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Inspired
by Desire
-The Jared Horomona Story-
 The
first thing that you notice about Jared Horomona is his smile. It
radiates across the room. I smile back instinctively, hoping to
return the gesture but knowing that in no way is my smile as warm,
as genuine, as infectious as his.
For those of you who do not know Jared, he is the 2000 Body-for-LIFE
Challenge Inspirational Grand Champion. Without question, he deserves
this recognition—and so much more. He considers himself the
lucky one for winning. However, it is you and I who are the lucky
ones—as you’ll soon discover.
You think you have it hard? You think your life is a challenge?
You think that it is an inconvenience to get to the gym, to cook
your food, to have aching muscles? Jared can tell you what inconvenience
is. It is trying to put on his shorts, trying to get out of a chair,
going to the bathroom or simply trying to eat. But he would never
admit these are inconveniences because he doesn’t view the
world in a negative way. He sees everything he does as a challenge.
And Jared has challenged himself more than you or I could ever dream
of.
As they say
in Jared’s native New Zealand, he is “out of the box.”
Meaning he is exceptional, one of a kind, no other like him. He
is the fourth child of six born in 1970 to Rita and Ray Horomona
in Hamilton, New Zealand. Born with cerebral palsy. Born challenged.
For Jared, living with cerebral palsy has become nothing more than
an inconvenience. As his mother says, “We tried very hard to
have him grow up normally. Especially being a middle child, we were
aware that he would have additional challenges.”
When he was three, his father picked up his family and moved them
to Hawaii to attend Brigham Young University. It was in Hawaii that
Jared began his schooling and, conversely, his thirst for life.
He came to understand at a very young age that he was going to go
through his life on different terms than his siblings. His cerebral
palsy “challenge” affected his schooling regimen, which
eventually dictated that he be away from his family five days a
week, returning home only on the weekends. As you can imagine, he
became very homesick for his family. In lieu of the comfort of his
family during the week, he began bringing people into his world
with his indomitable spirit and his smile. The smile made it no
problem making friends—everyone he meets is immediately drawn
to him. When Jared was 10, he and his family moved back to New Zealand
and thus began his journey to the man he is today.
Listening to Jared talk about his love of reading, I am immediately
impressed with his literary  knowledge.
He reads every day, every chance he gets. He loves it. He learned
how to read in New Zealand when he was a young boy. Throughout his
childhood, every morning he was picked up by a van for school at
5:30, and he returned home each evening around 5:00. He was determined
to learn. He endured the long days of learning while mixing in sessions
of therapy. As Rita explains, “He had all sorts of therapy
growing up that the other children didn’t have. He got pushed
around in a wheelchair, or we carried him around a lot until he
got too heavy.”
As a child, Jared explains that he crawled around until they tied
a pair of crutches onto his arms—he fell repeatedly because
of his daredevil nature and desire to explore and be independent.
And like any other youngster, he found that being mobile could get
you into trouble. He once fell from a tree, suffered concussions
when he would slip on the concrete at the swimming pool, and even
got lost when riding around on his toy Caterpillar truck!
In 1997 Jared took his mobility to new heights. He competed in the
New York City Marathon. That’s 26.2 miles! He finished the
race 201/2 hours after he started. He completed almost 22 of those
miles on the first day in a wicked rain and windstorm that took
its toll on him and forced him to quit for the day, just short of
the finish. He was determined to finish the final 41/2 miles the
following day. While the other “able-body” competitors
were relaxing and reliving the previous day’s marathon, Jared
went back out to complete his. As he got closer to the finish line,
he noticed that he had a police escort, and the organizers respectfully
put the finish line tape up for him. Jared inspired one of the policemen
to get out of his car and walk to the finish line with him. After
finishing the race, according to his coach Max Holmes, “Jared
was just so excited, he was just out of control with excitement.”
Who wouldn’t be after such an incredible, inspiring accomplishment?
Most of us who can walk and run on our own two feet, without crutches
or wheelchairs, do not take on such challenges.
