Day 308: Chris Kaag

August 4, 2010 at 12:01 am, Category: Inspiration

“… once we reached the summit and once I got a chance to see that view that I haven’t seen since I was 12, I broke down.  I just want to keep on doing that.  I want to take it to the next step and show people that there are things you can accomplish regardless of your abilities or disabilities.”

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Pinnacle thumbnail photo credit: waymarking.com

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Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Chris, for agreeing to be with us, and before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?

Chris Kaag: Thank you very much.  My name is Chris Kaag.  I am the Founder and President of Corps Fitness as well as the nonprofit I Am Able Foundation.

Toni: Well, Chris, when you think of that word inspiration, who do you think you inspire, and how does that happen?

Chris: I think it’s kind of two-fold for my part, because I am a disabled Marine, so the things that I’m doing hopefully inspires people who have other functions and they’re still physically able to do things and they can see somebody who has a wheelchair and sometimes has a struggle to do some things, but still doesn’t make any excuses and manages to work out five to six days a week and ride my hand cycle about 100 miles a week.

So hopefully, seeing what I’m doing will hopefully help people get over their challenges and their hurdles, as well as disabled individuals who may have a hard time dealing with the things that they’re dealing with and don’t really have anybody to look up to that has a disability and has continued on with their life.  Hopefully, I can show them that that’s a better way.

Toni: Chris, how do people find you?  How do they become inspired by you?

Chris: Well, my facility has been a tremendous resource, just because it’s an essential location.  So people who come into my job, word of mouth, people have been very excited about the things that we’re doing, just because I’m going to try to give people that same motivation, that same sort of achievement and self-achievement that I had in boot camp.  So when they come into my facility and they find that they can do a heck of a lot more than they ever thought they could just because somebody is there encouraging them and somebody is there to help them take that next step, word definitely gets around.

Toni: And I would imagine, as you said, it’s not only for the disabled, but also for those who come up with a whole ton of excuses as to why not.

Chris: Absolutely.  Yeah, there’s … I mean, everywhere we go, everybody has an excuse as to why they can’t do something, and I really want to show people that when you come into my place, I take kind of a “no BS” policy to my facility.  And you’re going to come in, you’re going to work, and you’re going to do things regardless of what you have wrong with you – we’ll find something for you to do.  Hopefully that will transcend into their daily life or their life outside the gym, and that they don’t make excuses for the things they should be doing.

Toni: So, from a fitness perspective, which is where the work is, correct, that’s the work that you do is in …

Chris: Yes.

Toni: Okay.  How does that help people then to explore their potential, not only in fitness, but in other areas?  What happens?

Chris: For me, going back to when I graduated high school, I was 17 years old.  I went to boot camp, which was in Paris Island, South Carolina.  I was overweight.  I played football in high school, so I was about 225 pounds and was so out of shape, and once I got to boot camp and had that encouragement and had that … you really had no choice but to move your butt.  So after three months, I graduated at 180 pounds, and just that feeling of empowerment and that feeling of accomplishment really transcends into my daily life, so I think the aspect of physical fitness really goes into everybody’s life.

People who are active are a lot happier.  They’re a lot more confident in their abilities.  They see the world a little bit differently than people who really don’t do much.  And for me, being in boot camp and being a Marine and the challenges that I went through definitely has transcended into me being able to deal with the disability that I faced when I was 21 years old.  If I didn’t have that experience and I didn’t have those challenges, I don’t think I’d be at the position that I’m at now.

Toni: Chris, I’m curious as to what your definition of encouragement is?

Chris: Encouragement, I think, is just telling people that they can do things a lot better than they thought they could.  I mean, there’s people who will always have doubts about what they can and can’t do, and it’s just a matter of doing it.  And if you can’t do it, then you know what you have to work towards.  But a lot of times people sell themselves short before they even try it, and what I try to do is just get them to take that step.  And once they make that step, sometimes it’s a surprising revelation that “Holy crap, I can do that!” and from there on it’s all downhill.

Toni: What inspires you?

Chris: I think being disabled now, I think I get my most inspiration from people who are disabled and seeing the challenges that they go through.  For me, obviously my disability is not as severe as a lot of other people, so I think that’s what’s benefitted me, because I’d be pretty arrogant to feel sorry for myself or to feel that the world is coming down on me when there’s a lot of people who have it a heck of a lot worse than I do.

So for me to see somebody who’s a quadriplegic or somebody who doesn’t have use of their arms, legs, everything, and they still manage to put a smile on their face and they still manage to get out there and do things, then there’s a lot of able-bodied people who are downright miserable, I find strength from that.

Toni: Boy, I can only imagine working with the people that you work with and seeing that sheer determination that comes from people that are trying to overcome massive difficulties, and then dealing with the public, who these people are not dealing with massive difficulties and they are miserable – how in the world do you contain yourself?

