Last week, while writing my article about Cape Town (you can find it at http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/cape-townla-aramdaki-maks-baglanti-sorunu) , I saw the picture below and smiled bitterly. “Those were the days,” I thought to myself.
No trace of my collegiate days remained. Or was I just starting to fall into the shape of a grown-up young man after turning 30? Even though I’d told my high school and even elementary school friends that my appearance hadn’t changed, I could still see the difference. Here’s an example: a photo taken by the pool with my longtime friend Nicolas during our spring break vacation in Jamaica during university.
There’s a big difference between the two pictures, isn’t there? You might think that with age, metabolism slows down, and your body goes downhill. Now brace yourself.
The truth is, the years 2010 – 2012, when I went to South Africa, and the last two years since then, have been my unhealthiest. I gained weight, and my body deteriorated.
Because, during our time in South Africa, I served as CEO of Turkent A.Ş., which owns the KFC and Pizza Hut Türkiye restaurants, between 2010 – 2012. It was a period of day and night due to restructuring. Factor in the constant experimentation with fried chicken and pizza while working under a very intense pace and stress. The result is clear.
‘Heliskiing’ and the Divine Power of Rocks
Due to a skiing accident I suffered two years ago, I’ve been away from sports for a long time. I could do it occasionally, but it was always very limited. I’ve never experienced such a severe accident, which caused both dislocation and a fracture in my left shoulder. Having been skiing since I was five, I’ve only had two accidents. The first was in 2002. I broke my left shoulder. In my second accident in January 2015, as I mentioned, my left shoulder was also fractured and dislocated. I’ll write about the details of both accidents later. I want to touch on another topic in this article.
For now, I can say that my second accident occurred while heli-skiing. On the last day of a three-day ski trip, I was making the final descents, and since it was the final descent, I was doing all kinds of jumps at top speed. My shoulder struck a rocky point where I fell, which caused everything.
I couldn’t record the areas we skied because I couldn’t mount a GoPro on my head. But I’d like to share some footage of Angel to give you an idea of that area and the concept of heli-skiing. I admire women who can ski like that. Here’s a video of Angel Collinson, who performed amazingly:
Ultimately, the day after my accident, they completely wrapped me up and put my arm in a sling, allowing me to get to Türkiye. My first action in Türkiye was to go to Florence Nightingale Hospital and see Dr. Mustafa Faik Seçkin, a shoulder specialist on Azmi Hamzaoğlu’s team. He explained that my shoulder had been severely damaged, and that if I were a professional athlete or a pilot who uses my shoulder heavily, he would require surgery. However, since that wasn’t the case, he said that physical therapy, while it might take a bit longer, would be healthier to avoid disrupting my body’s dynamics. Ultimately, after my accident in January, I started physical therapy with brothers Mari and Arman Apelyan in March. I can say I’m very close to full recovery now. However, the first year was particularly challenging. Also, while my left shoulder had largely healed, my right shoulder was injured this time due to overuse, despite not having had any accidents. Now, my right shoulder is almost completely healed (there’s still some initial stiffness during physical therapy), and my left shoulder is on the mend. There’s only one last angle left in abduction, which we’re slowly working on. Here’s a photo from Mari’s physical therapy sessions:
Ultimately, towards the end of this summer, when I felt my right shoulder had fully healed and my left shoulder was no longer experiencing any problems, Adım Adım came into my life. TIDER, of which I was the founding president, had been accepted into the Adım Adım system for the first time, and we needed to get a good start to opening a Support Market in Bağcılar with our relatively unknown association. We launched our campaign with the video below
Following this, we had a very active campaign period. I shared numerous posts on social media and wrote articles on my blog to support the campaign. Here are some of these articles:
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/adimgibibiliyorum-degistirebiliriz-cogalabiliriz
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/kosudan-otesi
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/uc-yaraya-bir-merhem-destek-projesi-1
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/uc-yaraya-bir-merhem-destek-projesi-2
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/uc-yaraya-bir-merhem-destek-projesi-3
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/on-binlerce-kisiye-destek-icin-el-ele
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/istanbul-maratonundan-renkli-izlenimler
As a result of this campaign, 154 people created profiles as runners on Adım Adım (Step by Step). 96 runners ran the campaign and raised funds. These 96 runners reached 1,171 people and raised 119,538 TL. I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks once again to everyone who supported our campaign.
