My personal health journey, or evolution as I refer to it, began in my late twenties. Looking back I realize I was a naive “healthy” individual. By this, I mean, I believed I followed a healthy life, but my perception of what it meant to be healthy was flawed.
I was active, pushing the limits with recreational athletics and heavy weight-lifting. I even believed I followed a balanced diet. Sadly, I thought it was all healthy. The truth is, I was overdoing it. My body and my health were paying the price.
I was always tired and my joints were sore from my training regimen. To support my excessive routine, I consumed way too many calories. Usually between 6000-8000 calories a day to maintain my frame. As a result, I was always tired. Beyond the calories, I consumed too much meat for the extra protein. Afternoon crashes were typical, causing me to rely on copious amounts of caffeine. Sadly, despite all this, I would suffer mentally if I drifted from my routine.
Fortunately, my occupation as a physical therapist has allowed me to observe the aging process. Over time, watching, listening, and asking specific questions to people across the age spectrum opened my eyes and mind to a different approach. An approach that is focused on the end game. That end game was maximizing my quality of life and minimizing my risk of developing chronic disease.
My fascination with longevity led me to the book, “The Blue Zones” by Dan Buettner. It was while reading this book that I had an epiphany. I realized I had more control over my health destiny than I believed. Before this moment, truthfully I believed I was destined to succumb to the inevitable genetic fate that plagued my family. Ultimately, it was this that led me to obtain a master’s degree in public health.
This change in ideology resulted in a cascade of personal changes including my diet, my exercise routine, and even my approach to life. In my case, each change caused such phenomenal results in how much energy I had and how I felt, I felt obligated to continue. So here I am today, years, still on my journey trying to better myself physically and mentally.
To be successful, the changes I made were small and incremental but had profound results. First, my chronic sinus infections, which I attributed to allergies, were cleared up by eliminating dairy. Next, my chronic soreness and joint pains improved by avoiding gluten products. Although I am not gluten-free by any means, I control how much I have and now I can tell when I have had too much.
My mental focus and personal drive were running at an all-time high, and my energy level to support this drive improved by switching from a meatasaurus diet. At first, I became what is known as a flexitarian. Today, I am more of a pescatarian. Ironically, given as much meat as I used to eat, I don’t miss it at all. Truthfully, I am not alone. There are now many athletes switching to a plant-based diet.
Reflecting back on my journey, if I had the option to do it all over again, I would make one small change. I would have started my journey earlier. Despite my progress, my journey continues, and likely will forever, adapting to change over time. I ask you to join me on this journey. The Strong at 100 community and I are here to help by sharing my journey and providing motivation, and direction.