I always wanted to be strong, so I lifted the heavy weights. But as high school and college drew to a close, and family and career began, I put my physical health to the side and concentrated on job and family, like I thought I was supposed to do. As a results, I gained about 50 pounds and began to receive some distressing news from the doctor. The doctor said my weight gain was the beginning of s
omething that we now know as "metabolic syndrome." Metabolic syndrome is a set of diseases that arise from a disordered metabolism. It begins with a rise in blood sugar due to the Standard American Diet (SAD). This blood sugar triggers a response from the pancreas to produce insulin, the fat storage hormone. Fat storage begins in the adipose cells that are beneath your skin. Once these cells fill up, the fat backs up in the liver. This results in a swollen belly, or pot gut. You can see some of the older pictures of me with my big belly. Once the liver is surrounded by as much fat as it can handle, it does two things to protect itself. It sheds off fat into the blood stream in the form of cholesterol which leads to hardening of the arteries and eventually heart disease and /or stroke. The second thing that happens is that your other internal organs become fatty like the liver; the pancreas and the heart especially. Neither organ can function in its proper way while surrounded by fat and so it gradually begins to malfunction. When the pancreas malfunctions, it's called diabetes. So, this was what was happening to me and my big belly. The big belly precedes metabolic syndrome by about ten years, so for many people, there is still time to make a change. So once the doctor educated me to my true situation, I began to get back into the gym. At first, I did what I knew how to do; get on the treadmill and lift heavy weights. This worked OK for a while, but I plateaued. Then I found CrossFit gym and a Coach to show me the path. What I learned was that to lose weight and keep it off requires three things; like the three legs to a stool. It required exercise of the right type and intensity. It requires a nutrition plan that is right for me. It requires accountability and support. So, I lost the 50 pounds and would still like to lose a bit more, but if I stayed right here, I would be OK with that. What I really enjoy doing is helping others down the same path. There is so much information and misinformation, a person really needs a guide to point them in the right way so that they can get the right workout, the right nutrition plan, and the right accountability coaching to give them the best chance at winning. So, that's the purpose of this page, to be your first step on a journey towards health and wellness!!
