I turned 41 this week. I’ve never been so glad to say so long to a year (good-bye 40!). We’ve had more than our fair share of trials and challenges the past few years, and I know many of you can relate. Turning 40 was the icing on a terrible cake that marked the beginning of a physical reality that has been brutal! If 30 is flirty and thriving (probably more so for the ladies?), then 40 for me was portly and (felt-like) dying.
Some back story: Several years ago, my dad nearly died after ending up in a diabetic coma for several days. His survival is literally a miracle. His blood sugar was over 2000 (yes 2,000!) with a body temp nearly 108 leading to multi-organ failure. But people prayed, and he rallied one day at a time. After most of a year on dialysis, even his kidneys returned to normal function. The scary thing was he didn’t even know he was diabetic.
I went to the doctor soon after that and was told I had all the same markers as my dad. The doc said if I do nothing...keep gaining weight and living un-healthy...diabetes will be here in no time. If I make changes, I can keep it away forever. He basically dared me to get healthy.
At that point, I was the heaviest I had ever been, so I hit the gym, started eating better and worked to get in shape. The results were good. As I dropped a few pounds, I felt better, slept better, wore smaller clothes, and was optimistic about staying on this new plan. I was working out 3-4 days a week with a lot of cardio, and we were on again off again on Paleo.
After a while, life got in the way. Our adoption followed by a season of church drama took a toll on me physically. I simply wasn’t taking care of myself physically. I was in survival mode. On top of that, my emotional energy was being spent in every other place in my life. I slipped back into unhealthy habits.
When we transitioned to Houston a couple years ago, I decided to make my physical health a top priority. I was running 4-5 times a week and had worked up to 3-5 miles on most of those runs. I was eating mostly good, I dropped about 10-15 pounds and was feeling good. My commitment to physical health was something I was proud of, and my body seemed to be bearing fruit of that commitment.
At the end of 2015, however, my body started to hurt. I was having back pain and some pain in my knees. I suddenly couldn’t run anymore. To make matters worse, I didn’t bother to change the way I was eating to accommodate for the lack of exercise, so I proceeded to pack on pounds. I happened to turn 40 in that season, and I didn’t know what was coming next.
In early February, my back went out. I’ve had a regular history of back issues. Once or twice a year, I find myself down and unable to move for a couple of days. It’s always terrible, but after a couple of days, I’m usually back into action. This time was different. Five days later, I still couldn’t walk. I could barely move, and nothing was helping. Getting up to go to the bathroom was excruciating. I was miserable and humiliated, and my family was pretty shaken up dealing with this new reality.
Some friends at church told me about their chiropractor. At that point, I was desperate and had to do something. Holly drove me and helped me nearly army crawl into the office. The doc helped me up on a table and started pushing on my spine. He took some x-rays and found 3 significant spots...one of which was making it where I couldn’t walk.
He asked if I had a history of heavy lifting. Check...setting up mobile churches and worship gatherings for the better part of 20 years...not to mention a side piano moving business in Austin for a couple of years. He asked if I sat for long periods of time - well the irony of church/mission work… a few hours of worship/teaching/meeting with people/etc preceded by hours of study, preparation in front of the computer and travel. Check again! His final question was about my stresslevel - we had just left the job we had known for 10 years, the career we had known for nearly 20, and we were stepping out to launch something new. It was and is stressful! So, I came out with the tri-fecta. Any one of those issues would’ve been enough to cause my problems. I had all three.
The physical impact of the life I was living wasn’t something I often thought about - until things started going wrong. Every lift, every trip, every night on a terrible bed, every stress, every long period of sitting was literally crippling me. At one of my adjustments, my chiro said, “One more thing...for every 10 extra pounds you have on your belly, it’s like 100 extra pounds on the part of your back that’s hurting.”
In the previous months of inactivity, I was up nearly another 20 pounds. The challenge now was that I couldn’t exercise. I was battling different kinds of pain. I felt like running put me into this position, so I didn’t want to do that again. I couldn’t afford a gym membership or training. I didn’t know what to do.
During that time, we learned of an eating/life plan that our friend Sheila helps people with. She calls it She's-tox. It doesn’t have supplements or require a bizillion dollars in vitamins. It’s simply a way to eat that also rids your body of toxins and to teaches it to burn fat in a more efficient manner.
It’s a month long experience to start. For 28 days, you eat according to a plan. You don’t starve at all, but you do have to put in some work. You cook more and spend a lot more time in the veggie aisle, but it is worth it. We have a lot of friends who have done the She-tox this year, and all have dropped significant pounds. At my lowest point, I was down 30 pounds. Due to my travel, it’s hard for me to stick to the plan all the time, but it’s designed to help you reset after you fall off the wagon for a bit. During those resets, your body responds beautifully.
Holly and I have both experienced healing from long-time ailments simply by eating according to She's-tox. So, I was 40, portly, and felt like I was dying. At 41, I’m down 20 lbs, paying attention to how my diet affects my overall life, and feeling good about being in the best shape of my life in this upcoming year. I’ve also experienced that my spiritual life finds a better rhythm when my physical life is in order. We are mind, body, and spirit, and ignoring the body definitely affects the mind and spirit. We're re-starting next week, and would love to have you join us.
So, if you find yourself falling apart at or near 40, or if your scale is screaming at you to do something, I can’t recommend highly enough working with Sheila at Life As She Does It to get yourself healthy. If you’re in the Houston, area, you can even pay her to cook the meals for you. There’s a small fee for She's-tox, but that gets you the plan, support, recipes, consultations, and a community of other people who are making the same changes to be more healthy. Click the link below (Sheila's e-mail link is at the bottom of the page) to learn more.
Also, I’ve found going to the chiropractor to be a great experience. I was skeptical at first. However, everything he says and does keeps making sense to me, and the results speak for themselves. If you’re in the Houston/Sugar Land area, I recommend Derek Maxson. If not, find someone who talks about subluxation and the body’s capacity to heal itself when properly aligned.
40 was rough for me. I wish I would have been more serious about my health sooner. My ability to serve, work on mission and even lead my family was compromised for a season because of my health situation. Don’t wait. It’s time, and if you don’t know where to start, start with my friends Sheila & Derek.
Also, let me know if you have any questions about anything I’ve gone through. There’s certainly more to tell, and I can fill in the gaps if it will help you.
Blessings to you…
Jason