John M. Bottorff, D.C., C.C.S.T., is a 1981 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic and a second generation chiropractor. He is certified in Chiropractic Spinal Trauma. He is a triathlete and an avid cyclist, runner and swimmer. He can be contacted at Bottorff Advanced Chiropractic at 362-8833 or online at www.Cvillepainrelief.com.
On March 6, 2014, I wrote an introduction article for the Journal Review called “Health Heroes.” It was to be a weekly article whose content was designed to create encouragement, direction and hope to people looking for a better quality of life through fitness. I would do this by highlighting both athletes who had attained extraordinary achievement, exercise enthusiast with remarkable stories and “normal” people who understood the importance of movement.
The Journal Review jumped on the idea. My writing experience was that of narratives on accident patients detailing their injury and recovery. Past that my resume was pretty thin. The Journal Review took a chance on me and I will be forever grateful.
I have often talked about the importance of play in our lives. As kids we played all sorts of games and sports and unwittingly found out what we liked to do the most. As an adult it is still important to play for the same reason. I didn’t know that I could produce a weekly article but in the end I did so more than 150 times. I didn’t know I loved to write, I only knew there were important stories to tell.
I am ADHD and moderately dyslexic. Being ADHD was my worst nightmare until I embraced it and it has become one of my best gifts. Being dyslexic makes writing every article a new experience.
Often, I wrote during free time at work and the staff, in particular Kiley Wells, my office manager, and I would engage in some intense conversation about my desire to make a point. I knew what I meant, but my writing missed the mark. In short, she was right, I was wrong, and the article got written. Thanks, Kiley.
Kasey Hoffman was a most valuable player bringing many people to my attention that needed articles written about them. She is a Health Hero in her own right, always trying something new. She dared me to do CrossFit and the Warrior Dash years ago and I have never stopped. They are huge for me and thank you Kasey.
The wealth and richness I shared in the stories of those I wrote about will be one of my greatest treasures. I will tell their stories for years to come as their inspiration is overwhelming. I want to thank all the Health Heroes for putting up with my meanderings and some whose names I misspelled.
If this is sounding like a send-off, it is. It’s time for me to move on. Health Hero articles take four hours and more a week for me to produce. Most of my interviewing was done on the weekend. On that note I want to thank my wife Lori for her incredible patience. She was also responsible for some of my best ideas.
To the person, Health Heroes reported their number one benefit was stress release. Many of them were able to decrease or get rid of their blood pressure and diabetes medications saving them money while reducing their exposure to the dangerous effects of drugs. hey know well the ability to function is directly proportional to the quality of their life.
Get an accountability buddy when it comes to working out. Joining a club or exercise group creates community and is so important to mental health as well as someone to answer to if you don’t show up. You’ll find Health Heroes everywhere.
If Peter Pan is a super hero he is my favorite. Happy thoughts make Peter Pan fly and he is always ready for a new adventure. I am already mourning the retirement of Health Heroes. It was an excellent adventure though. Now on to the next.
Thanks for reading and see you in the pool, gym, box, on the trail, ride, run and walk.
