Is 61 Too Old to Transform Your Health?

For me it should have been the fact that less than a year before I fell down a flight of steps, shattering my T3 and then survived a 7 hour operation while the surgeon screwed 10 inches of Titanium rods into my spine, more importantly it should have been the combination of hypertension, acid reflux, a cholesterol level of 260, constant indigestion, sleep apnea, snoring, constant bouts of Bursitis, aches, pains and stiffness where it never existed before and lack of stiffness where it should have been, watching the needle on my scale crossover the 300lb mark, feeling good that Wrangler started making jeans & khakis with a relaxed waist so my 54” waist could fit into pants…Nope, for all those reasons there was one excuse after excuse another as to why it was ok for me to ignore them every time I devoured that third quarter pounder with cheese, the extra-large cheese steak hoagie, or that sixth piece of pepperoni pizza…And I would never think twice about any of those signs when it came time for dessert and that quart of ice cream or sometime sweet would disappear in no time at all nor would I have a second thought about my health when just a few hours later, I again was hungry and would eat through a bag of cookies with a huge glass of milk for my nighttime snack…I was a food junkie and was comfortable with all the ramifications that came with that addiction. 

No one, not my doctors, my family or my friends could convince me why it was so important for me to take better care of myself…Shortly after Easter in 2012 one of my daughters took a picture of me sitting at the dinner table, she posted that picture on Facebook and after seeing just how bad I looked I was shocked and embarrassed. Needless to say seeing myself as others viewed me was cathartic and for the next few hours I researched the internet looking for a “Non-Fad” nutritional plan to follow, daunted at first at just how many programs offered their instant cures I kept drilling down until I found the term “Gluten Free” and thought I had hit the mother lode of healthy eating. I put the search page in my favorites file and was determined to continue my research the next morning. The date was May 3, 2012. The next morning I logged in and was greeted on the home page of my service provider with a link to an “Inspirational Video” of a former Paratrooper…Ok, as a former member of the 101 I was interested so I clicked my way to YouTube to see what it was all about. BANG!

A year later and I’ve never looked back…and I can tell you this, within a week of being Gluten and Dairy Free my body responded so well I couldn’t believe it…the rush I felt after following Dallas and the crew through the programs was unlike anything I had experienced before. Within a few months I was feeling so well that my scale started collecting dust in the closet, I didn’t need to know how much I lost because I was feeling so good And yes, I had to modify to accommodate my physical limitations and flexibility issues due to having a foot of iron in my back… But guess what; I made it my own and didn’t make excuses this time, I changed my life style for the better and figure that because I did I’ll be a Warrior well into my 80’s.