Adult Awakening: My Personal Health Transformation and Journey

The number on the scale read 219 pounds. That was the highest I had ever seen it go, and the sight was jarring enough to make me stop weighing myself.

Fourteen years had passed since high school and I was 54 pounds heavier than when I donned my graduation cap. Always having been an athlete, I had believed myself to be fit and healthy. But the glaring reality of the number on the scale forced me to confront the truth - I needed to make some serious changes if I wanted to stay active and healthy into my golden years. I decided then and there to spend the rest of my 30s developing habits that would set the stage for the rest of my life.

Throughout my youth, I was enthralled with any sport that came my way. The competition, the camaraderie, and the mental fortitude it fostered, everything drew me in. Football and basketball were my favorite sports and I was pretty good at both. However, football took a heavy toll, resulting in surgeries on both shoulders to repair torn labrums right after high school. An unfortunate ACL tear in an intramural soccer game during college convinced me that my body couldn't keep up with team sports as a means to stay fit. I needed to find an activity that was challenging, minimized injury risk, and was something I could enjoy as I aged.

I remembered a trip to my grandparent’s house many years earlier, when I had watched the Ironman World Championship broadcast on NBC. The incredible performance of athletes like Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington had me in awe, their Herculean efforts sparking a flame within me. The allure of pushing one's limits had always been compelling to me, and triathlon seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Swimming, biking, and running were activities that I could grow with. They would build strength and endurance, limit the chance of contact injuries, and provide an opportunity for me to compete. Caught up in this surge of inspiration, I found myself signing up for an Ironman 70.3 race.

Up to this point, my experience with these disciplines was limited. I had dabbled in running and completed a few half marathons, and limped my way to one marathon finish. As for biking and swimming, I had no bike and could barely do more than a couple of strokes to get to the pool's edge. I enlisted the help of a family friend who owned a bike shop to procure a nice road bike. I knew I had to cover significant ground to prepare for a half Ironman, so I hired a triathlon coach to guide me through my training regimen and teach me the fundamentals of swimming.

A few months into training, I thought it would be smart to participate in an Olympic distance triathlon before my Ironman 70.3. It would give me a taste of what to expect on the big day. I signed up for the East Canyon triathlon in northern Utah in June, only to be greeted by a random snow storm on the race morning. I silently wished they would cancel the swim so I could avoid getting wet in the cold weather, but no such luck.

Not only was I thrown off by the unusually poor weather, but I quickly learned that open water swimming was vastly different from swimming in a pool. Within the first 30 seconds, panic overcame me, and I struggled to regulate my breathing. The race required a swim of just under a mile in the open water, a distance that suddenly seemed insurmountable. But quitting was not an option. I ended up doing the backstroke for almost the entire distance just to make it easier to breathe. I was one of the last people to exit the water. After getting through the swim, I slowly completed the bike and the run. I was one of the slower competitors to finish the race, but I felt proud. I had completed my first triathlon!

The frightful experience in the water led me to do another Olympic distance race, hoping to get more comfortable with open water swimming before my Ironman 70.3. Though I managed to go a little further before panic set in, the race was still a struggle and I had a similar outcome. But every failure was progress. I persevered with open water training under the guidance of my coach and kept up with the bike and run training. As the date of the Ironman 70.3 approached, I oscillated between anticipation and anxiety.

The night before the race, I couldn’t sleep at all. My mind was filled with visions of the race; the glory of completion juxtaposed with fears of drowning. But I reassured myself that in 24 hours, it would all be over. The next morning, I was at the race venue bright and early, ready to face my fears and embrace the challenge.

At the crack of dawn, the starting canon boomed, and the professionals dove into the Boulder Reservoir's warm waters. Then, it was time for the rest of us. I was ecstatic to finish the 1.2-mile swim without succumbing to panic! I was far from the fastest, but I had overcome a personal hurdle, and that mattered more. The 56-mile bike ride went reasonably smooth, though it was humbling to witness the sheer speed of the professionals. By the time I started the bike portion of my race, some of them were already finishing their ride. The run segment was challenging, however. Severe cramps set in just a mile in, making me realize that I had neglected a critical aspect of triathlon: Nutrition. In my determination to conquer the three disciplines, I had overlooked the importance of fueling my body appropriately.

