Fittest Loser contest is 'bringing me back to health'

From high school on, exercise had always played a large role in Ed Poczatek's life.

He ran on his high school cross country and track (pole vault) teams and was on the track team his freshman year of college. He ran his first marathon, an indoor race, in 1972.

By the time Poczatek's second son was born however, he began experiencing knee pain.

Doctors discovered that he had torn cartilage in his knee and that he'd need an operation to repair it. Poczatek wasn't thrilled with the idea of surgery and took a wait-and-see approach for several months before eventually deciding to go ahead with the procedure.

Unfortunately, Poczatek said his knee was never the same after his operation. The pain was too intense and running was no longer an option.

“I just tossed it to I'll never be able to run again,” he said.

Since exercise had been such a big part of his life, Poczatek was intrigued when he heard about the Fittest Loser at Work Challenge in 2013.

In addition to following the training plan for contestants, participants garnered extra points if they completed an activity such as a 5K race. Poczatek thought it would be great to run a 5K again.

During the Fittest Loser at Work, he completed his first race in many years. Then he participated in another, then another, and another.

“Between 2013 and 2014 I ran over 25 5Ks and a 10-miler,” Poczatek said. “I started thinking maybe I can do a half marathon.”

Poczatek completed not one, but two half marathons, before setting his sights on the Chicago Marathon. In 2014, he completed that race as well — 42 years after his first 26.2 mile race.

Getting back into fighting shape was a major accomplishment, but almost immediately after the Chicago Marathon, Poczatek said his body started aching.

“I thought I had Lyme disease,” said Poczatek, who has spend a lot of time outdoors in wooded areas while his three sons participated in Boy Scouts and became Eagle Scouts.

About a year after the aching began, Poczatek went in for his routine physical. His doctor and longtime friend noticed a few of his numbers were “bad.” Further testing led to a biopsy that showed that Poczatek had an aggressive form of cancer.

“From the tone of my friend and doctor's voice, I could tell I was in deep doo-doo,” Poczatek said.

Poczatek underwent surgery to remove the cancer. Follow-up tests still indicated the presence of cancer, which meant that further treatment was necessary. Poczatek went through two months of radiation, scheduling his appointments at 6:30 a.m. so he didn't have to miss a day of work.

During radiation, it was impossible for Poczatek to continue exercising — the treatments left him too fatigued.

Following radiation, Poczatek received chemotherapy for two years. He finished his last treatment in November of 2018, just before applications for Fittest Loser were being collected.

Luckily, the radiation and chemotherapy did their job. His last four tests have showed no measurable cancer. In remission, Poczatek said he is living his life as though he will live a normal life span. He has a positive attitude that has helped him get through a difficult time and he hopes to spread his positivity to those around him.

“When someone asks me, ‘How are you?,' my response is ‘I'm doing so good I can't stand it,'” said Poczatek.

As life began to return to normal following treatment, Poczatek wanted to get his fitness routine back on track.

While receiving treatment, Poczatek participated in a weekly running club, but said it was more of a social activity for him than the aerobic endeavor it was before his diagnosis. As much as he hoped the chemotherapy he was on would not have major side effects, his treatments left him lethargic, slowed him down and had another side effect — weight gain.

As the end of 2018 approached, Poczatek said he was bordering on being obese.

That's when he applied to Fittest Loser and everything changed. He loves working with his trainer Michelle Jeeninga, who has given him the appropriate exercises to improve his fitness.

“It was a godsend to get into this contest,” said Poczatek. “I feel five years younger because of this.”

Before his diagnosis and throughout treatment, Poczatek suffered from joint pain, especially in his hands. Through Fittest Loser, the pain is subsiding.

He's sleep better and his overall energy level is up. He said the “miracle workers” at Push Fitness have helped him increase his flexibility, which has made everyday tasks like turning his head when backing his car out or bending to pick up something he's dropped, much, much easier.

“Ed is doing awesome at this point,” Jeeninga said. “He is continuously working hard on his two-mile run under 26 minutes and his overall endurance. His greatest progress has been his nutrition. I think he has really started understanding his nutrition labels and monitoring his sodium intake.”

Participating in Fittest Loser has led Poczatek to believe that exercise is medicine and says this is the best he's felt since training for the Chicago Marathon in 2014.

“I felt great when I was training for the marathon, like the sky was the limit,” said Poczatek. “Then all my dreams were shattered. Now I'm saying, maybe I can do it again. I know I'll do a 5K, a half marathon, and extended bike rides.”

The road back to health hasn't been easy. Poczatek encourages others facing a similar struggle not to hide from their diagnosis or issue, but to face it head on.

Poczatek feels blessed to have the opportunity to compete in Fittest Loser and encourages others to find their own version of a health and wellness challenge, whether it be applying to the contest or finding a program specifically designed for cancer survivors such as the LIVESTRONG Cancer Survivor program offered at YMCAs including the Campanelli YMCA.

“Find what motivates you to change your diet and exercise routine and track your results,” said Poczatek.

Poczatek recently purchased a tracker to monitor the progress he is making during the contest. He loves seeing improvement in his sleep, amount of exercise he's getting, and his overall health.

“I can show how this contest and exercise is bringing me back to health,” said Poczatek.

• To see the Fittest Loser contestants' latest weight stats, visit pushfitnesstraining.com/fittest-loser/