Staying healthy has always been important to Matthew Tilford, even more so since his mobility was significantly altered.
It wasn’t until he suffered a spinal cord injury that he learned great health is about much more than simply lifting weight or taking supplements.
Due to his mobility, Matt has had to adapt to several everyday scenarios many people take for granted and must put significant focus on his diet in order to remain healthy and out of the hospital.
“If I cheat on my meals, I workout twice as hard that night. Regardless. So basically, I get to indulge my taste-buds and I get an awesome workout. It’s a win-win, as long as I act on it.”
[audio_player url=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/Whyami-107-Ways-to-Bulletproof/Tilford+Interview.mp3″]
A brief background…
Two weeks before graduating high school, Matt’s life would never be the same… His spinal cord was damaged, leaving him a paraplegic.
With five friends in the car, heading to a party, on windy mountain road, he drove off a 600 foot cliff on a dark summer night.
Everybody but Matt was wearing their seat belt… and eventually walked away…but him. In the hospital and during his rehabilitation Matt had a lot of time to think…
“You don’t know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”
He realized he still had opportunities ahead of him and has worked hard to stay independent, realizing just how strong he is.
He’s adapted a very healthy and strong mindset – a mindset everybody can take something away from. Matt doesn’t have a choice but to live healthy and pay very close attention to his body. He’s also learning how to walk again without the use of his legs…. Some real superhuman stuff.
While in college he was approached by a friend looking for other wheelers to test exoskeleton robots that helped people with paralysis walk. He couldn’t say no because this was a once in a life time opportunity.
Eventually he became an Ambassador for the company (Ekso Bionics) and travels nexus pheromones review to demonstrate the device. This even him got him on the Syfy TV show, “Joe Rogan Questions Everything.”
Matthew has identified that community is a huge part of health and volunteers for Back Bones, a non profit that helps spinal cord injury survivors connect. Matthew contributes to many blogs in the disability community. The internet is all about writing, which is cool, because I enjoy writing and can deliver positive messages to other wheelers.
“Strong sense of community is what helps me stay positive and focused on all of my goals. An aspect of these goals is helping people that are in a similar situation.”
Once an athlete always an athlete. Matthew has a deep love for competition and didn’t stop after his spinal cord injury. Wake boarding and snowboarding were two of his favorite sports and luckily they have been adapted so he can still enjoy them today.
Matthew his father and brother recently picked up cycling. He is sponsored by Wheel Strong Sports and is training for the next cycle season.
Matt’s a young guy with a long successful life in front of him. But if you ask him what his greatest accomplishment is so fat, he says, “My greatest success is my family. They help me stay on my goals and keep my spirits elevated.”
Here are 7 notable takeaways from this episode:
- Great health takes a great community
- Keep Moving to keep healthy and happy!
- Success means having a close family
- Embrace challenges in order to improve your life
- People without use of the legs they were born with, are now walking again
- Motivation get’s you to the door, discipline brings you back
- Help others in order to help yourself mentally, physically and spiritually
[audio_player style=”1″ url=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/Whyami-107-Ways-to-Bulletproof/Tilford+Interview.mp3″]
Matt’s #1 Health Tip
“Dedication and consistency are the two most important factors in achieving and maintaining great health.”