Accidentally Well: Running Revived Me. Common Sense Saved Me

By John Webster

It started like any other day, but this time when I looked in the bathroom mirror, I paused to take more than a fleeting glance. I hardly recognized myself. How did I gain so much weight? How did I let this happen? My happy family, work and social life operated as blinders. It was easy to overlook physical health. Not anymore. Something had to change. I ate nutritious food and exercised, mostly at low intensity. There were no fad diets or ab busters. I took a slow and sustainable approach, without looking for the quick fix. There were setbacks along the way.

I got in touch with physicality. I fell in love with distance running and enjoyed plenty of time to think. I had studied philosophy decades earlier, before getting busy with family and work. Life's big questions once animated my thoughts, but they had long ago receded into the depths of my mind. Those faint memories started to bubble back up to the surface.

An eclectic set of experiences sparked a personal epiphany about wellness. It was an "a-ha" moment for me. I saw a way to work towards balance between eight facets of wellness. I'm filled with optimism about the journey to come.

• Website: accidentallywell.com

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Feb 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9780228869931

Book preview

Accidentally Well

Running Revived Me

Common Sense Saved Me

John Webster

Accidentally Well

Copyright © 2022 by John Webster

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-6992-4 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-6991-7 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-6993-1 (eBook)

Disclaimers

This book does not provide advice. The author is simply telling his own story. He does not represent that he is qualified to provide advice about any subject matter, whether physical or mental health, running, exercise, nutrition, medicine, finances, or anything else. You should seek advice from a qualified person if you need advice.

Results may differ for each individual. The results experienced by the author may not apply to you. This book does not represent or guarantee that you will achieve similar results.

The author disclaims all representations, warranties, guarantees or promises, including any in legislation or in law.

Although efforts were made to provide accurate and correct information, the author assumes no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions in this book and disclaims any liability to anyone for any injury, loss, damage, or disruption caused by any acts, errors or omissions, whether they result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Dedication

To Sheila: There are no more dreams I dare not dream.

Table of Contents

In a Nutshell

Ignorance Is Bliss, but Bliss Ain’t All It’s Cracked up to Be

Snakes and Ladders and Snakes

When you are going through hell, keep going.

I Didn’t See That Coming

Finishing is winning. Winning is finishing.

Chance Favours Only the Prepared Mind

The Great Balancing Act

I Get Knocked Down but I Get Up Again

For the Pure Joy of Running

This Ending Is Just Our Beginning

Appendix 1 - My Wellness Check-In Working Papers

Appendix 2 - My Running Resources

Appendix 3 - My Running Form Check-In

Appendix 4 - Six Areas of Focus in Marathon Training

About the Author

In a Nutshell

My favourite part of this journey was being struck by an unexpected epiphany about wellness decades after life’s big questions had submerged into the depths of my mind. The discovery gave me a clear path forward, and I saw realistic and achievable ways to work towards balance and fulfillment in life.

This is not an instruction manual. It’s a story. It’s an account of a regular person who turned his life around for the better after getting in shape. It’s about what I felt and how my thinking changed.

An eclectic set of life experiences positioned me for a life-changing breakthrough. I think they call it disruptive in today’s fast-moving tech world. A mental health first aid training course and a combination of physical sensations came together at the right time to produce an aha moment. Concepts about holistic wellness fell into place in my mind, and I started on the path to feeling great again.

I was so struck by this unexpected and new-found knowledge that I developed a framework to seek balance and fulfillment, taking into account eight facets of wellness (or categories or areas): physical, mental, economic, social, artistic, environmental, spiritual and intellectual. If I’m thriving in some facets but ignoring others, it’s at the peril of my overall well-being.

The takeaway from my experience is that physical wellness is essential. Everything fell into place for me when I connected with my physical self. Basically, I consider different areas of wellness, and I am working towards balance over the course of my lifetime. I consider whether I am making trade-offs and whether they make sense or are troublesome. Whichever trade-offs I make, I commit to eat nutritious food in moderation, exercise and stay in touch with my physical nature. I don’t want to merely exist, I want to live life in every breath, and I want to share what that has looked like.

