OKLAHOMA CITY- Oklahoman veteran Connor Mason is encouraging Oklahoma youth to live a fit lifestyle now for a healthier life experience in the future. According to Mason, living healthy, rather than weight loss, is the practical way to combat obesity in America.

Being in the military sparked in me a desire to maximize the intrinsic value of each moment life gives, said Mason, 22.

On July 29, Mason willattemptto beat the Oklahoma powerlifting record at the United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) competition at True Strength Gym, 820 S Elm Place, in Broken Arrow. Mason has broken the record multiple times in practice with Zacch Jackson, a current powerlifting record holder. With the Oklahoma title, Mason plans to compete at the national USPA competition this year.

Mason said coming home from Iraq and seeing all the changes in his young son made him realize how little time one has to make a difference in the life of a child.

When I deployed, my son was just an infant. Pictures and videos did not save me from the passage of time. When I came home, he was big enough to follow me and emulate my behavior. He wanted to do everything I did. If I was exercising, he was right there with me, Mason explained.

Mason, an army paratrooper, deployed to Operation Inherent Resolve in 2015. Always an athlete, Mason became interested in bodybuilding while serving in Iraq.

I found there is a strong correlation between physical fitness and mental health. You really cant separate them. A healthy lifestyle can improve balance, flexibility, strength and stamina along with helping focus. It reduces the effect of stress, and even reduces the severity of attention deficit disorder. I have learned that to be able to effectively deal with whatever battle is coming in life, fitness is a key to getting farther, faster, he said.

To that end, Masons fitness enterprise, Atlas Lifts, has launched a school initiative to share the Move the World message.

Mason said when people say, Thank you for your service, he does not want that to end with his tour of duty, but wants to continue his fight for America by teaching children to be happier, healthier adults and attain their own level of greatness.

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Oklahoma veteran touts benefits of healthy lifestyle ahead of USPA open - Red Dirt Report