ABOUT

Introduction: 11-10-2019 

 Hello all. My name is Andre but I am better known as X. I am 55 years old and in the process of getting fit. Last year just before my 54th birthday for a number of reasons I will get into later I decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Over the course of the year I have shared some photos and whatnot on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. I have had a number of people contact me asking me for advice or to just tell me that I have inspired them to start living healthier. This is why I have decided to create this blog, in hopes of inspiring others to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

 When I first began my journey I was definitely overweight as well as in bad shape mentally and spiritually. According to some medical sites I was in the obese range actually. I have trained before in my younger days so my weight has always been heavier than the average person my height but standing at just shy of 5’ 6” I was tipping the scale at 89 kg. (196 lbs) which is about 36 pounds heavier than I would have liked. I was basically at cruiser weight in boxing only 5 lbs shy of a heavy weight. I am more built for the middleweight class in my opinion. You’ll understand the boxing references as we go along. Bottom line I felt horrible believe me and I had a few medical issues that made it extremely difficult to even think of getting started on the road back to health but I was determined to make a change.

 I was diagnosed with Ménière's disease back in 2004. Ménière's disease is a disorder that affects the inner ear. The inner ear is responsible for hearing and also your balance. The condition causes vertigo, the sensation of spinning. It also leads to hearing problems and a ringing sound in the ear (tinnitus). Ménière's disease usually affects only one ear but just my luck I have it in both. Besides the vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus it also causes extreme fatigue, anxiety and also severe bouts with depression. Imagine, I have had tinnitus in both ears for over 15 years. Not one moment of silence.

 I also suffer from degenerated discs in my back which is insanely painful. And I also have a severe rotator cuff problem in my left shoulder. I could have easily come up with a hundred reasons to not start training and getting fit but truth be told, I could come up with ten times that amount of reasons to get up off my ass and just do it.

 For well over a year before I actually got started I had made a few feeble attempts to exercise and eat better but it never lasted. I would shed a few kilos only to gain them right back in a matter of a weekend. I lost a few friends due to health issues and they were all younger than me and that weighed heavy in my heart. My very best friend passed away from diabetes complications and he was only in his early 30’s. My Facebook feed was flooded with pictures of people I knew laid up in hospital beds dealing with some serious yet very avoidable health issues. One brother I knew back in the day who was at least 5 years younger than me had triple bypass surgery. Everything really hit me when my mom suffered a stroke. Granted my mom is in her 80’s but her stroke as well as her diabetes were due to poor health choices and very avoidable. I have a 3 year old son that I want to be around for as long as possible. I also have an 8 year old granddaughter and a beautiful 30 year old daughter I would also like to be around for as long as possible not to mention my beautiful wife. It was a no brainer really it was past due time to get into shape and start living a healthier lifestyle.

 Over the last 12 months I have made some excellent progress that I will share as I go into this blog. I will also post on how my journey is going now as I venture into year two. Whether you are 5, 50 or older it is never to soon nor to late to start incorporating a healthy lifestyle. I will share some of the documentaries I have watched and some books and other research I have done that will completely blow your mind. I will also share about a number of people that inspire and motivate me daily the main one being my incredible sister. My sister was diagnosed with a form of Leukemia about five years ago. Though she started her battle with chemotherapy she quickly realized the chemo treatments were doing more damage to her body than the actual Leukemia. She started doing research and found that many people treated the same illness by eating proper foods and adhering to a strict healthy lifestyle. I have supported her from day one and she has shared everything about her journey with me including many docuseries, articles and books that have all helped me get through my first year of this commitment. She is doing much better than when she was taking chemo treatments and it has just been amazing to witness the results one can acquire when they arm themselves with facts and take action. Food is the most powerful medicine we have on this planet. A plant based diet works wonders and when coupled with exercise we can unleash the superpowers we were born with.

 So there you have it, my introduction. I hope some of you that come across this blog will join me on my continued journey. I hope someone out there gets inspired by my stories as others have inspired me. For a large portion of my life I kept a list of things I was willing to die for. Well today I am truly grateful that I now have a list of things that I want to live for. Opposite of what many think living a healthy lifestyle is anything but weak. It demands a strong will and determination, a lot of pure love and sacrifice. Health is the true wealth and yes, healthy IS the new gangsta. So let’s GO!