regardless of anything I may or may not have done.†I never really let it slow me down, but not until the past 8 years have I ever been able to find some form of routine exercise that I could do without causing major physical problems.â€
Enter disc golf!†I?ve played softball, basketball, racquetball and golf over the years since my diagnosis.†All of these sports have given me problems, one way or another.†Then one day I happened upon this little known sport of disc golf.†For years I played around with it, but it hasn?t been until the past three years that I have become pretty much fanatical!†The best part of disc golf, for me, is that I can do it and, for the most part, I have not experienced any negative effects with my muscles or back.†Depending on where I play, I find myself walking (sometimes hiking) 2-3 miles each round while carrying a bag of 20-25 discs.†Selah Ranch in Mt. Vernon hosts the two best courses in the world, beating over 5,300 courses worldwide for the honors.†Each of those courses are over 8,800 feet long from tee to green.†That, alone, is over a mile and a half of walking, not to mention the walks between holes.†When you add the difficult terrain of most courses (heavily wooded, elevation changes, etc.) you find yourself getting a lot of physical and cardio exercise.†The 9-hole course here at 91¹û¶³´«Ã½ is anywhere from 2,500-3,100 feet, depending on the tee location.†A full 18 will find you walking well over a mile, in addition to the physical exercise of throwing discs.†I never thought of it this way until I started to consider teaching PHED 1139 and 1140, Beginning and Intermediate Disc Golf, as a PE credit.†The results are obvious.â€
I find myself taking advantage of my own hobby and pleasure, disc golf, and using it as my exercise.†It gives me more reason to eat healthier (I now prefer fruit over sweets) and I drink water almost exclusively (there was also that little incident a few years ago called a kidney stone that had something to do with that change!)†All of this can be tied to my passion and love of disc golf.†Now, teaching the class has given me the opportunity to get up from my desk job and walk at least twice a week during the day.†For someone who finds themselves sitting at a desk all day, this is a welcomed benefit.†In the two semesters I have taught the class, I have had students come to me surprised by the amount of exercise they learn they are getting while playing.†Their muscles are sore and they become winded, especially early on.†That, without a doubt, is another great benefit of my sport?sharing with others.†Now, who knew, the kid diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease over 20 years ago, would be teaching a PE class at a college?!†And to top it off, in a few weeks (April 4-6) I will have the honor of representing 91¹û¶³´«Ã½ and Eagle Disc Golf as I compete in the Professional Disc Golf Association?s Amateur World Doubles Championship tournament in Mt. Vernon.†This tournament will bring in 400 players (200 teams) from around the US and world to compete at the highest amateur level at the top rated courses in the world.†Who knew?!†††You don?t have to be an athlete to be fit.†You can simply enjoy life like I do with healthy options available to anyone, even those with disabilities.†If I can, anyone can!
Thank you, 91¹û¶³´«Ã½ Wellness Committee, for the honor!†I look forward to many more years of this lifestyle here on the 91¹û¶³´«Ã½ campus.
Troy