Four Surprising Secrets to Being in the Best Shape of My Life at 40

Hint—It has nothing to do with drinking less beer or spending your life at the gym.

Travis W. King

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I like the guy I see in the mirror these days. I recently wrote a reflection about turning 40, and a part of it was wondering what 10-year-old me would think of 40-year-old me—living in a beach town in Mexico with my dogs, playing music for pesos, and chasing a dream project.

I think he’d respond with a combination of weird and awesome. I also think little me would be most pleased that I kept myself in shape.

This photo feels very representative of life on the Oaxacan coast, jaja.

As a kid growing up in Wisconsin, where the cheese grows on trees, I struggled mightily with my weight. I was a naturally gifted athlete, and even though I spent hours on a practice field (mostly soccer) every week, I struggled with my fitness. I was always a bit chubby, always in the midst of a fierce internal battle between food cravings and wanting to be skinny so girls would like me.

I ballooned to 235 pounds the summer after my sophomore year in high school because a close friend got a job at a loosely run pizza and sandwich joint.

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Travis W. King
Travis W. King

Written by Travis W. King

Traveling, writing, & working abroad for 10 years. Former Remote Year Dir. of Community. Check out my travel memoir—Not That Anyone Asked—at www.traviswking.com

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