When did you realize your regular approach to health was no longer working?

A few years ago I experienced digestive pain and bloating for the first time in my life. I went to the Doctor and got all the tests, but nobody could figure out what was wrong with me. Through my own experimentation, I was able to track it down to two very basic things - diet and exercise. At the time, I wasn’t getting any cardiovascular exercise, just lifting weights. It turns out this slowed down my metabolism. I was also eating a larger amount of processed foods than I had previously as an athlete. By switching my diet to an organic plant-rich diet with fish, eating other meats in moderation, and beginning to run 3-5 miles every day, not only has everything returned to a normal baseline but also I feel as good as I did in my early 20s.

What made the biggest difference?

I think both cardiovascular exercise and diet contributed equal parts but, if I had to give one the upper hand, I would say focusing on an organic, plant-rich diet has had the largest impact.

What does ‘good health’ mean to you today?

I stopped making excuses. I was traveling on a plane every three days and found myself making excuses that healthy food was too hard to find. I found myself thinking that I was too busy or too tired to exercise. Once I brought back the right amount of focus and intention to my health, that's when things returned to normal.