Mike on strength of body and mind
In this episode of the CFStrong Podcast we speak with Mike about how exercise and bodybuilding have helped him both physically and mentally.
"For me, it became a passion. After only six months to a year of doing it, when I was about 16 years old, it became almost an obsession, I would say. And the benefits were just so massive that it was, it was so easy to maintain, and to keep doing it, you know. When I started training, when I was 15, I weighed 44 kilos. And by the time I was 19, I weighed 88 kilos. That's the heaviest that I ever weighed when I was bodybuilding. The change in that period in those four years was dramatic, really dramatic, just in so many ways, it was unbelievably helpful. And literally had I not done that I wouldn't even be here. Bodybuilding literally saved my life."
—Mike
Transcript
Deidre Gorrie: Hi everyone, and welcome to the CF Strong Podcast. My name is Deidre Gorrie, and I am the Programs and Support Services Manager for Cystic Fibrosis Community Care in New South Wales. I am in the incredibly fortunate position of being able to chat with some of the most amazing adults living with cystic fibrosis from around Australia for the CF Strong Podcast series. The CF Strong Podcast series covers a broad range of topics, including the challenges and successes of those living with cystic fibrosis, where you will hear real firsthand experiences and stories.
Deidre: Hi everyone. Today we have the pleasure of welcoming Mike to the CF Strong Podcast series. Mike, would you like to tell our audience a little bit about yourself, please?
Mike: Hi guys. My name is Mike I'm 36 years old. Obviously, an adult living with cystic fibrosis in Western Australia. I'm originally from New Zealand, I've been here for about 13 years now though so Aussie-ish, I guess. Yeah, I just you know, I thought I'd do this today with Deidre in the hopes that what I can share through my experience can help as many people as possible.
Deidre: Ah, fantastic. Well, thank you, Mike. We really are grateful that you're sharing your time and your experience with us. Today we thought we'd talk around the topic of strength of mind and body and what does that really mean? And Mike has had quite the experiences, and I think that's an understatement in saying that, but I would really like to, with your help, Mike unpack what this means. So how old were you when you first realised the importance and the significance that exercise can play on your life, Mike?
Mike: I was 15. So, when I was 15 years old, I was a very typical male with CF at that age, I was deathly skinny. I didn't do any exercise. I struggled to eat. Basically, things kind of went wrong a little bit that year. I ended up in hospital for a very, very long period and as a result of that, I ended up with a nasal gastric feeding tube for about eight months just because I was just so small and struggling to put on weight as we do. On the back of that so after that eight months of having the nasal gastric tube, and I just decided that I wanted to try and do something to bid in my situation, so I joined my local gym and started training.
Deidre: And what came out to joining your gym and starting training? Like, did you start to notice anything physically or mentally?
Mike: Definitely, definitely both. I was very, very fortunate. I went to the gym and I'd never done any form of training before, so I was pretty green and I'd been there for a little while, a few weeks, maybe with little help from the trainers, kind of guiding me as to do this and do that kind of thing. I met this guy who was an ex-body builder and he was probably about the same age as I am now.
