My Personal Story by Joe Blumenstein

My experience over the past few years has been life-altering in more ways than one. Not only am I more energized and active, I realize that my journey is helping inspire people to reclaim an active lifestyle. Here is my story!

Before I get to the details, it would probably help to share a little background. I’m not a business hotshot looking to make a buck at the expense of other people. I don’t stand out in a crowd based on the clothes I wear, the car I drive or the neighborhood I live in. I’m just an average Joe who had a not-so-average experience that transformed my life. And when I say “average Joe” I mean just that: my name is Joe Blumenstein and I live in South Florida.

I was never a hard-core athlete growing up, but I was always active. I knew that a sensible diet and an active lifestyle were going to help me live a long and happy life. I started running in 1976, and always enjoyed the endorphin rush that a good run delivered. It made me feel vibrant and alive. I looked forward to running every day. Not only was it good for my body, it was good for my mind. It was the one time of day where there were no distractions. It was just me, the road and my thoughts. I loved, loved, loved my time on the road. I was active and healthy in my 20s and 30s, and I felt great. But as I started to get older, my body wasn’t recovering as quickly. The little pains that used to take a few days to heal were now lasting a week or longer. When I was younger, I took for granted my running routine and never envisioned the day when running would become a chore. As I got older, my passion for running never went away, but my body started letting me down. I didn’t have the energy levels that I once had, which made it more and more difficult to stay active. Instead of being inspired and energized by a run, I started to feel drained and tired.

A SEVERE INJURY WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME

  Then the best thing that ever happened to me occurred in December of 2003. A water skiing accident left me with a severe spinal cord injury, and I needed to have two vertebrae fused together in my neck. At the time, it was a tragic event in my life. I was in excruciating pain and immobilized for weeks. Instead of my daily on-the-go activities, I was bed-ridden and sedentary. I lost my fitness edge as well as the desire and energy to stay active. I was depressed and not good company for my wife, daughters, family or friends. It was no picnic for anyone who had to listen to me wallow in my despair and self-pity. I was an emotional mess during the entire year it took me to fully recovery from the injury. Looking back on the pain and suffering I was inflicting on my family due to my negative emotional state, I realize how lucky I am to have these wonderful women in my life!
So how is this the best thing that ever happened to me? It was a blessing in disguise because it put me on a path of revitalization. Before the injury and surgery, I was feeling more fatigued and apathetic about my running program. I was beginning to accept that I was getting older. I started telling myself, “this is part of aging, Joe, so get used to it.” I had to come to terms with it no matter how much I didn’t want to.
  Toward the end of my recovery process, my wife knocked some sense into me with one simple phrase: “Stop acting like a baby.” I realized I had a choice to make: Accept that impending old-age was getting the best of me and learn to cope with it, or find a way to restore my energy and get back into an active lifestyle. My friends and family helped me regain a more positive focus, but it wasn’t the influence of those I trusted most that pushed me down the path I would ultimately go.