Walking makes the road!
Sports have been a part of my life since school. In fifth grade, I was selected for a basketball team, and by pursuing it professionally, I became a Master of Sport. In my youth, I traveled from the city center to Kotovskyi Settlement (Odesa) twice a day for training sessions, which were held at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Later, I joined the army, and those one and a half years weren’t wasted either — it’s hard not to stay active in the army, where physical training is a part of daily life (just think about the morning exercises!).
After the army, I started working for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and enrolled in an institute. I remained connected to sports and competed in various tournaments. Even in my youth, I set certain goals and pursued them as much as possible. Over time, I became passionately interested in tennis. With the same enthusiasm, I reached the level of a candidate for Master of Sport in tennis. Then, a tragic accident happened — I was hit by a train. At that moment, I thought my victories over myself had come to an end. But, thank God, I was wrong!
In the accident, I lost an arm and a leg, but, in my opinion, I recovered fairly quickly. I am convinced that my athletic background played a key role in this. The well-known phrase, “Walking makes the road,” in my interpretation, means that you must walk, run, jump, or crawl toward your goal. Sooner or later, you will either reach it or at least catch a glimpse of it. And once you do, you won’t want to give up on it, because everything we do is about mindset — 70–80% of it — whether we realize it or not.
After the accident, I met my love. We got married, and life became filled with homemade soups, borscht, and all kinds of delicious meals. Weekends turned into cozy movie nights with pizza (who doesn’t like to treat themselves once in a while?). Over time, I developed a bit of a belly — how could I not? Later, I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease. With my condition, gaining extra weight was out of the question. I procrastinated about going to the gym for a long time because I wasn’t sure what I would be able to do there. But eventually, I made the decision to give it a try!
Healthy eating and regular workouts led to some remarkable changes: my back pain and bouts of intercostal neuralgia disappeared. After six months of training, my sides slimmed down, my belly flattened, and I had more energy overall. Back in May 2014, I weighed 82 kg, but now I’m down to 72 kg. I think many people who are self-aware have noticed an interesting fact: when we find harmony between our body and mind, everything seems to fall into place like magic, and life becomes a joy.
Problems become solvable, and goals — achievable, ones we must “walk, run, or crawl” toward, as we’ve established. When we nurture the harmony between body and mind, our goals, in my opinion, become limitless. They might differ in their nature, and this is where we must learn to listen to ourselves to ensure those goals are meaningful and right. Harmony without working on ourselves and our bodies is practically impossible. When we achieve harmony with our mind, we are always in a good mood. And when we’re in a good mood, taking care of our body feels enjoyable and effortless. This could be anything — from a simple walk on a treadmill to strength training.
My conclusion is clear: if you diligently and persistently work on both your mind and your body, they will reward you with countless pleasant moments and sensations.