2018 NPAA Magazine 2018 NPAA Magazine - This is Our Sport | Page 64

CANADA
CLASSIC
2017
Blair Gogowich
transformation award
Winner
In 2016 I found out that I was diagnosed with
an autoimmune disease called Lyme disease.
Leading up to this point in my life, I was very
overweight and unsure of why I was always sick
and run down. I had extremely unhealthy habits,
and was physically and mentally suffering. At my
heaviest point (245lbs), I decided to finally take
action, realizing that I could not continue feeling
this way and watching my health and happiness
deteriorate. I sought out a doctor who was finally
able to work with me and start the healing
process. I was put on a very strict antibiotic
protocol that was also an adjustment for my body,
and was told that my diet and lifestyle needed
to drastically change. In many ways lyme disease
has actually saved my life. This disease forced
me to critically examine my overall well being, the
quality of my life, and how I envisioned it should
be throughout the rest of my journey. I eliminated
alcohol, sugar and gluten, and began making
healthy choices that included organic food and
a proper balanced macros. This was not always
easy and I did struggle to stay on this new clean
diet, but I realized that life is about choices and I
had no choice but to learn and stay determined
in my pursuit of this new healthy me. After six
months of being on this new regime I decided
it was time to start exercising again in order to
gain my energy and strength back. When I started
to see progress in the gym, I decided to set a
goal to motivate myself even further. Seeing my
sister NPAA-Pro athlete Chantel compete motivated
me to make the decision to compete and I have
never looked back. With the help of my girlfriend I
was able to dial in my diet and workout plans.
With these new found tools I was ready to embark
on my journey to competition, and I have done
nothing but eat, sleep and breathe my new
healthy lifestyle. I achieved my goal of competing
in 2017 at the NPAA competition. It is a huge
sense of accomplishment to see how far I have
come. This journey has enabled me to slowly
start beating lyme disease and taught me the
importance of not taking this life for granted.
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