GAINING A LIFE BACK
Summerside man shares his experience of winning international exercise competition at 57
Summerside man shares winning international exercise competition at 57
Bernard Reeves wanted more birthdays.
In 2014 he was faced with a choice — keep living the way he was or make a change.
“Something had to give. I was tying my shoelaces by memory because I couldn’t see over my belly,” said Reeves.
He weighed 278 pounds and was afraid his kids were going to see him die of a heart attack.
“In 2010, my wife died of terminal cancer. Two of my three children were still living at home with me at the time. My immediate attention went to my children. And when you become so involved in that aspect, you forget to take care of yourself.”
Four years later, Reeves felt he had come to peace with the loss of his wife and started to feel better emotionally.
“I had gone through a dark time, but it wasn’t hopeless… I still had my children, and they still had me.”
So Reeves began to walk 14 kilometres a day.
“Seven in the morning and seven at night. It got me outside again and out of the darkness.”
In 2015, Reeves decided to join Stretch Fitness, a fitness centre located in Summerside.
“I had heard about its atmosphere and thought I would give it a try. Walking was letting me lose weight, but I had no muscle or tone to my body. I wanted to change that.”
For two years, Reeves would use the gym occasionally, never really participating in the programs.
Over the winter, Reeves began to put on weight again and was 242 pounds by June 2016.
“By then I knew I needed some kind of structure in my life to hold me accountable.”
In January 2017, Reeves joined the Turbulence Training boot camp with the trainer and owner of Stretch Fitness, Corey Arsenault.
“It’s a 90-day boot camp where participants take before and after photos and measurements and can enter them, if they want, in the international turbulence training competition with an essay about their 90-day experience,” explained Arsenault.
“Bernie’s story is very common. People who join the gym alone usually have trouble sticking with it. But he had a scheduled time and people checking in on him if he missed a class.”
Reeves decided to enter the competition in the over 40 category.
He made the top three to five in his category selected by judges.
From there, the public voted on whom they thought should win the competition.
Last month, Reeves won his category, taking the prize of US$1,000.
But he also learned more about himself.
“I learned, at 57 years old, you can still join a gym and feel good about it. You’re never too old to change your lifestyle.”
Recently, Reeves started a relationship, the first one since his wife died.
“I was a widow for seven years. And it’s not a new relationship because it’s not a replacement. It’s a good thing. I felt it was a good time in my life; she’s a part of the journey from the darker period to now.
“I wake up every morning and tell myself I am going to do my part to have a good day. I live life day-to-day, and I will never complain about having a birthday. Because if I have another one it’s a good thing.”
“I wake up every morning and tell myself I am going to do my part to have a good day. I live life dayto-day, and I will never complain about having a birthday. Because if I have another one it’s a good thing.” Bernard Reeves