Self prop alert:
I’ve lost about 15 pounds since the beginning of the year. 10 of those pounds has been in the last 3 months, with an almost 7% drop in body fat. If you feel like reading today, my story is below. Otherwise, do me a solid and go to my Instagram account (@whichwaytothegunshow), and double tap the pic.
This is embarrassing to admit, but I didn’t notice the weight packing itself on as I crept closer to middle age. It is especially embarrassing because I work for a fitness company and helping people with this very problem is something I do all day.
I was busy with family and work and didn’t notice how stressed my body was. None of the injuries, panic attacks, headaches or lost sleep tipped me off like they should have. This is gonna sound dumb, but I was just too busy to notice, and I didn’t feel stressed. I have always been a happy, energetic guy and I would have thought it would feel different. Basically, I was acting just like almost every person who came to me for help.
I was busy with family and work and didn’t notice how stressed my body was. None of the injuries, panic attacks, headaches or lost sleep tipped me off like they should have. This is gonna sound dumb, but I was just too busy to notice, and I didn’t feel stressed. I have always been a happy, energetic guy and I would have thought it would feel different. Basically, I was acting just like almost every person who came to me for help.
But the inflammation was wrecking my body. A lady came up to me one day and poked me right in the belly. "You're getting fat," she said. "You better do something."
I laughed it off.
"She's a character," I told myself.
Last summer I found tumors growing throughout my upper body, which my medical team accidentally made me think was cancer for about a month. I had the tumors removed in 2 separate surgeries, because I found the second batch of them the day after my post-surgery follow-up.
Although this isn't even half as bad as most people who find themselves in my office for a come-to-Jesus talk about their health, here's how wrecked I was feeling.
My blood pressure was high and the nurse said it was probably just white coat syndrome (it wasn’t, because being a science nerd, medical pros don’t scare me). Also throw in the fact that my blood pressure was consistently north of 140/90. Also there were headaches from my blood pressure being so high.
My cholesterol was high and my doctor tried to put me on Lipitor. My hormones were out of whack and I felt depressed all the time. I had to drag myself through my day and somehow figure out how to inspire and motivate people when I felt like liquid shit. I started having self-destructive impulses. for a former IV drug user, I think you know what this means.
The main question that was on my brain was, "How did I go from someone who took back his life to a sad sack in just a few years?"
It's so easy to see all the signs of chronic stress in everyone else.
I laughed it off.
"She's a character," I told myself.
Last summer I found tumors growing throughout my upper body, which my medical team accidentally made me think was cancer for about a month. I had the tumors removed in 2 separate surgeries, because I found the second batch of them the day after my post-surgery follow-up.
Although this isn't even half as bad as most people who find themselves in my office for a come-to-Jesus talk about their health, here's how wrecked I was feeling.
My blood pressure was high and the nurse said it was probably just white coat syndrome (it wasn’t, because being a science nerd, medical pros don’t scare me). Also throw in the fact that my blood pressure was consistently north of 140/90. Also there were headaches from my blood pressure being so high.
My cholesterol was high and my doctor tried to put me on Lipitor. My hormones were out of whack and I felt depressed all the time. I had to drag myself through my day and somehow figure out how to inspire and motivate people when I felt like liquid shit. I started having self-destructive impulses. for a former IV drug user, I think you know what this means.
The main question that was on my brain was, "How did I go from someone who took back his life to a sad sack in just a few years?"
It's so easy to see all the signs of chronic stress in everyone else.
I turned 40 in January and pretty much the next day my give-a-fuck-meter broke. I just wanted to feel good again. And I was ready to take back my life. That was the best birthday present I could have gotten from the universe. I decided to cut out inflammatory foods like grains, legumes, nightshades and squashes. I gave up meat, except for fish and the occasional hamburger (so probably like how all vegetarians secretly eat). I started placing priority on my sleep and trying to follow my body's natural circadian rhythm. I started doing heart rate zone-based cardio and walking 10,000 steps every day. I started therapy and started doing yoga daily to help deal with stress. thanks to a salivary cortisol and DHEA test, my supplementation is on point, and includes adaptogens and nootropics to help me regulate my cortisol and blood sugar better.
Hope this inspires somebody. Even people who teach others to be healthy fall off the wagon and need to pick themselves back up. Of course, I couldn’t have done all of this without the support and encouragement of my wife Elizabeth and my coworkers at Life Time. My hope is to lose 10 more pounds and fit into a really dope tweed blazer I bought on my last trip to New York.
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