I was always very athletic and active when I was younger, but as I started to focus more energy on my career, my fitness fell by the wayside. By the time I was in my mid-twenties, I went from being an elite athlete (I was a semi-pro mountain biker) to being overweight and on the path to ill health. I was eventually diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and by the time I was 33, I walked with a severe limp, I was in chronic pain, and I never thought I would be active again. At age 37, I completely turned my health around, lost 65 pounds, got off all my meds, and started riding bikes again. So I would say at age 37, I realized that I needed to invest in my fitness.
Seamus Mullen
functional fitness
Santa Monica, CA
A leading authority on health and wellness, Seamus Mullen is also an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and author. Launching what would become a successful culinary career in his early 20s, a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis powerfully shifted Seamus’ outlook on food and his life. Valuing movement both in and out of the kitchen, Seamus gives us a taste of his world.
- Health Food Chef
- KB Swings PR: 80KG 40 swings unbroken
- 24 solo Mountain Bike races
- Rode 2,000 miles in one month, averaging 500 miles a week
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10 MINUTES WITH SEAMUS
Q: AT WHAT POINT IN YOUR LIFE DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU WANTED TO INVEST MORE IN YOUR PERSONAL FITNESS?
Q: WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED?
Knowing how sick I was and that I will NEVER go back to being sick like that again.
Q: WHAT PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR TWENTY-YEAR OLD SELF?
Yoga!!! If there is one thing I wish I had done when I was younger, it would have been to invest in my mobility.
Q: HOW DO YOU EMBRACE THE “BETTER THAN YESTERDAY” MINDSET IN YOUR DAY-TO-DAY?
The past is the past, we can only change the future by changing the NOW. Sometimes, the day before yesterday was pretty damn good and yesterday sucked, so rather than dwell on the past, I try to focus on the now.
Q: WHAT’S ON YOUR FITNESS BUCKET LIST?
The Trans-Andes mountain bike race, climbing Kilimanjaro, mountain biking across Mongolia, learning to kite surf, getting better at enduro motorcycling….can I go on?
Q: WHAT PHYSICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I think hand’s down, completing La Ruta de Los Conquistadores in 2014. It’s a three day mountain bike stage race that goes from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica, all off road. I did this 2 years after reversing all the symptoms and biomarkers of Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic inflammatory auto-immune disease.
Q: WHY DO YOU PRIORITIZE FITNESS IN YOUR LIFE?
It’s the glue that keeps me on track. When I move well, I am more prone to eating well, and when I move well, I tend to sleep well. I truly believe that a well-used body is a healthy body. We are way too sedentary and inclined to default to comfort. Short term discomfort leads to long-term strength. Lifting some heavy weights, jumping in cold water, pushing your limits…these things all make us better equipped to deal with the unexpected.
Q: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TEN THOUSAND SHORTS?
I love the liner…and I was NEVER a liner guy before. In fact I surf in my shorts and frequently swim in them. Literally my go-to for all non-cycling workouts…and I usually throw them on post-ride because they’re so comfy!
