The Long Journey — A Nurse Shares his Path to Healthy Living

"It's not always the motivation, it's the commitment." – Scott Martin, 46

Meet Scott: nurse, dad and mountain biker. While it may sound like he has it all, it was a long journey to gain what he has today.

Before Scott began exercising, he was 240 pounds.

Every day going into work as a nurse he would see people with heart issues and diabetes. He felt content with his life, but as he saw more patients, he began to realize the need for change.

"I have small children. One day I went and talked to the doctor and learned that my blood sugar was out of control."

It was time to make the move. He started out slowly with a diet program and lost 10 pounds, then added in some exercise with jogging and biking, taking it one block at a time.

After starting to notice an improvement, he tried the Shawn T Insanity workouts and then the BowFlex Max Trainer.

As he continued to lose weight and see positive change, his desire to improve grew accordingly.

"As far as my interactions with my children go, I can do a lot more, and I want to do a lot more."

The biggest thing he gained from what he lost? A decreased level of stress and increased sense of pride.

Scott said that it was nice not having to worry as much about the serious effects that come with being unhealthy — issues that would keep him up at night.

"You worry about things in life. And having health concerns on top of that, it can bring you down. Eliminating the health concerns is so great."

Scott believes that fitness and change are important. He has certain health conditions that he will have to battle his entire life, like diabetes, but with his healthier lifestyle, the concern becomes that much less.

We asked Scott, "What does fitness mean to you?"

"Good for your mind, your body and your spirit."

We couldn't agree more. Can you relate? Share your comments on your own fitness journey below.