Powering Through to Reach Your Full Potential
BY STEPHANIE CORKETT
Nell Coonen-Korte, a 36-year-old Special Olympics athlete from Minnesota, knows a lot about reaching her full potential. Nell didn't live an active lifestyle and had tried to work with trainers for years to get healthier. "For me, it's been a journey. I wasn't active until I was 23, because growing up I was considered a liability risk and couldn't work out at gyms. Special Olympics was the first time I did anything active," explained Nell.
After years of struggling to lose weight, Nell, a receptionist at the Special Olympics Minnesota office, met Ben Swarts, a new employee at Special Olympics Minnesota. Ben had worked with people with disabilities before starting at Special Olympics and noticed the lack of physical health and fit ness in that population. Along with fellow Special Olympics coworker Hillary Tyler, Ben put in motion the beginning of a health program that would be inclusive for people of all abilities. "Through years of trial and error, the SOfit program, a flexible, holistic, unified, equitable wellness program for people of all abilities was created. It was a great team effort and was certainly not done by one person alone; it was a consistent, focused effort by many people over the long haul!" said Ben.
SOfit offers a unified approach to improving and protecting A health and wellness for people with and without intellectual disabilities. SOfit offers participants a comprehensive, 360-degree look at wellness and the human spirit. Together, Special Olympics athletes and Unified partners are empowered to challenge and change the way they look at diet, daily exercise, and lifestyle choices.
Nell's health journey began when she accepted an offer to work with Ben as her personal trainer and start the SOfit program. "Through SOfit and my partnership with Ben, I have learned how to lose weight the healthy way and how to keep it off," said Nell.
LIFTING SPIRITS: (Opposite page) Ben and Nell after a workout. (Above, clockwise from left) Chatting during a training session; Posing during a trip to Washington, DC for the Special Olympics Health Messenger Training; Exchanging high fives after a power lifting event; and getting ready for Halloween.
"Ben taught me how to be disciplined and because of the success I have had, it has made me want to help others with intellectual disabilities (ID) to live a healthy lifestyle the right way."
Ben and Nell have met at least once a week since 2013. With Ben's encouragement and training, Nell has become an accomplished powerlifter. Nell's personal best deadlift is 195 pounds and best bench press is 120 pounds. Nell has won many gold medals at Special Olympics competitions. Through Nell's hard work, she has lost 185 pounds and has a new look on life. "I took baby steps on my health journey and tried not to do everything at once. Ben helped me build healthy habits that has led me to building sustainable change in my life," said Nell.
After Nell's successful weight loss, she was trained to be a Special Olympics Health Messenger, an athlete who advocates for the health of people with ID. "I have always wanted to help make a change, I want to help athletes to not have to have experience what I have when it comes to receiving good healthcare, and also living a healthier lifestyle," explained Nell.
Nell, in her position as a Health Messenger, has traveled the country with Ben at her side, sharing her story and their joint mission of inclusive health. Nell is also very active in her community in Minnesota, she speaks to local groups about her experiences with fitness, life, and the healthcare system, and uses her personal story. She is passionate about empowering her fellow athletes to make health changes of their own.
"We have become good friends over the last several years, and have a lot in common," said Ben, "We've lifted together, traveled together, worked together, and shared successes and failures together. Being friends with Nell is a huge win-win for both of us and makes us both better people."
Through the success of SOfit and looking to continue to make a positive impact, Ben has branched out to create an inclusive wellness education center for people of all abilities. Thrive Mighty is based on principles of universal design, and all programming, layout, and processes are built to be inclusive for everyone. "Where education and practice meet you find empowerment," explained Ben, "We'll break the culture of enabling and lowered expectations by creating a supportive environment for people to demonstrate just how much they can do." Ben calls this environment "Ability First". "It's incredible to watch someone do something they never thought they could, and then wonder, 'What else can I do?' said Ben. Nell is Ben's biggest supporter in this new endeavor. She serves as the Abilities Officer on the board of directors for Thrive Mighty.
"Before Special Olympics, I didn't feel equal to other people. I wanted to be active and healthy, and I deserve it just like everyone else does," Nell explained. "I had someone that was willing to reach out to me, and saw that I was struggling, and Ben helped improve things for me. He was the starting point to being able to do the baby steps to accomplish all these goals that I have set." Nell has seen the change she was able to make in herself with Ben's assistance and is excited for others to have the same opportunity.•
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephanie Corkett is External Health Communications manager with Special Olympics, based in Washington, DC.