This year at Indoor Winter Games, John Campbell was very proud of himself. He was proud not just because he won a gold medal in bowling but because he had recently lost 150 pounds. John is a Delaware County Athlete. He has participated in Special Olympics Pennsylvania for many years as an athlete, and has volunteered on committees, such as the Fall Festival committee. After taking a few years off from competing during the COVID-19 pandemic, he returned this year to participate in bowling. John plans to participant in softball this spring.
It was last Summer that John decided he needed to change his habits and really started considering the impact his weight had on his health. At the time he weighed 415 pounds. On his own, knowing his family has a history of diabetes and heart disease, he decided to make diet changes and start increasing his exercise. He started by cutting back on portion sizes, he cut back on his intake of extra carbohydrates and increased his fruits and vegetables. He stopped eating late at night and stopped drinking soda and energy drinks and switched to water. John also started going to the gym three times a week. He works in photography where he walks around for many hours and believes those extra steps also helped him in his weight loss journey.
With all those healthy changes to his diet and lifestyle John now weighs 265 pounds. While his weight loss of 150 pounds is a great accomplishment, he knows he has more weight to lose. John’s goal is to continue to lose at least another 50 pounds.
John is drinking more water, eating more fruits and vegetables and staying fit and active by exercising throughout the week. John is happier, healthier and more fit.
We are so proud of John for his accomplishments and commitment to his health. We hope other athletes are inspired by his story and work towards their own health and fitness goals. We encourage all athletes to talk with their coaches and caregivers about participating in Athlete Performance Training and visiting Healthy Athletes when they are available at events. We know improving your health and fitness not only improves your sports performance, but it can improve your life, and John is an example of that!
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