I'm a shorter guy and have had asthma my entire life, and as a result I learned early on that I would have to work that much harder to achieve success in the activities I enjoyed. Most people know that as you get older, the more competitive it becomes to stay involved in organized sports, so I was determined to not let asthma be an excuse for me not making a team or quitting. There would be times where I felt like dying from minimal activity (active asthmatics know the feeling), but I couldn't accept that I would be eternally disadvantaged for my entire life with this annoying condition. That's when I decided to dedicate myself to fitness.

I learned that aside from having an all-day and emergency inhaler, for me the best technique to minimizing asthma attacks was diverse training. This meant doing sprints and long distance running, heavy weight and low weight, various sports, low rest and high rest, swimming, power lifting, and jumping rope. This training has trained my lungs to perform well during varied types of activity, and helped me to compete at the varsity level for Track & Field, Basketball, Football, and Wrestling at a 5A high school. It also allowed me to jump right into collegiate Lacrosse for a 3-year career.

Asthma and height (my biggest genetic disadvantages) made sports eternally challenging and difficult for me, but I decided to dedicate myself to those things and make them enjoyable and have never regretted it. In addition, I've played organized tennis, soccer, volleyball, baseball, even badminton, and I've competed in trail running and cycling as well. I love doing new sports because they are the most challenging, and I've always been able to pick them up easily despite my asthma.

I play a lot of sports, travel internationally, and do improvisational comedy, and these things require me to be in good shape. Limitations can often be overcome, and with fitness you can make simple choices for results you never thought were possible. I don't ever want to have a day where I'm too out of shape to do the things I love. This means I don't drink soda pop, I don't eat fast food, and I don't get plastered at the bars every weekend. Those 3 simple rules have meant that my fitness stays at a high level consistently, so keep it in mind. Aside from that, I try to always cook for myself, but hey I eat desserts and go to restaurants and have a beer just like the next person!

I also make a habit of not doing the same thing over and over - you won't see me getting bored of physical activity. I'm currently in a contact football league and soccer league, and I also routinely do swimming, running, pick-up basketball, tennis, and weight training. For motivation, I enjoy signing up for organized sports or races because when people are watching and stats are recorded, you will work that much harder for your results.

I plan to pursue postgraduate study in Ecological Economics and work helping poor communities in developing countries. In regards to fitness, I want to be healthy and play sports for the rest of my life, and hope to be as spry and fit in my old age as Jack LaLanne!

C.J. Sower
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