Jared began working out eight years ago to help him build his strength
so that he could compete in activities like the marathon and help
with his karate and wrestling. He loves to wrestle with his brothers
and dad. According to Rita, oftentimes when he wrestles, someone
ends up crying from the rough and tumble matches. I personally can
attest to this, as he and I wrestled during Champions weekend here
at EAS, and he gave me a fat lip when we were horsing around! He
is one strong guy.
He draws his internal strength from his family, and they have been
a big influence in his life.  Jared
explains, “I get my strong will from Dad. We often clash! But
he never ‘babied’ me or felt sorry for me because I had
a disability. He always expected a lot from me.”
His mother accompanied him to the EAS headquarters in Golden, Colorado,
for the Champions Weekend, and her warmth and love for her son was
openly evident. Jared says, “Mum is mellow. She has always
taken care of my needs, probably too much! She made many of my meals
when I was doing the Challenge, and took me to the gym. I can talk
to Mum especially when I’m feeling down. She’s a great
listener.”
When he does feel down, he heads straight for the gym. I had the
opportunity to hang out with Jared as he pushed his body through
a workout alongside the other Body-for-LIFE 2000 Champions.
Jared can’t stand upright on his own, so he performs many of
his exercises on his knees. And his scruffed and scarred knees stand
testament to his unwavering determination. It was incredible to
say the least. Everyone stopped their workouts and came over to
encourage Jared to push through his next rep as his body twisted
and shook with the effort. It was awe-inspiring and unbelievable.
Here is a guy who was crawling around on the gym floor, barely able
to grip a barbell, and yet he was having the time of his life cranking
out those reps!
After watching Jared work out, I had a better appreciation for his
ability to pack muscle on his body and make the transformation that
he did. It’s impossible not to want to high five him after
his workout and give him a huge hug for his outstanding efforts.
Now I know I’ll never have a good excuse for not working out
for the rest of my life.
 Jared
discovered the Body-for-LIFE Challenge from a friend who
gave him a copy of the Body of Work video—which he then
watched daily for motivation throughout his Challenge. He was inspired
by the Champions, and he chose the physique of Anthony Ellis as
his model. He also read the Body-for-LIFE book every day
and set his goals to become stronger and bigger. For his “before”
photo, he refused to have his crutches in the picture so, while
he leaned up against a car for support, Rita snapped the photo—and
Jared set off to win. And win he did. He packed on size in his chest,
thighs, calves and biceps, and he dropped his body fat from 10.1
percent to 8.7 percent. When Porter Freeman and the other judges
saw his entry, pictures and essay, they knew they needed to look
no further. They had found their Inspirational Grand Champion.
Jared tells anyone thinking about or just beginning the Challenge
that “You can do it! If I can do it, anyone can do it! Nothing
can stop you, only yourself. If you want to achieve your goal badly
enough, you’ll move heaven and earth to get it done. So go
hard, have faith in yourself and believe you can do it.” He
says to lead by example and you’ll find success in the Program.
Since winning the Challenge, Jared has found new freedoms, and he
is being asked to speak with different groups about his transformation.
He also now successfully lives alone in a flat in Hamilton, New
Zealand. “It is working out brilliantly,” Rita says. “He
has a caregiver helping with the chores, but Jared is taking care
of his own personal needs now. He is planning on continuing his
education, earning a university degree, and finding a car that he
can drive himself.”
Oh, one last thing: He hopes to marry in five years. With that smile,
I can’t see how any woman could say no.
Jared
Horomona’s winning strategies
Jared
on supplements
“I use Myoplex Deluxe, Phosphagen, protein powder, multivitamins,
L-glutamine and EFAs,” he says. “Two of my meals are Myoplex
shakes. I have one to two servings of Phosphagen a day, one multivitamin
and protein powder with my porridge at breakfast.”
Jared’s
nutrition plan
Breakfast: Egg-white omelet or porridge with protein
powder and milk
Morning tea: Myoplex shake
Lunch: Tuna, chicken or turkey salad
sandwich
Afternoon tea: Half-cup cottage cheese
and fruit or yogurt
Dinner: A choice of chili and potato,
chicken pasta, grilled pork and brown rice or grilled chicken breast
and potato. All meals are served with vegetables like broccoli,
carrots, beans or a green salad.
