Seeing is Believing
In 1996, I was 33 years old and went to my family doctor for my annual physical…I’d gained 10 pounds from the year before, but I was still at a nearly healthy weight for my size and age. I told the doctor I was eating healthy and exercising daily and asked her if she had any suggestions on how to prevent this from continuing. She said, “Cut your calories and increase your exercise.” So I did. The next year I was up ten more pounds. We had this same conversation for four consecutive years. By that time, I had gained a total of 40 pounds, I was eating 500-700 calories a day and walking one to two hours a day and I was obese. The doctor didn’t seem concerned or interested in my weight since my cholesterol, triglycerides and sugar levels were all in the healthy range. But that was no consolation to me. I was heavy, hungry and frustrated that she wasn’t giving me any answers to my problem. I realized if I was going to get answers, I was going to have to find them on my own. And I did.
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I found a book that explained why I was gaining weight, and I started my fitness and weight loss journey in 2000. The book made me realize that I got heavy from not eating enough and exercising too much. I shut my body’s metabolism down and what little I ate, my body was storing as fat. Most people are just the opposite. They eat too much and don’t exercise enough. What I learned is regardless of how you became unhealthy, nutrition and knowing how to fuel your body properly is the key to better fitness and health.
By 2001 I had lost 60 pounds. How did I do it? By eating five healthy meals a day and eating every three hours. As for exercise, I started with walking. As my fitness level increased, I added some strength training with free weights at home along with squats, lunges, pushups and crunches. Eventually, I took up running, swimming and cycling. I ran my first marathon in 2008 and did my first triathlon that year too. Since then, I’ve done numerous marathons, ultra marathons and triathlons.
I was so empowered by my fitness journey I began helping friends and clients get fit because I wanted them to feel as healthy and happy as I did.
As I kept hearing about obesity and diabetes epidemics in the United States, I realized it was time to take my quest to help people get healthy and fit to a whole new level. I became a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Certified Sports Nutrition Specialist and started Abel Fitness Training. But I think my most impressive set of credentials is my story. I am living proof that armed with the right nutritional information, willingness to get your body moving and the desire to be healthy; you and the people in your company can get fit too.
My friends and clients say my passion for fitness and healthy living is contagious. I encourage you to contact me, so you and your employees can catch what I have. You won’t regret it!
