The Kitchen-It’s Where the Magic Happens
When people read or notice you’ve lost 50+ pounds typically the assumption is you stopped eating and you spend all day on a treadmill. Neither are true but many people have preconceived ideas about substantial weight loss and body recomposition. The reality is you must have both exercise and healthy food choices in your life to attain and maintain a healthy body and lifestyle.
If you begin by making exercise (weight lifting, cardio, etc.) your biggest priority you might change a bit of your outward appearance. However, the inner you is not much healthier than it was before you started your exercise routine. Most Health Care professionals* will tell you you can’t out-cardio or out-weight lift a bad diet. I’m a perfect example of that statement.
I spent 6 days a week at the gym, mostly lifting weights for nearly 2 years. As my yearly checkups rolled around my blood lab results hadn’t gotten any better. My cholesterol was still above normal, triglycerides running about 280 (normal is below 150), and my Doctor was getting adamant about putting me on some sort of Statin drug. I had heard some horror stories about Statin side effects (liver and kidney damage, an increase in blood sugar, and neurological side effects. In some people, statins can cause a breakdown in muscle cells and lead to permanent muscle damage) so I was pushing back. In December of 2020 we were in California for my Mother In Laws birthday celebration and we stayed at my wife’s brothers home. It’s a tri-level home so i spend the week climbing and descending stairs. I knew the Doctor had seen increasing signs of osteoarthritis in my knees and that week the combination of knees and stairs was nearly debilitating. I truly felt my age and I was pissed!!
We got home Mid-December and I told my wife, “somethings got to change.” I began to research how to naturally relieve arthritis, plus how to reduce joint inflammation through diet. I learned a ton and started incorporating different foods, as well as emptying cabinets of what was poison for healthy eating. Discarding some of what was in the pantry and refrigerator were no-brainers. Long story short, we quit sugar and wheat completely, also dropping our carb intake to below 100 grams per day (average American male eats 300 grams a day.) The gym schedule never changed. The only splurge was for Christmas day, then we continued sticking with our changes and not looking back.
Fast forward to March 2021 and I’m back at the Doctor for checkup and blood work. I’ll be honest I was excited and a bit apprehensive about getting the results. Doc told me externally everything looked good but he thought I’d lost as much weight as I needed. Two days later he calls with my blood results. First thing he says is a 40 year old would be loving these numbers I’m looking at. My cholesterol was in normal range with HDL (bad) numbers down and LDL (good) numbers up. He said other test numbers were at great levels, especially for my age. Then he popped the triglyceride number on me, it was 72! Are you freaking kidding me?!! A 200 point drop in 3 months.
This is why I’m convinced if you want to change your life as it relates to health everything must happen from the inside out. The kitchen is where 75 percent of change occurs. Don’t get me wrong, I believe exercise is huge! However, my outward body appearance changed drastically when the eating became conducive to giving it the fuel and nutrients it needed for optimal health and vitality.
Age is just a number! You can change the script of the days ahead as it relates to your health. The year 2022 is coming, do you want to be on this same road, feeling the same aches, complaining about the same maladies? Please, don’t be looking in the mirror of another New Year swearing you’re really going to change “This Time.” Start today, even if it’s the smallest of steps. If I did I know you can!
ALSO, I AM NOT A DOCTOR SO WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO UNDERTAKE TALK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN TO MAKE SURE HE/SHE IS ON BOARD.
*Lifesum.com 3 Reasons Why You Can’t Exercise Your Way Out Of A Bad Diet
