My day to day is spent training for a half-ironman triathlon, which means I spend a lot of time swimming, running, and biking. However, my journey to a consistent diet and exercise regiment is anything but straightforward.
From the moment I would walk, I was running. Throughout my early life, I tried almost every sport you could try that was held on dry land.
Baseball, basketball, football, soccer, cross country, track, golf...even ultimate frisbee!
I spent upwards of 11 years playing club soccer at a competitive level. I was the fastest guy on the team (usually), and had the running stamina to outplay my toughest opponents. From an early age, I had this burning passion in my heart - I never quit.
And then one day, it was all over. I retired my cleats and headed off to college. This was my first time making decisions on my own and for myself.
I very quickly realized - it’s really hard being active as a full time student! The weight of classwork, social life, and extracurricular obligations pushed me further and further down a new, unforgiving path.
In hindsight, I realize that I was in a lot of pain. It was a pain I had never felt before - the pain of being in an environment that didn’t align with my values and interests.
With campus life centered around bar culture, there was little to do but engage with self-destructive behaviors. Soon, that became my vice.
I was so rooted in doing what everyone else was doing that I had begun to lose sight of the core values I had entered school with. The unrelenting soccer player I once was was now a shell for a much weaker version of myself.
By the time I had left school, I was a secret alcoholic-in-training, I barely kicked a nicotine habit, and I had just pulled myself out of a relationship that left me empty, anxious, overweight, and depressed.
If there was any time I’d say I hit a rock bottom - this was it.
Very quickly, I knew I needed to find a goal to work towards. I found my direction in the sport of Triathlon!
As soon as I started hitting the cardio workouts, the weight shed off me like metaphorical layers of built up gunk. I was seeing just how powerful the body is at fighting back and repairing itself.
I also realized how powerful food truly is!
I was a month out from competing in my first triathlon, a half Ironman - then the coronavirus hit.
It cancelled my race and closed down my gym. What it didn’t cancel was my passion for high-quality nutrition and building exercise programs that net me results.
After 8 months of consistent training, Who I had become was a version of myself I was once too afraid to approach. Most importantly, that passion I once knew was back, coursing through my person: I WILL NOT QUIT.
I now feel called to help other people become better versions of themselves.
Thus, the birth of Condu - Connor’s Nutrition Coaching Consultancy!