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Jason Henriques clearly remembers what his 3-year-old son, Wyatt, said one day. “We were sitting on the dining room floor playing and he said, ‘Daddy, when I get big like you, I want a big tummy like you,’” Henriques tells TODAY.com.
At the time, Henriques was a 37-year-old with obesity, and his weight and diet were affecting his health. His asthma was so bad he was hospitalized to treat it about once a year. He had allergies, herniated discs, torn ligaments in his knees and gastrointestinal problems like colitis, gastritis and gallbladder issues. And Wyatt’s comment made him realize he needed to be a better role model for his children.
He started his fitness journey by walking and rowing
“I got up the next day, put Wyatt in a stroller, and started walking. From that day on, for months, we walked three to 12 miles a day. My mindset was, ‘I have to do this. I have to be a better parent. I have to be a better role model. I completely changed my mindset and went all-in,” he says.
When Henriques started walking, he was self-employed as a photographer. “I had my own schedule, and I made the time. Walking was my number one priority in the morning. I pushed everything else to the side for a little while,” he says.
While walking worked well for him for a few months, when the winter weather started to set in near his Monroe, Conn., home, he wanted to find a new way to improve his fitness. So, he joined a gym and took advantage of a free personal training session they offered.
The trainer asked him to row 1,000 meters on a rowing machine. He was hesitant at first. “It was new, it was challenging and I was in a routine of walking, jogging and cycling. Rowing shook it up, and change…
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