In 2006, Moh suffered from a crippling back injury. He was bedridden, in pain and worried about how he could get back to being active. He spent a lot of time resting, followed by months of physical therapy, but after building up the courage to try running, his attempts failed, leaving him to further decline into physical inactivity. Discouraged and his hands full with business, family and life’s stressors, he put off the necessary yet arduous restoration process his body needed to go through. Physical training can be very very tough; it can be the last thing you are willing to do at the end (or the beginning) of the day, and yet it is the most important.
I know this as a coach. I know how easily we can get distracted from working with our bodies. And being in pain doesn’t help. Imagine worrying about aches and pains as you try and play with your young child or as you load something into the back of the car. Moh suffered through this. Time passed by and he began to lack energy and motivation throughout the day.
Fast forward 13 years…
Moh discovered Restore Human while visiting Vancouver for a school exchange. He tells me now that he was intrigued by ‘the different studio and the happy staff’. He was tired of being tired and decided to take that huge step towards physicality and the freedom to move without pain.
Moh committed to training 3-6 times a week and began to rebuild his physicality piece by piece. It was hard work, especially because Moh was just learning English that year as part of his schooling, but this didn’t slow him down.
We’ve been training together for just over a year now and I’m proud to list these impressive training achievements Moh has worked so hard for. Here are just a few:
Moh can safely lift a weight equal to his body weight (80kg/176lb) off the floor multiple times (one of our audacious goals chosen after about 6 months of restorative work)
Moh can now do a full chin up
Moh can now do 10 perfect push ups
Moh enjoys(!) running 6 km multiple times a week
Moh has no back pain and feels a true sense of physical freedom
Moh has now cultivated a sense of vitality throughout the day. His dedication and rock-solid work ethic has turned into a great source of energy that brightens his days with friends, family, and while studying at school. He’s said it so many times, he feels happy and capable now. No more depression or fatigue, he is ready for adventure.
What we see again and again at Restore Human, is that behaviour change in our physicality—building those movement habits—leads to healthy change in our minds. They are inextricably linked. And a healthy body and mind are what it means to be a Restored Human.
Thank you Moh, for investing wholeheartedly in developing your strength, grace, and resilience. Thank you for sharing your story and for putting your trust in the Restore Human team over this last year. Thanks for being a beautiful human being.
- Coach Pax.
