going deeper
A compelling reason to go to the gym
By: Becky
At 62, Marine veteran George E. Hood set the Guinness record with 8-plus hour plank. Why?
To bring awareness to the mental health of veterans.
“I had the experience of going to Afghanistan, and it was the first time I had ever seen combat death, and I saw what these guys go through. That was a real eye-opener for me,” Hood told Marine Corps Times over the phone. “These guys come home, and they think, ‘We are Marines. We can handle it.’ But those experiences, the trauma that they go through is real.”
He aims to be an example for using exercise in healing.
“[Physical training] — that’s my anchor. That’s what grounds me. I’ll hold that [planking] pose for any Marine or civilian that walks through that gym door,” he said. “There are storms we go through everyday that we can weather. I want them to know there’s no stigma anymore.”