For the entire 13.1 miles, my pace faltered. I pushed through cramps, forced down energy gels and hydrating fluids at aid stations, and kept putting one foot in front of the other. My time slowed considerably, but I was in it to finish, not win. As the finish line came into view, I found a surge of adrenaline, enough to cross with a smile on my face and a finishing time of 6 hours 58 minutes and 19 seconds.

The aftermath was a mix of euphoria and relief, tinged with an awareness of the lessons learned. Completing an Ironman 70.3 was no small feat, but it had clearly shown me the areas I needed to work on. A major revelation was the vital role of nutrition during long-distance triathlon races. It was an aspect I had undervalued during my training, focusing primarily on the physical aspect of swimming, biking, and running. This was something I needed to address before I could think about attempting another race. I also still needed to lose quite a bit of weight. Nevertheless, I had caught the triathlon bug, and I was excited to keep training and improving.

Just a couple of months later, the weather was getting colder. I went out on my final outdoor bike ride for the summer, gearing up for winter's indoor training. Tragically, two-thirds of the way through my ride, I was hit by a driver who didn't see me on the road. I don't remember the accident because I sustained a traumatic brain injury and had a serious brain bleed on the left side of my brain. I was life flighted to Utah Valley hospital.

My wife, who had just had our third baby girl 5 days earlier, was waiting for me to come home. When I didn't arrive at the expected time, she began to worry and turned to our neighbor, a police officer, for help in locating me. After learning of my accident, she rushed to the hospital, arriving just as they called to let her know that I’d been in an accident and was being emitted to the emergency room.

Thankfully, the doctors were able to stop my brain bleed and get me in stable condition. While my brain injury was very serious, I was very fortunate to not have broken any bones or sustained any permanent physical damage. The doctors cautioned me that the effects of my brain injury could last anywhere from a couple of weeks to the rest of my life. They told me that the the best thing I could do to optimize my recovery was to get rest.

I went home and slept for nearly a week straight. I only woke up to eat or use the restroom. My body was worn out. My wife's worry grew as she juggled our newborn, our two other children, and my care, calling upon friends and family for support. When I finally mustered the energy to rise from my bed, I discovered my balance, eyesight, and memory severely affected. The minimal improvement of my symptoms over the next few weeks prompted me to seek help from CognitiveFX, a clinic specializing in traumatic brain injuries.

The doctors at CognitiveFX enlightened me about my symptoms and devised a recovery plan. I underwent their intensive week-long program, followed by months of vision therapy at New Sight Vision Therapy Clinic. In my cognitive therapy sessions, doctors reiterated the importance of proper sleep, rigorous exercise, and a healthy diet, particularly warning against sugar, a known brain inflamer.

Anxious to recover fully and to resume training, I ventured back into exercise. The initial attempts at swimming, biking, and running were difficult due to my affected balance and coordination. However, perseverance and consistency eventually got me back into the rhythm, and the exercise visibly aided my recovery.

Simultaneously, I aimed to get my diet under control. Previous attempts at fad diets eliminating food groups had been unsuccessful due to their long-term unfeasibility. My father-in-law's recent success with intermittent fasting intrigued me, as it didn't demand any food group restrictions, only controlled fasting periods. I decided to give the 16:8 method a shot. Each day, I aimed to finish eating dinner around 6 pm which meant I wouldn't eat breakfast again until 10 am. It honestly wasn't that hard for me and I soon started to see big results.

With regular exercise and intermittent fasting, my cognitive condition improved, and I began shedding weight rapidly. Within a year, I lost over 50 pounds, going from 219 to 166. The beauty of this regimen was its simplicity - there was no fanatic adherence to restrictive diets. I was cautious about sugar and processed foods, but occasional indulgences didn't derail my progress. I was getting healthier, both physically and cognitively.

I determined to race triathlon again and signed up for a race. However, the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted my plans to participate in official triathlon races. Ironman cancelled all races that summer. I saw this setback as an opportunity, a test of my determination and resilience. If I couldn't race officially, I would conduct my own Ironman 70.3 race. Just nine months post-accident, I completed my self-hosted race: a 1.2-mile swim in the gym pool, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. I was exhausted, elated, and utterly invigorated. I was feeling healthier and more energetic than I ever had before. I was on fire.

In 2021, with pandemic restrictions gradually easing, official Ironman races resumed. I signed up for Ironman St. George 70.3 in May, setting an ambitious goal to finish within 6 hours, one hour faster than my first Ironman race. I triumphed, completing the race with a time of 5:59:59, one second under my goal time!

