DAVE A MAN ON A MISSION
WHITTINGTON man Dave Palmer has lost 56kg since New Year’s Day when he set out for the first of what have now become daily walks.
Mr Palmer once weighed 120kg and had been diagnosed with low blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease. But when his partner became pregnant with their second child, he knew something had to change.
The couple already has a five-year-old son and Mr Palmer says he wasn’t able to be the father he wanted to be. “I couldn’t play with my kid as much as I wanted, I couldn’t run around with him,” he said.
Just over seven months later and Mr Palmer is getting set to run in the You Yangs Trail Running Festival and he hopes others might follow in his footsteps.
Since New Year’s Day, Palmer has resolved to walk or run at least 5km a day, often just around the block where neighbours stop to greet him.
“It’s really encouraging,” he said of the support.
“A lot of the ladies in their gardens will say ‘hello’ and ask me how much I’ve lost.”
Making it past this early stage is key, according to Mr Palmer, who no longer has diabetes or a fatty liver.
“You won’t see results for the first couple of weeks to the first month, especially on the scales if you’re doing push-ups,” he said.
“Just get out there and push through it. Grit your teeth, even if it’s raining, even if you’re tired, you’ll be warmed up in five minutes and it’ll become habit.”
Mr Palmer is now planning to enter another running event in Lorne in August and aims to give 10km events a try in the future. Not only are fun runs for a good cause, Mr Palmer says, they can also be a great motivation.
The You Yangs Trail Running Festival will take place on July 20 and 21.