after leaving the showbiz world im my kids idol dad
I want to quit the 'entertainment circle'.
I used to be a happy 200-pound chubby guy: lively, straightforward, endearing, with many friends. Every day, I would hang out with a large group of friends, eating, drinking, smoking, and chatting endlessly.
In 2014, I reluctantly participated in a company-organized health check-up, which I had always scorned. The results were alarming: gastritis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, severe fatty liver, kidney stones, kidney cysts... the list went on. Holding the report and looking at my round-bellied, greasy-faced reflection in the mirror, I couldn't help but reflect: Where did that fit, energetic, and handsome patrol officer from ten years ago go?
Just when I was feeling down after the health check-up, a pleasant surprise arrived: my wife was pregnant with our second child! I was about to become a father of two!
Reflecting on my past days, I would drag myself out of bed in a daze to go to work, have lunch meetings that often lasted until evening, and then continue drinking at night, ending up in bars or KTVs. By the time I got home after a late-night snack, it was already early morning. This cycle repeated itself, and while I thought it was fulfilling and fun, it was actually wasting my youth and draining my body, no different from lying in bed waiting to die from opium addiction. If I continued this way, how could I take care of my anemic pregnant wife? How could I face my soon-to-be-born child?
So, I invited my friends for a meal, shared the health check-up results and the news of my wife's pregnancy, and officially announced my 'exit from the entertainment circle'!
The road to fitness is long and arduous.
To take good care of my wife, I had to first get my own body in shape. Control my diet and start exercising, accelerating my metabolism through running.
Control my diet: stay away from alcohol, eat less meat. Have fruit for breakfast, eat until 60% full for lunch, and skip dinner. The result of dieting was insomnia from hunger, and my stomach would growl incessantly at the sight of food, which my friends would often tease me about.
Start exercising: Having been a soldier who ran five kilometers, I didn't think much of it. But I soon realized that was just 'back in the day.' Now, as a 200-pound chubby guy, running made not only my flesh jiggle but also my internal organs feel like they were bouncing around. After a few steps, I would get a stitch, and my heavy breathing felt like my lungs were about to burst. I would squat down, dry heaving, with my eyes bulging out. A slow two to three-kilometer jog would leave me drenched in sweat, making me want to cry compared to my carefree days in the army. At this point, my friends took turns running with me, bringing water and fruit. My family also cheered me on, jokingly saying, 'Look at those older folks; if they can do it, why can't you?'
With the encouragement of family and friends, and my own determination, I gritted my teeth and persevered. When I couldn't run, I walked, and then ran again after a while. I kept going back and forth on a 200-meter greenway, enduring minute by minute. 'Sweat is the tear of fat; every drop of sweat is burning fat.' I would push myself until I was completely drenched before resting.
Having not exercised for so long and being overweight, various discomforts followed. Muscle soreness, ankle pain, and even the fat on my belly and chest hurt from the jiggling.
I will persist in running.
Running seems like the simplest exercise; all you need is a pair of running shoes. The hard part is sticking to it, especially in the initial stages when your body is painfully adjusting. But the good news is that through daily grinding, my obese and lazy body slowly started to change.
In three to four months, I went from needing three alarms to wake up to naturally waking up with my biological clock. My endurance increased from barely running three to five kilometers to running ten kilometers or even further. My weight gradually decreased, and all my health indicators returned to normal. The kidney stones were gone, and the cysts shrank to negligible sizes.
Every day, I accompanied the sunrise and the breeze, feeling the transformation of my body and the beauty of life through daily exercise. My happiness index multiplied. Running brought me positive energy and an inside-out transformation. It was no longer a pain or burden but became a habit, a pure and genuine hobby. I began to thoroughly enjoy running and met a group of friends who truly loved running.
After joining the running group, I learned that some people could run so fast and so far. I truly began to understand the importance of warming up before running, stretching afterward, proper running posture, and scientific training. I also discovered more challenging events like marathons, 50-kilometer, and even 100-kilometer trail races. Running with a group, whether chatting and laughing or pacing each other, made even the monotonous and lonely long-distance training more enjoyable.
In less than half a year, I improved my running cadence and corrected my posture. I ran faster and farther. I even broke the three-hour mark for a full marathon, a result I could hardly believe, which motivated me to go further on my running journey. I started doing 75-kilometer long runs, participating in the Taishan Mountain Climbing Festival, running 500-600 kilometers a month, and working out three times a week to strengthen my core. My body became stronger, and my physique more sculpted.
In three years, I ran 11,000 kilometers, achieved a full marathon time of 2:54, and placed 12th in the 50-kilometer men's group at the Laoshan 100-kilometer trail race.
From over 200 pounds to under 150 pounds, my transformation was more than just weight loss.
Becoming a role model on my children's growth journey.
My daughter, who is 11 years old, had a weak constitution, lacked energy, and always seemed sleepy. She ate little and was delicate and afraid of hardship. To help her grow healthier, I motivated her to join me in running during the holidays, hoping for some change. Although I anticipated it would be tough, the results exceeded my expectations.
Considering it was her first run, she was excited, but even with me pacing her, she got a stitch after just a few dozen meters and couldn't straighten up from the pain. After a few minutes of deep breathing and adjusting, she tried running again but still got a stitch. I encouraged her to keep walking and not stop, telling her that as long as she matched her breathing with her steps and controlled her pace, she would gradually feel better. However, this only brought tears of frustration and a resentful expression. Along the way, I offered various encouragements and motivational talks, and even resorted to stern words towards the end. In this mix of walking, stopping, and running, we completed three kilometers.
In fact, she ate twice as much breakfast as usual that day and was noticeably more energetic. Building perseverance is far more important than the exercise itself. For the rest of the day, I stayed with her, explained more about running, and watched a movie together to comfort and accompany her.
Despite the muscle soreness, we started running again the next day, and it was noticeably better than the first day. She listened to me attentively, and I continuously observed her performance, adjusting the pace in real-time and teaching her running techniques. Although she still wore a resentful expression, I could sense her determination. After running two or three days a week for a month, she could run seven kilometers at a 6:30 pace with fewer complaints. Her physical and mental state improved significantly, and her perseverance grew stronger. Although she still had her delicate moments, typical of a young girl, I treated her with leniency. The changes brought by running made her more sensible and communicative, and our father-daughter relationship became more harmonious. Watching her change bit by bit made me very gratified.
One early weekend morning, my young son insisted on joining me for a run. I thought it would be good for him to participate in some activities and get closer to nature. So, with everyone taking turns watching him, he joined his first meaningful run. Watching his innocent steps and adorable demeanor, I captured the moment in the following photo.
I accompany you as you grow, and you accompany me as I age. My children are my motivation to move forward, and I am their role model.
Focusing on one thing for several years has brought me immense rewards.
Today is a summary, and tomorrow is a new beginning. In the coming years, I will continue to focus and strive, making life better and more fulfilling, and transforming myself into the person I envision. Keep going!