Chris: Yeah.  Well, I get so frustrated when I see … and that’s what I try to do as well.  I mean, we’re on the East Coast, so I think our mentality is a little bit less progressive than it is on the West Coast when it comes to differences and disabilities and things like that, but I want to show … I want to change perceptions of what people see as somebody with a disability.

We all have our disabilities.  You know, unfortunately … for me, you can see mine, because you can see the wheels.  You can see me sitting down.  But for anybody else, you guys all have challenges but it’s hidden from everybody else.  So it sucks because, you know, there’s a lot of people out there who cast opinions or cast doubts on what disabled people are supposed to be doing or what they’re capable of doing.  And if you go to any sort of challenging race and see what the disabled athletes are capable of doing, you would definitely get a totally different perspective and a different respect as to what these people go through.

Toni: Where did the motivation come from for you, Chris?  I’m thinking motivation, but I’m also thinking courage.  There had to be some point where you went “You know what?  This is not how I’m going to be defined.”

Chris: You know, it’s weird because when I was diagnosed, I was 21 years old.  So at 21 years old you don’t really know … at least I didn’t think I knew that much, and you really don’t foresee or look into the future as much as you are when you’re older.  And for me, it didn’t really hit me, and I was fortunate because I didn’t go through a period of depression, I didn’t go through a period of times where I was doubting everything and I was mad at the world.

I really just kind of took that next step, and I really attribute that to boot camp, because it really … they show you that there’s really nothing you can’t handle, you just have to figure out how to do it and improvise, adapt, and overcome – just figure out something to do, a different way to do it, and you know, move on.

I think also, too, dealing with my family and my friends, I didn’t want them to suffer, because a lot of times it’s just as difficult on the family to watch your loved one start to trip over their own feet or fall, knowing that you can’t help them and you can’t do anything.  I didn’t want them to be hurt even worse because, you know, I was depressed by it.

Toni: Now when you are experiencing a day that maybe you’re seeking to be inspired more than the previous day, are there go-to tools that you tend to reach for or resources that you really draw inspiration from?

Chris: You know, to be honest – and I don’t want this to come off as, you know, full of myself or anything, but it’s one of those things that I have so many things going on during the day and I’m so busy that I really don’t have time to sit back and need something, because I’m constantly moving.

You know, for me, you know, I could have the worst morning ever … like actually the other day, you know, I fell when I was coming out to my garage, and I just couldn’t get my feet underneath me.  So it took me about five minutes to get into my truck, and I was running a little bit late, and I was just frustrated.

But as soon as I hit the door where I work and saw the people that are there to get motivation from me, my attitude changes, you know, and I put a smile on my face and go about my daily routine.  So I think I generate strength and everything from everybody around me, because I want to maintain a certain persona and certain image that I can’t let those people down.

Toni: So you really do draw from them as they draw from you.

Chris: I truly think so, yeah, because if I didn’t have those people around me, I think there’s a lot of times where people get bored and don’t really have anything to really get them going.  And for me, I’m constantly going, so I really have no time to sit back and wallow in the things that are going wrong.

Toni: Now when you are exploring your own potential, Chris, what are you doing?  What are you doing today to do that?

Chris: I’m just trying to make bigger steps.  Like I’ve actually just hiked The Pinnacle, which is part of the Appalachian Trial.  I haven’t hiked that since I was 12 years old.  And through my foundation, we bought a mountain hand-cycle, which gives me the opportunity to get on a mountain bike and power it with my arms, and we hiked The Pinnacle.  I had 17 friends of mine that helped me over the bigger boulders, but once we reached the summit and once I got a chance to see that view that I haven’t seen since I was 12, I broke down.

I just want to keep on doing that.  I want to take it to the next step and show people that there are things you can accomplish regardless of your abilities or disabilities.

Toni: Congratulations on such an accomplishment!

Chris: Thank you very much.

Toni: That must have been amazing, but what’s really cool is that you did have support and help along the way, but when you got there, that joy was yours.

Chris: Oh my gosh, yeah.  I really wasn’t prepared for it.  It was one of those things where we got the idea to get out and do a hike, and I was really excited because I hadn’t done it since I was 12.  But when I got up to the top and I saw that view, plus I saw the 17 people plus my wife and all those people that were there to support me, it was the most overwhelming experience.

Toni: Oh my gosh, that’s amazing!  Thank you for sharing that story.  Well, I just can’t imagine the people that you work with and the value that you give them, and how much just sharing your story on the Get Inspired! Project and people listening to this all over the world, Chris, and how they’re going to be moved by your story, thank you.  Thank you so very much for being part of the Get Inspired! Project.

Chris: It’s been a pleasure.  Thank you for asking me.

Toni: Take care, Chris.

Chris: You too.

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For more information about Chris Kaag:  www.getupandmove.org/chriskaag, www.corpsfitness.net

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