Athlete Name: Scotty Cook
Age: 28
Hometown: Fairfield, Ohio
Education: 4th year at Miami University. Criminal Justice Major
Tell us a little about yourself
I was diagnosed with CF at the age of 2. I have two brothers that also have Cystic Fibrosis. I am the youngest of the three. I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. My favorite football team is the Bengals and baseball is the Reds. I am a huge dog person and have a golden retriever that is 8 years old named Daisy. While growing up, I played basketball and ran cross country. When you think of someone with CF, cross country is probably the last sport you would think of them doing. I ran from 7th grade till senior year in high school. I only weighed 147 pounds and no muscle. My health started to really decline during high school due to a new infection. I got a Micro bacterium that put me in the hospital for a very long time. After over a year of fighting the bacterium, having surgeries, and taking more medication I started to get feel better. This was the weakest I have ever felt. This opened my eyes. I realized that I needed to get back to my baseline. Senior year I really started to get into working out. Four years later I gained almost 50lbs of muscle just by working out and eating. I currently go to Miami University in Ohio. I am studying Criminal justice, and I am less than a year away from getting my Bachelors Degree. I hope to become a police officer and be a personal trainer on the side. I take my nutrition, exercise, and my healthy very seriously. I make sure I do 2-4 treatments every day and take all my medicine that I need.
“Stay healthy and keep fighting, you are never alone”
Tell us what motivates you the most.
The biggest motivation for me is everyone that supports me. It makes me want to get in the gym every day and give it my all. I couldn’t do this alone and you shouldn’t have to. It motivates me to know that I am changing at least one person’s life by showing that nothing gets in my way. Staying healthy to avoid going into the hospital is a motivation. There is so much new technology and medicines being developed and that motivates me to be the best I can be. I take advantage of how much this can help in the gym by making you stronger and healthier. My family has never left my side with working out and has been by my side every step to push me.
Why do you exercise?
The main reason I exercise is because I want to make sure I can make my future the best possible. I exercise because I hope to have a family one day. I want to be able to support and give them everything. Exercising keeps me healthy and helps add more time on my life. I exercise because it makes me look and feel good. I want to be the best possible person I can be with CF. I exercise because it helps get many things off my mind and is the best stress release. I exercise because it has been something that I am actually good at.
What is your go to song when you are working out?
There’s not just one workout song I like, I like to listen to music that has a good beat and helps keep a rhythm while working out. I also like to pull up YouTube and listen to inspirational speaking and encouragement.
What advice would you give to someone with CF who wants to start exercising more?
With working out you aren’t going to see results overnight. It’s going to take time to get where you want to be and that’s okay. There will be bumps in the road that will set you back. There has been plenty of times that I have gotten admitted to the hospital and lost so much strength. Don’t let that bother you, make it a goal to get back in the gym and get stronger. Don’t worry about trying to eat clean and healthy all the time. Our bodies need that constant carb source to make up for the extra energy we are using to workout. Check with your doctor for a good protein supplement that will help with your exercising.
A huge thing that I have started to do more is get on social media. Get on Instagram, twitter, and Facebook and share your journey. Show everyone how hard you are working to better yourself. You will be amazed at the support you will get and encouragement. Don’t post sad things, but try and make the best of every situation. Even if you don’t think anyone cares or looks at it, trust me you are changing someone’s life. Cystic Fibrosis isn’t a disease people can usually tell from looking at you. Share your story with people at the gym or about what the disease is. Don’t be scared to tell people what you have, CF is you. CF makes you the person you are and one of the biggest things in your life. Follow as many people you can on Instagram with CF. You will be able to finally see and read from people just like you. That is the best support group you can have. Since we can’t hang out with other people that have CF, this is the closest we have. We can’t get on a workout website and try to get on their meal plans because our bodies aren’t like everyone else’s. Talk to as many other CF people that workout and stay healthy and hear what they have to say. This will be the best advice you can get to try and see results.
Set a goal for yourself. Make a goal to hit a center body weight, a new max in the gym, or a new best running time. Don’t set a goal that is impossible to meet. Pick something that is a struggle to reach, then set another goal after you meet one. If you don’t set any goals, you will feel like you aren’t making any progress. Make sure you clean and wipe off the equipment. The gym can be a place that can carry a lot of germs. Make sure you wash your hands when you are done lifting to stay healthy. Lastly, live your life to the fullest. CF will stand for Cure Found one day. A day will come that they will never know what CF stood for other than Cure found. Also please contact me with any questions or anything you have. I love helping people, I love hearing stories, and making friends! Stay healthy and keep fighting, you are never alone.
