If you saw Neal Bendesky today, and you had also met him in 2015, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t know it’s him. After all, in 2015 his weight had reached a peak level at 450 pounds. But he had a moment of awakening when a toddler—upon seeing him sitting at the gym in his size 5XL gear—thought he was Santa Claus. Neal knew then: the time had come to make a dramatic transformation.

Neal immediately got to work. Part one of his transformation: sheer weight loss. And, when he experienced knee pain, he realized he needed additional outside support. It was then that he turned to Spooner for help.

“A lot of people think of physical therapy as being a reactionary engagement,” he said. “They use it when they are reacting to a situation, when something bad happens. For me, I thought the key to my success was pure exercise. But when you don’t do a motion screening before all this exercise, you’re really just putting yourself into harm’s way.”

A long-term partnership using movement as medicine

And so, what started off as a physical therapy engagement related to knee pain has become a long-term wellness partnership. Neal has committed himself to weight loss and wellness, and in turn, various therapists on the Spooner team have dedicated themselves to him. He’s seen experts for motion screens, he’s learned the fundamentals of Chi Running and he’s even learned how to change his posture and stance following weight loss, to avoid pain and injury.

Throughout his journey, Neal has experienced many wins—along with one terrifying (momentary) setback: In 2016 he suffered sudden cardiac arrest, immediately following a TV media interview at a workout gym. The stress of his career has finally taken its toll.

“I had abused my body for 50 years with my drug of choice: food,” Neal said. “And it finally caught up to me.”

Major wins along the way

Nevertheless, Neal was relentless in his recovery efforts. Following the implantation of two heart stents, he continued his fitness journey, hitting the gym for 199 straight days, and hitting more than 199 consecutive Fitbit goals (six miles or more). He’s also achieved what many dream of doing – back to back half marathons (7 to date, with the eighth occurring early February). Today, he refers to himself proudly as the “199Guy”. He wanted to lose more than 199 pounds and he did it. He wanted to weigh less than 199 pounds and he’s achieved it. His mantra is #199GuyNeverTooLate to make a change.

“Spooner taught me flexibility, they taught me stability,” Neal said. “They worked with me on my goals and always checked in. Because of them, my hips have opened up. My quads feel better, my knees are better. . . Thinking about how I have gone from being on the couch to heading to the Daytona racetrack to run my eighth half marathon, it’s amazing.”

A new way of living with movement as medicine

Neal, who was recently named a BocoGear Ambassador, has changed his entire approach to life. One of his main goals is to encourage others to find their success, too, and to learn from his story. He’s also writing a book about his journey. You can follow Neal’s journey here or via Facebook here.

“Spooner has helped me not only get fit but fit into life. I didn’t fit into my clothes. I didn’t fit into booths at restaurants. I felt that I didn’t fit into society,” he reflected.

“I’m going to keep running until God says I can’t run anymore.”