Mark Jordan of Corpus Christi is an inspiration. As a motivational speaker and wellness coach, he helps individuals plan a life of health, wellbeing and happiness. Courtesy photo
Wellness coach Mark Jordan used his own teachings and life lessons when he recently set a new world record for the number of pull-ups in a 24-hour period. The Corpus Christi motivational speaker was officially ushered into the Guinness Book of World Records this March for completing 4,321 pull-ups in a little over 21 hours. He beat the previous record by 111 pull ups and 35 minutes. He was 54 years old at the time.
Although he trained for a year before attempting to break the record, the now 55-year-old said his success had more to do with his mindset than his diet or physical strength.
“After about 12 hours, fatigue and pain started setting in,” Jordan told Corpus Christi Business News. “I started to ask myself if the pain was getting any worse. When I realized the answer to that question was ‘no,’ I asked myself if I could maintain it. The answer was ‘absolutely.’ I knew I could tolerate that level of pain and fatigue — as long as it didn’t get worse — so I just stuck with it.”
How bad it can become is what most people fear when faced with a difficult task, whether physical, mental or emotional. If you reach the level where it’s not going to get any worse and you’re able to continue to exist, then you can complete the task at hand, Jordan said.
The iron man knows his limits, however. When asked if he could have done 4,322 pull ups — just one more — his answer was an emphatic “NO!”
“To be more specific, if you set a million dollars next to me and said, ‘this is yours if you can do one more legitimate pull-up,’ I would not have been able to do it,” he said. “I was tired, sore and even numb in places. I was completely spent.”
His accomplishment changed his life, and he has since changed his life goal from a physical accomplishment to bringing the inspiration behind it to help others fulfill their dreams.
“I realized that, at any age, you can decide to make a difference; that age in and of itself is not an obstacle,” he said.
His appearances on national TV and radio opened up the doors he needed to spread his message.
“It set the stage for additional awareness of a way to address and approach something that is everyone’s number one priority: their health,” he said. That led him to a new goal: reaching 1 million people with his message of wellness and wellbeing.
“I want to be able to help you make the change from where you are to where it is you desire to be,” he continued.
To do that, he does a full assessment of a person’s health needs and their personality. He finds out what they like to do and sets up a plan that works their dreams into their wellness program.
“I learn a person’s strengths and abilities,” he said. “I incorporate those factors into an individual approach to health.”
People who emphatically tell him they are not going to join a gym or jog or swim on a regular basis might enjoy dancing or working in a garden. Jordan can turn any favorite hobby into something that will soon be part of a heath plan.
“I find something they will like to do so they’ll stick with it,” he said. “There isn’t any one thing I say to someone that can be translated to everybody to get them moving. My approach is individualized.”
As a wellness coach, Jordan asks clients to commit to at least four, 75-minute sessions. He then assesses how they feel and what has them feeling that way.
“Usually, you find out that it comes from a feeling that we’re always trying to catch up,” he said. “We find we are putting aside the things we like to do and are instead putting our efforts into other things we think we have to do.”
Jordan helps you determine what makes you happy and teaches you how to visualize and incorporate your dreams into your everyday life.
“You’ll find you’re not only doing something you enjoy, you are fulfilling a purpose,” he said.
The approach certainly works for Jordan, who judges happiness by how much enthusiasm he has for the day and week ahead when he wakes up each morning. Right now, there’s a lot!
“I am a happy man,” he said. “Everyone has the potential not only to be happy, but the potential to be amazing. Everyone has the ability to do things that are amazing and have incredible experiences as a result of that.”
And if you can’t figure it out on your own, you can get Mark Jordan to help you, one pull-up at a time.
To book Mark Jordan as a speaker or enlist him as your wellness coach, you can contact him through his website at markkjordan.com or via email at info@markkjordan.com.
