What a year it’s been! One year ago we launched our blog, LIVING HEALTHY, featuring CLAY in a segment we call REAL STORIES. We followed Clay as he worked to strengthen his knee in order to make it to his ski trip. So, for our one year anniversary we thought it would be a great time to meet up with Clay and see what he has been up to this the past year.

If you followed Clay during his quest to strengthen his knee and make it to his annual ski trip, then you already know what happened. If not, then this is a great chance to catch-up with Clay’s SKI REPORT.

Since we last saw him, Clay has been going nonstop; enjoying the rewards of regular exercise and LIVING HEALTHY.

“A couple of weeks after returning from the ski trip, Sharon and I shared a special trip to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary,” said Clay.

Though they did enjoy a few drinks here and there, Clay and Sharon spent the majority of their time in Puerto Vallarta staying active. While there they explored the town, swam and snorkeled in the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean.

In early April, Clay set off to attend the Masters Golf Tournament, and from there he headed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a week-long golf trip with his buddies. “It was a week with tons of walking and physical exercise,” said Clay. “This trip was another really satisfying benefit from all the hard work I did in the gym.”

May and July were highlighted with more golf trips; this time to Palm Springs, California. But August and September took first prize for Clay and Sharon as they spent three weeks in Kauai, Hawaii. “Sharon and I were staying very busy with zip lining, hiking, golf, swimming and snorkeling,” said Clay.

Things also got quite busy for Clay on the work-front as well. He decided to pop his head out of retirement, and it wasn’t long before companies were knocking on his door asking for his help. Before he knew it, Clay was back working full-time again as he approached the half-way point of 2012.

“There was lots of travel both for pleasure and business,” said Clay.  “I was back on the road again with my consulting business; I had trips all over the U.S. and Luxembourg.  Anyone who has traveled extensively on business knows how physically demanding it can be.”

And of course Clay made time to help out his family and spend some time reminiscing with his incredible wife Sharon.

“We took a road trip to Colorado in October to help our son move,” said Clay. “It was the longest car trip we have taken in years and all went well. We made a side trip to Breckenridge, Colorado, which was the site of our honeymoon.  We did lots of hiking and got excited for ski season with all the snow that fell while we were there.”

Finally, Clay closed out the year with a trip to Los Angeles to attend the Rose Parade and do a little sightseeing.

And now…

“Currently, I am facing a similar situation to my knee problems.  It is now my right hip that is slowing me down.  My doctor says that the hip is worn-out and needs to be replaced sometime soon,” said Clay. “I have been working with my trainer (at LA Fitness), Brandon, and a physical therapist (at his doctor’s office) to stretch, strengthen and improve my range of motion; doing this work pre-surgery really helped speed my recovery with the knee replacement I had previously. Fixing the knee and continuing with physical conditioning allowed me to experience such a busy and demanding year in 2012. So, surgery (for his hip) will be scheduled sometime this year, and I look forward to a 2013 that will be even busier and more active than last year. I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me to continue with my lifestyle.”

Well, it looks like Clay is back at it again this year, and he isn’t going to let anything slow him down. Not a bad knee last year and certainly not a bad hip this year! We will keep in touch with Clay and let you know how his next surgery goes and where his next adventures take him.

On another note, we also had a great response from all of you regarding our weekly informational segment that we call TOP TIPS. So be sure to come back for more inspiring REAL STORIES and helpful TOP TIPS every week. Simply CLICK HERE to learn how you can instantly receive each article as soon as they are published so you don’t miss a thing!

Finally, and most importantly, thank you all for making LIVING HEALTHY and LA Fitness such a great community!