Muscle Memory and Abs
It was a very successful campaign for us. Personally, putting aside the financial success of the Adım Adım campaign, I started exercising seriously thanks to it. People used to say, “Muscles have memory,” but I wouldn’t have believed it. My muscles reacted very quickly, and I quickly shed the excess weight. With the support of Enis Hoca, I started seeing immediate results from my regular workouts. I lost 10 kilos in three months, and my body is close to the fittest I was in college. More specifically, the only time I’ve ever had those six-pack abs was during college. Even now, despite the passage of time, I’m as close to that as I’ve ever been. So, I can say that my abs are as thick as a pastry dessert, and I’ll have baklava ready for summer. ☺
I’d like to take this opportunity to remember my aunt’s husband, Turgut Gülez, who instilled in my twin sister and me a love of sports from a young age. He contributed so much to us. We sadly lost him years ago. May God have mercy on his soul. He crowned his successful professional football career with a promotion to the national team and retired from football shortly after marrying my aunt. His life story began when a family of Thessaloniki immigrants settled in Niğde. I’ll write about him later. For now, I wish him rest in peace.
The man standing with his hand on my shoulder in this picture is Uncle Turgut. We loved him like an uncle. That’s why we called him Uncle Turgut.
Note: After writing this article, I came across an article on Onedio entitled Science Explains: What Causes the Feeling of Joy and Mind-Clarification After Long Runs? I’d like to share it:
Here are some photos taken while exercising and pursuing good deeds:
Joking aside, let’s get to the point I wanted to make. Exercise is crucial for human life. I’d like to share my personal observations about the benefits of exercise:
- Weight Loss: As a result of the serious training I started in early September this year, I lost from 83 kg to 73 kg in three months. You too can achieve your ideal weight with regular exercise. After all, there’s no need to complicate weight loss. What goes into your body—that is, how much food you eat—and what comes out—that is, how much exercise or exercise you do—is that simple.
- Freedom to Eat: Based on this calculation, we can say that exercising also gives you freedom to eat. I didn’t follow a special diet while losing 10 kg in three months. I only ate Canadian-style lunch at work a few times a week to save time. My lunch menu consisted of salads, sandwiches, and soup. Beyond that, I stopped paying attention to what I ate; on the contrary, I started eating more. If you exercise regularly, you’ll have the freedom to eat whatever you want.
- Increased metabolism: Exercising is like lighting a fire in the oven. Exercise activates all body functions. Even your digestive system functions better.
- Releasing your energy: Personally, two things help me recharge my batteries. One is exercise and the other is writing. After exercising, I feel no stress; I feel a significant sense of lightness.
- Happiness (release of endorphins): In addition to relieving stress, exercise also releases endorphins (happiness hormones). This, of course, has an immediate positive impact on your mood. Someone who approaches their experiences positively is happier in their personal life and more productive at work.
- Changed body posture: For many years, my posture always seemed to lean forward. I had made it a habit not to stand upright. Now, my posture has improved significantly. With the strengthening of my abdominal and back muscles, I’ve inevitably started to stand upright.
- A healthy mind resides in a healthy body: This is one of my favorite sayings. It’s truly true. A healthy and fit person’s mind functions better. Someone constantly dealing with health issues inevitably loses concentration. A person with a better mindset is more successful in their professional lives.
- Increased socialization: Interestingly, I’ve started making good friends both within the Adım Adım group and at the other gym I attend in Nişantaşı. People who embrace exercise as a lifestyle don’t harm anyone; on the contrary, their presence in your life positively impacts your life.
- Increased resistance to illness: Last winter, I got very ill. This winter, despite being around many people with the flu/cold, thank God, I haven’t caught any. The main reason for this is that I’ve discovered a new way to combat illness. And that’s exercise. Whenever I feel like I’m about to get sick (which I have three or four times this winter), I immediately do extra exercise. A good sweat helps me rid my body of most of the harmful toxins. I feel like a bird when I shower, and I wake up feeling healthy the next day. I recommend this method to you.
In short, make exercise a part of your life so that your quality of life can improve and you can be successful and happy!
Tag: lifestyle
