On January 14th, HFR founder and author of ReSYNC Your Life, Samir Becic, embarked on a BIG mission to raise obesity awareness in this country by running 8 marathons in eight weeks wearing extra compressed weights equivalent to 73.5 lbs.
Last week, Mayor Sylvester Turner, who also endorsed Samir’s book, tweeted out his support to Samir and his mission, proclaiming that the city of Houston is behind him! A big thank you to Mayor Turner, who is always a supporter of building a healthier Houston, both through his initiatives and his personal actions. You Rock!
#Houston, please join me in cheering on my friend @SamirBecic who will be running 8 Marathons in 8 weeks w/ compressed weights bringing awareness to the #obesity epidemic.
Samir, our city is behind you. Best of luck. #HoustonStronghttps://t.co/VC8dNfzFjY
— Sylvester Turner (@SylvesterTurner) January 28, 2018
Samir’s cause rings especially true in Houston, which often tops the “fattest cities” list. Samir believes that getting Houston more healthy and active will contribute to being #HoustonStrong!
Here is why what Samir is doing is so challenging: during the marathons, Becic wears a 73.5-pound weighted vest and shorts which, when multiplied by 1.6 to simulate the equivalent of human mass, equals 117.6 pounds. With Becic weighing in at 215 pounds, the total load on his body equals 332.6 pounds, which is equal to an obese weight.
Statistics show that 1 in 3 Americans is obese, and 360,000 deaths are occurring annually due to health complications related to obesity. Becic believes this epidemic needs to stop, and he needs the community’s help in order to end this crisis. “America currently holds the highest percentage of obesity in the world, at 35 percent nationwide,” Becic said. “My goal with this extreme fitness challenge is to raise awareness of the obesity epidemic in America, and hopefully bring it to an end so that we as a country can become the fittest nation in the world. You don’t need to run marathons like I am, but hopefully, I can motivate people to go out and walk a little more, and be more active.”
