Wellness 101: Recap of the Journey Across America

November 4, 2014

Editor’s Note: This is the final post of a series featuring the journey of wellness guru and golf enthusiast, A.J. Ali, who traveled through every state in America, playing golf as part of a 101-day journey to promote a wellness lifestyle. After losing his father and brother to health-related illnesses and after a close call with a blood clot and pulmonary embolism two years ago, A.J. has dedicated his life to living well and sharing his experiences to encourage others to focus on wellness. 

Wellness 101 TV Host A.J. Ali completed a golfer’s dream bucket list goal just a few weeks ago by playing golf in all 50 states during a 101-day period. As part of the journey, Ali promoted wellness and disease prevention, two things not historically emphasized within the traditional American medical system.

After a whirlwind trip, he feels satisfied knowing he was successful in getting people in all 50 states to commit to making wellness-oriented lifestyle changes. But it wasn’t easy.

 

There were many times when he didn’t know how he was going to get from town to town. Each time, just enough support came through at what seemed like the last minute – and sometimes that support came from the very people he was helping with his wellness message. With minimal funding, the journey was difficult from the start and all the way through.

Forty-eight states and 90 days into the 50-state journey, Ali hit a major roadblock.  He had no money or airline tickets to get to Alaska and Hawaii, and he had no visible hope of completing the mission on time. With thousands of miles separating Los Angeles from Anchorage, and Anchorage from Honolulu, the chances for success looked slim.

 

It was then that the former U.S. Air Force Airman dug deep, using mission skills he learned while in the service. He called on a few friends and family members, a few prospective sponsors and a former Marine to help him complete his mission. Several people came through, and on September 24th, exactly 101 days from the day he started in Orlando, Ali completed 18 holes of golf at the Ko’olau Golf Club in Kaneohe, Hawaii – 50 states of golf in 101 days.

Two days earlier he had teed it up at the Moose Run Course in Anchorage, Alaska. And thanks to the Marine, who paid for him to stay at the Hampton Inn in Anchorage, he didn’t have to sleep in the airport like he planned to do.

“On June 16th, I embarked on an amazing journey to promote a vision of changing the focus of healthcare in America from sickness to wellness,” said Ali. “So far, we’ve reached millions of people through multiple media platforms, such as hosting the wellness segment of the Golf Life national TV show, appearing on numerous radio shows from Atlanta to Anchorage, and publishing articles through media partners such as GolfNow and New England Golf Monthly. The 101-day journey has ended but we’re just getting started.”

To learn more about Ali’s amazing journey, visit http://wellness101tv.com.

 

Featured image of Honolulu, Hawaii by GolfAdvisor.com.