For the majority of my existence here on the planet Earth I’ve been an active individual. Quite frankly, I loved the athletic lifestyle. Fatherhood changed my daily exercise routine, yet integrating play with my children allowed me to adapt to a new paradigm of Dad fitness. Still, some of the muscle strengthening activities I participated in as a younger man fell by the wayside. So too did the high intensity workouts such as jogging and sprinting. Last year, motivated by friends, I began to train for an endurance race (i.e. Tough Mudder). My right leg got injured, specifically, tarsal tunnel syndrome. This active Dad’s lifestyle came to an abrupt halt.
Initially I was consumed by depression and frustration. The little things bothered me like not being able to run up the stairs on a whim or taking a short walk to the grocery store. But most crushing was the inability to actively play with my kids. All of sudden I couldn’t play sports, climb monkey bars, or chase after them in an impromptu game of tag. Walking distance, previously an afterthought, became a huge factor. I used to walk 2 to 3 miles a day. In the early months of my therapy, I could barely make it 100 feet without excruciating pain. I felt betrayed by body. I was angry with the universe. An integral part of my identity felt lost forever.
Thanks to the support of my family, I stuck with physical therapy. There have been many setbacks, but progress has been made. Going to the Zoo for example, a common walking oriented activity, has resumed albeit with an intermittent use of a small ice pack. I’ve even managed time at the park to play catch with my son and help spot my daughter in her gymnastics efforts. A return to normalcy seems within reach but there’s still work to do. That’s why I was thrilled to partner with KIND and Life of Dad on the #KINDMilesMatter campaign.
I was sent this fantastic KIND kit in the mail and encouraged to spend quality active time with my family. Made from nutritious and wholesome ingredients, KIND snacks are fit for the whole family and a great way to fuel our outdoor activities. For each mile my family traveled together, KIND would donate one box of their snacks to a charity of my choice. Being a native New Yorker I chose City Harvest.
One of our trips,of course, was to the Bronx Zoo. They just re-opened the Children’s Zoo and my family was thrilled to take in the sights. Also, noteworthy was the new Komodo Dragon exhibit close by. Let’s just say my kids and I were happy these reptiles weren’t included in the petting zoo.
Although our actual miles tally was relatively low, from a personal standpoint, each step counted. Making a difference never felt better.
About KIND
Since its founding in 2004, KIND has been on a mission to make the world a little kinder one snack and act at a time.
All award-winning KIND snacks are made from delicious, wholesome ingredients and are gluten free and non GMO. KIND currently offers six different snack lines including: KIND® Fruit & Nut and KIND® PLUS, two lines of delicious whole nut & fruit bars; KIND® Nuts & Spices, a line of whole nut & spice bars that naturally have only 5g of sugar or less; KIND Healthy Grains® Clusters made from five super grains; KIND Healthy Grains® Bars, a line of crunchy and chewy granola bars; and STRONG & KIND®, a line of savory-flavored bars featuring 10g of protein.