Late evening: Myoplex shake
Jared’s favorite “cheat” foods
Peanut M&Ms and pizza
Nutrition
tips from Jared
Don’t eat any carbs after dinner. Have a protein shake
as your last meal of the day.
Have a regular time and routine set up for your meals.
Plan your meals the night before.
If you feel tempted to cheat, buy your favorite treat and
put it away for your “free” day.
Be patient with yourself and don’t give up if you do
eat the wrong thing. Keep going and get yourself back on course
.
Jared’s training program
“I followed the training program set up in Body-for-LIFE,”
Jared says. “My personal trainer adjusted some of the exercises
because of my disability, but he was tough on me and helped me stay
disciplined and push myself.
“Since the Challenge I have tried a different routine suggested
by one of my friends,” he adds. “I concentrate on only
two body parts per session. I use two different machines or exercises
per each body part with the set and rep scheme detailed in Body-for-LIFE.
“I have recently decided not to do as much cardio because I
bike so much, and it is a challenge for me to keep my muscle mass
without burning it off biking around,” Jared says.
Training tips from Jared
Pace yourself and try to keep within the time limit for each
workout session.
Go hard on your “high points.” Give it all you
got!
Concentrate on good technique for each exercise.
Take your time and don’t rush the exercise.
If you can, do your training first thing in the morning.
Getting
to know cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
is an umbrella term used to describe a group of chronic disorders
impairing control of movement. It often appears in the first years
of life and generally does not get worse over time.
The term cerebral
refers to the brain’s two hemispheres and palsy describes any
disorder that impairs control of body movement. These disorders
are not caused by problems in the muscles or nerves, but instead,
faulty development or damage to motor areas in the brain disrupts
the brain’s ability to adequately control movement or posture.
Very often,
someone with cerebral palsy may have problems with fine motor skills,
such as writing, or they may have difficulty maintaining balance
or walking. The symptoms may differ from one person to the next
and may even change over time. Contrary to popular belief, cerebral
palsy does not always cause profound handicap or mental retardation.
There are four
broad categories of cerebral palsy:
Spastic
cerebral palsy. This form affects 70 percent to 80 percent
of patients, and causes stiff and permanently contracted muscles.
Athetoid,
or dyskinetic, cerebral palsy. Uncontrolled, slow, writhing
movements characterize this form.
Ataxix
cerebral palsy. This rare form affects the sense of balance
and depth perception. Affected people often have poor coordination,
walk unsteadily with a wide-based gait and experience difficulty
with quick or precise movements.
Mixed
forms. It is common for patients to have symptoms of
more than one of the previous three forms.
Cerebral palsy
was first recorded in the 1860s by an English surgeon named William
Little. He wrote of a puzzling disorder that struck children in
the first years of life, causing stiff, spastic muscles in their
legs and arms. These children had difficulty grasping objects, crawling
and walking. They did not improve as they got older, nor did the
symptoms get worse. The condition these children had was known as
Little’s disease for many years. Because it seemed that many
of these children were born following complicated deliveries, Little
suggested their condition resulted from a lack of oxygen during
childbirth. He proposed that this oxygen shortage damaged sensitive
brain tissues controlling movement.
In the 1980s,
however, scientists analyzed extensive data from a government study
of more than 35,000 births. While evidence of birth trauma was found
to be the cause of thousands of cerebral palsy cases, in the majority
of cases, no specific cause was found.
At the same time, biomedical research has also led to significant
changes in understanding, diagnosing and treating people with cerebral
palsy. Identifying cerebral palsy early in life gives infants the
best opportunity for developing to their full capacity later on
in life, and certain conditions that have been known to cause cerebral
palsy, such as German measles and jaundice, can now be prevented
or treated.
At this time,
cerebral palsy can’t be cured, although scientific research
continues to yield treatments and prevention methods. Medications,
surgery and braces can often improve nerve and muscle coordination,
and physical, psychological and behavioral therapy can help with
movement and speech, as well as help develop social and emotional
skills so people with cerebral palsy have the opportunity to achieve
and succeed.
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