Emboldened, I set a goal to qualify for the 70.3 World Championships. Each Ironman race awards a handful of World Championship slots to the top finishers of each age group. Although I was far from a top contender, the prospect of improving my standings motivated me. The impact of consistent training, healthy eating, and competitive spirit on my recovery was immeasurable. Over the next year, my finishing times improved dramatically, from 5:59 to 5:00. This progress, almost two hours faster than my debut, secured me an All World Athlete bronze status, ranking me in the season's top 10% for my age group. This achievement was a testament to my resilience and transformation.

This journey started with a near-fatal accident that forced me to reassess my health and habits. I emerged from the wreckage healthier, stronger, and driven to compete in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. My friends, family, employer, and colleagues have provided steadfast support as I navigated rigorous training, a balanced diet, intermittent fasting, and recovery sleep.

The challenge was not merely physical, it was also mental. Coping with a traumatic brain injury meant that I also had to continue my cognitive therapy, diligently practicing exercises to enhance my balance and memory. It was a slow and gradual process, but I felt my mind becoming sharper, more focused. The combination of physical training and mental exercises brought about a harmonious synergy in my body. I felt invincible.

This year, at my first 2 races, I actually did have a world championship slot roll down to me. However, I wasn't able to accept because the date of the world championship race just happened to fall on the same date as a long planned family trip to Alaska that my kids have been looking forward to. I was excited to have the opportunity accomplish my goal to race at World Champs, but felt like it was important to not miss our family trip. My focus is now on qualifying for next year's World Championship race in New Zealand. My first opportunity will come in less than 2 weeks when I race in Ironman Oregon 70.3 on July 23.

My journey has been anything but smooth. Through it all, I've learned the true meaning of resilience and the power of healthy living. I'm still chasing after my goal of a world championship slot, continually improving and growing along the way. I'm not perfect or special by any means. I struggle from time to time with eating healthy, prioritizing sleep, and maintaining balance in my life. But, my health and fitness journey is a testament to the fact that it's never too late to turn your life around, to strive for better, and to become the best version of yourself.

Five Facets of Health: Week 8

If you're new to the 5 Facets of Health, learn more here. Avoid trying to implement everything at once! These suggestions are meant to spark ideas. To build healthy habits, focus on one or two aspects over the next week.

Physical Health

Health lies not in rigorous restrictions but in sustainable habits. The joy of regular physical activity and the comfort of nutritional routines lie at the heart of physical well-being. Explore, experiment, and discover the routines that resonate with your lifestyle.

“Create healthy habits, not restrictions.”

— Anonymous

Action: This week, explore a new exercise routine that excites you and introduce one healthy eating habit that feels manageable.

Mental Health

In our modern world, the constant bombardment of news and social media can impact mental health, often creating more stress than relief. Striking a balance between staying informed and preserving mental peace is key.

“Social media can be a never-ending cycle of struggles if you allow what others think and say about you to affect the way you feel about yourself.”
― Germany Kent

Action: Try a 'digital detox' day, or set boundaries on your social media use to regain control over your mental landscape.

Emotional Health

In the realm of relationships, understanding and addressing our core human needs can be a game-changer. The lack of feeling loved, safe, or connected can trigger responses that otherwise seem out of character.

“Within the nature of every person is a desire to feel appreciated, to feel needed, and to be loved.”
― Ellen J. Barrier

Action: Initiate a conversation with someone important to you, aiming to understand their needs and express your own in a loving, open dialogue.

Financial Health

No matter how knowledgeable we may or may not be about personal finance, expert advice can offer fresh perspectives and spark ideas that we might not otherwise have thought of. Just this week, our lender gave my wife and I a great idea for how we could refinance and combine the mortgage of our home and an investment property that could potentially save us a lot of money. It reminded me to continually seek out the perspective and ideas of others who know more than me.

“It's important to learn from your mistakes, but it is better to learn from other people's mistakes, and it is best to learn from other people's successes. It accelerates your own success.”

— Jim Rohn

Action: This week, review your financial status. If a certain area feels daunting, consider seeking professional advice.

Spiritual Health

Humans have been pondering the grand questions of life since time immemorial. Delving into ancient scriptures, philosophies, and spiritual teachings can illuminate our understanding of life's purpose, happiness, and meaning.

“To compare past perspectives with our own today helps us better understand the questions we consider.”

— Douglas Giles

Action: Start reading a spiritual or philosophical text that speaks to you. Reflect on its teachings and how they can be integrated into your life's journey.

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