Many people inspired and encouraged me on my transition to better health. I have interesting discussions with people about what I’m experiencing and learning, and I benefit from their insights. I put my thoughts into this book to record how it felt to experience an astonishing transformation, to share my epiphany and to inspire others to be healthier. I also hope to start a discussion. I’ll be listening for feedback to help me better understand how to live a balanced and fulfilling life.

Ignorance Is Bliss, but Bliss Ain’t All It’s Cracked up to Be

How many times have you heard that it’s all about balance in life? Who could disagree? Then again, who knows what that means in practice? I came to see balance as an elusive concept; a state I probably couldn’t achieve. However, balance started to make sense after it dawned on me that I could feel happy but be unwell at the same time. Wellness requires more than happiness.

Philosophers tell us that peace is more than the absence of war. There can be much disharmony in a country even when it’s not at war. Similarly, wellness is more than happiness. Happiness is only one of many emotions. There can be disharmony in my overall wellness even when I feel happy. At times, happiness conceals my being unwell.

Imagine someone who feels happy while thriving at work and in their social life. Also imagine them falling deeper and deeper into debt because their financial affairs are in terrible shape. If they think about finances, they feel stress and anxiety, and it bursts the happiness bubble. If they ignore their finances, they can continue to feel happy. They are on a path to financial ruin, but until that happens they can remain oblivious to the financial problems and carry on as if they don’t exist.

Danger was lurking in the area of my physical wellness. I was living an interesting life. My wife and I had a great relationship where we spent lots of time together and were attentive to each other’s needs. My career was challenging, stimulating and rewarding. I worked with great people. I was giving back to the community through service work. I spent quality time with family, friends and colleagues. I enjoyed the arts, attending theatre, shows and exhibitions. I had many reasons to smile and laugh, which I did often. I pushed aside concerns about my weight and fitness to focus on the things that made me feel happy, but I was unwell because I ignored my physical side.

I didn’t put the balance puzzle together for most of my life, nor did I try to figure out how many categories of wellness there are or the activities that enhance those categories. There are three phases of my life that can help with context, beginning with the young person who didn’t think about wellness.

I grew up in Waterloo, Ontario, in the days of limited television options and no personal computers, so I was always on the move, which kept me fit. I played outside with friends. I biked all over. I liked to climb trees and see the view from on high. I attended a bilingual elementary school. To the extent I ran, it was in short spurts, not over long distances. We played soccer at recess in spring and fall, and broomball when there was snow on the ground in winter.¹ Both sports involved running in short surges.

We occasionally ran longer distances for gym class, but I couldn’t go far before I had to slow down and catch my breath. I didn’t know it then, but I kept repeating a mistake. I pushed too hard. My heart rate would rise to a level I couldn’t sustain.

These early experiences made me believe I couldn’t run long distances. I was disappointed and embarrassed to walk while everyone else ran on, so I pushed to catch up to the group but would soon need to walk again. It meant I started to dislike running. I remained fit until Grade 7 when I became chubby, or husky as the label on my jeans said. I continued to play sports, but I was slower and a little overweight from then on. The same problem with running played out in high school. I was apprehensive when I had to run for gym class or team practice. I expected to fail by needing to slow down and walk.

Looking back, I never really appreciated how great I felt—my youthful energy and vitality was truly wasted on me! I didn’t savour the physical sensations of feeling fit, and I spent years later in life trying to remember how those sensations felt. Like most kids, I didn’t recognize the connection between certain activities and wellness.

I didn’t connect the arts or even music, which was always important to me, to an overall feeling of wellness. Music was my retreat when I felt down. It gave me inspiration when I was looking for direction, and lyrics provided food for thought. I grew up in the days of vinyl albums with lyrics printed on record sleeves. I liked new wave music in high school like The Jam, The Clash, The Police, The B52s, The Specials. U2 made a kind of music I’d never experienced before, and it filled me with energy.

