Panniuq Karetak was prepared to devote two to three years to building on his foundation Most people are familiar with the term no pain, no gain, and Panniuq Karetak of Rankin Inlet was willing to take some pain for a lot of gain both on and off the ice. Karetak said he decided to change his habits and approach to the game when he got sick of losing. He said he loved the game when he first started playing senior men’s and was lucky to get involved with the Miners early in his senior men’s career. “We had a losing streak from about 2011 to 2017 and, around 2013, I had got an infection through a cut in my finger and ended up with reactive rheumatoid arthritis,” said Karetak. “At that time, for maybe three years, every morning I had to have medication and wait for about half an hour before I could move. I went down to about 130 pounds from my usual weight of 160, and I just got tired of being unhealthy and not being able to compete at a high level. “Every time I gave it my all, it just felt like no matter what I did it was never enough. Then, one year, I decided to do something about it and try to turn my life around. “Patrick Tagoona was always big into fitness and he showed me how to eat properly, what kind of supplements I should have and what kind of workouts I should do. By no means was he a professional bodybuilder, but he always had a gym in his home and he helped me build a home gym of my own and I stuck with it for a long time.” Karetak said he also started reading about ways to exercise properly, as well as books that were good for the mind and informed him of what kind of diet to incorporate into his life, so that he could maximize the benefits of living such a lifestyle. He said he hoped it would all translate into better performance on the ice and to start winning championships again. “I was pretty naive when I was a kid. I thought you go to the gym for a month and the results should show up. But the more and more that I read and educated myself, the more and more I realized that it takes two or three years to finally start seeing results. “I learned quite a bit and stayed committed. Over time, pushing myself physically to the point where I was exhausted, I realized that’s how I would play the game and the results followed. “I was able to improve both on and off the ice — and I intend to keep doing things the same way. Now I’ve been on winning teams since 2018, so everything is going pretty good.”
Rankin Inlet hockey player improves physical fitness to find success on the ice
