When your dad has muscled his way through years of Ironman competitions, chances are that a couch-potato calling is hardly part of your future.
Blake Day of Columbus said he can relate.
At 13, he already has established a fitness routine that could be the envy of many people at least twice his age.
And he’s doing more than building a healthy lifestyle. He’s building an impressive résumé of success.
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He swam the fastest time in an open-water mile at Boy Scout camp last summer.
His motivation for making such a splash is simple.
“I wanted to get fit,” he said.
“My dad (Darrell Day) has inspired me.”
» Briefly describe your daily/weekly workout routine.
I swim for about two hours per day (about 7,000 meters per workout). Then two to three visits per week at Total Fitness on the rowing machine, step machine and other weights.
» Why is it something you have stuck with?
I think it’s fun.
» How do you make time to work out?
I fit it in after school (during the school year) and on the weekends.
» Have you lost weight or gained muscle mass through working out? How much?
I have gained muscle. I’m not sure how much.
» What’s your favorite exercise?
Swimming
» Do you listen to music during your workout? If so, what’s on your playlist?
Yes. Pop and hip-hop — music that gets you pumped up.
» Do you follow any special diet or eating plan? If so, describe briefly. Do you “cheat” much?
I try to eat healthy. I try to follow my workout with some sort of protein or protein shake.
» Do you have a favorite fitness moment, such as when you reached a certain goal or overcame a plateau?
Getting personal records in the pool. One recent moment was when my relay swim team took first place in the USA Swimming Divisional Meet.
» What do you do to motivate yourself when you just don’t want to work out?
I think about my goal and how much I want to reach it.
» What advice would you give someone who wants to begin working out?
Start small and gradually increase how hard you work out.
— Staff writer, Brian Blair, [email protected]
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Age: 13.
City: Columbus.
Occupation: Eighth grader at St. Peter’s Lutheran School.
Family: Dad, Darrell; mom, Christine; sister, Chloe, 14.
Where you work out: Columbus North and Columbus East high school pools and Total Fitness in Columbus.
Hours per week: Two hours five times per week in the pool and two or three visits weekly at Total Fitness.
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