Active Dad and Engineer
Home base: Marietta, GA
Home life: Father of 2 daughters and a son
Work life: Engineer
Brian O’Malley has been competitive since he can remember, especially with his brother, Terry. That competitiveness turned into motivation 2 years ago when Terry had a heart attack on a run in Chicago on Christmas Day.
After watching his brother suffer he wanted to do everything in his power to ensure he was healthy and safe. Brian purchased an Apple Watch with safety features and started tracking his steps, but it wasn’t until he was faced with a challenge that those steps started to matter.
FitnessBank teamed up with Lassiter High School to raise money through a step challenge for their baseball team with a goal of reaching 15,000 miles as a group. Brian’s son is on the team and Brian saw the idea as “a refreshing way to raise money”.
The whole family joined his daughters, his son, his wife and his brother in efforts to raise money while also competing against each other to top the leaderboard.The challenge began and Brian was eager to win pushing himself to get as many steps in as he could throughout the day.
How do you incorporate steps into your day?
“My day would begin at 4 AM with a four to six mile run on the elliptical followed by weights. I also traded by desk for a high school track walking during my conference calls making me more focused. Following work I would walk my two German Shepherds two to three miles before calling it a day.”
How did the leaderboard motivate you?
“I’m competitive so losing wasn’t an option, especially to my brother and family. I would check the Leaderboard daily to ensure I was still in first. At one point I was in first, my daughter was in third and my brother was not far behind in fourth.”
What benefits did the challenge have on your overall health?
“I’m in the best shape of my life because it motivated me to help raise money for my son’s team while also bringing out my competitive mindset and passion for fitness.”
QUICK TAKES
Favorite time to run: When it is sunny or a nice day out.
Favorite time to workout: Morning because it wakes me up and helps me start my day.
