Robert's Story

Robert King has realized the journey of wellness is full of ups and downs. He has always been a physically active person; football being one way he enjoyed getting physical activity during college. His wellness journey changed when training for a marathon and being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Despite a family history of the disease, he never thought much of it and went through his life as normal. Since then his definition of the term wellness has adapted, and he is now proactive rather than reactive and has adjusted his healthy lifestyle to stand up to the disease. He hasn’t let the diagnosis dictate his life and focuses on staying active and well in all aspects of the word.

He likes to stay active by hiking and walking especially while connecting with this family. King says he is almost always moving, taking advantage of the free facilities at the Rec Center and enjoying the sights and sounds of campus through walking.

One of his biggest motivators to continue to live a healthy lifestyle is his family. King has seen through his family how staying active and playing sports can contribute to longevity.

“I remember my granddad, 68 years old, when I was in the height of my college football playing days, could get out and he could run with us,” he reminisces. “Just always having folks around. When I was younger, on Sundays after church, my family would go to this big park and we played softball together. We played basketball together. Being active was a huge part of it.”

King plans his activities throughout the week and aims to have a bit of “me” time while planning, in hopes of creating a better transition between work and life and staying grounded and connected to his thoughts and his faith as a way to fuel his spirits.