I didn’t connect learning with wellness even though I’ve always enjoyed it. I’m a very curious person and enjoy brainstorming and finding solutions to problems. I enjoyed math and science, stories and history.

The young person who didn’t think about wellness grew into the university student who didn’t figure it out. I’m one of those nerds who loves learning, so I enjoyed uni. I had no idea what I wanted to do for a living after high school, even after I started thinking about university programs. I just knew I wanted to learn more and assumed I’d figure out a career later. I considered (naïvely) which programs to apply for based on interest, not for job training. I narrowed my choice to pure math or philosophy, which are probably similar at some level. I chose philosophy.

I’ve always been interested in the big questions. I was eighteen years old when I started at the University of Waterloo, and I was eager to learn. I expected to make sense out the world and, heck, why not the universe as well? I looked to philosophy for Truth with a capital T. In other words I was looking for the Truth, as if there’s one truth and it’s knowable. I enjoyed my studies and immersed myself in the works of philosophers. I studied ancient Greek philosophers initially, focusing on Aristotle. I moved through the ages reading books by others, including Aquinas, Spinoza, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Husserl, Russell, Ayer and more. Most of these philosophers had long passed from this world, but their writings brought them to life and I could sense their thirst for knowledge. I began to focus on the study of ethics and considered working as a medical ethicist in a hospital setting. I ended up going in a different direction, but my interest in ethics proved useful because ethical considerations are critical in the practice of law.

I had wonderful professors who brought theories into better focus. Class discussions were lively and I learned so much. I kept expecting and hoping that everything would fall into place so I could make perfect sense of the world. It never happened. I learned much, but Truth eluded me. I came to doubt that there’s one truth or that the human mind could comprehend it, which was a good lesson. I learned not to wait for perfect knowledge or the perfect solution before taking action because I wouldn’t get anything done. Instead, I tried to figure out the best solution available, then act on it.

People’s views on any theory fall somewhere along a spectrum ranging from extreme dogmatism to extreme skepticism. I’m alert to and avoid both, which are problematic for different reasons. Extremely dogmatic people accept a theory or belief without proof, at face value, often as a matter of blind faith. They make people view the world through the lens of their beliefs, their tunnel vision. They are incapable of keeping an open mind and appreciating alternative explanations. Extremely skeptical people demand incontestable proof, are never satisfied with proof offered and reject most theories and beliefs. This ultimately leads to inaction, indifference or even an admiration for anarchy.

There was a line of ancient Greek philosophers associated with skepticism. Zeno was one of them, and he loved to come up with paradoxes. One paradox suggested that motion is an illusion. Imagine an archer shooting at a target (it’s funny if you imagine this as a Monty Python skit, by the way). Logically, before the arrow can get to the target, it must first reach the halfway point. From there it must travel to the next halfway point, and so on. He argued that the arrow could never reach the target because it never stops travelling to an infinite number of halfway points. I doubt, however, that he tested his theory by letting someone shoot an arrow at him. He would in a Monty Python skit.

Heraclitus said you cannot step in the same river twice because it will have changed by the time you step into it the second time. Cratylus extended the concept, saying you cannot step into the same river even once because it’s never the same river (it’s always changing). How can you explain truth in an ever-changing world or in a world of illusions? Cratylus decided there’s no point saying anything. He would wriggle his index finger up and down rather than speaking. When I hear someone taking an extremely skeptical approach and demanding proof of every point, I consider wriggling my index finger to them. I don’t actually do it, but I think about it and it makes me smile inside.

We cannot know Truth, so we should just accept it. Maybe our human minds are limited. So be it. We still need to act. We still need to live together. We must find a way to move forward. We can’t be productive by sitting around wriggling our fingers