CONNECT: October 2012

More Than Just a Numbers-Game, 
Leading Your Lifestyle Change

Written By: 
Nick Pfaff, NASM-CPT
Prevention Consultant & Health Coach

During a recent event, an employee at one of our corporate clients, Brian McAlpine, caught me by surprise when he mentioned his recent struggles with his blood work numbers.  Having known Brian for a couple of years, I would have never guessed. I have watched him set personal best times in local 5K races in his mid 50’s, have heard of him completing multiple marathon distance runs (3 of them to be exact), and we often talk about his children and home that keep him moving.  So, yes, I was surprised when Brian mentioned to me that his blood work numbers including his cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose were better this year then when he got his prevention screening at his workplace last year.  As someone who went from having cholesterol numbers in the 300 range and triglycerides in the 400 to 500 range to now having those numbers in the normal ranges (Cholesterol < 200 & Triglycerides < 150), I had a real interest in learning more about his story.

NP: So when did you find out you had high cholesterol and triglycerides?

Brian:  In 2008, my screening revealed that I had a cholesterol of around 300 and tri’s between 400 to 500, but I was never lead to believe that it was anything I should be concerned about.  The next year I was going in for a surgery, and the numbers almost prevented me from going through with it.  The doctor basically told me I had to do something about my numbers, or I’d have to go on medication.  And that’s the last thing I wanted to do, so I decided to make some changes.

NP: Had you done screenings prior to 2008?

Brian: Yes, off and on, but I don’t recall any of the results in particular.  I don’t think any of them were all that bad, they must have slowly gotten worse over time.

NP: Perhaps if you had noticed the trend sooner, you could have made changes before it became a big problem.  What do you think caused the elevated numbers?

Brian: I was busy with work and family and on the road all the time.  I didn’t spend any time exercising even though I had been a runner in high school and college, and I basically went 30 years without being active.  Also, I would just stop and get something to eat for lunch at whatever was convenient...a deli, fast food, and places like that.

NP: How did you get things turned around?

Brian: The first step was to totally change my diet.  Over the years I’d gathered information about what I needed to do and just started putting them to practice.  A couple things I did was I cut out fried & fast foods, stopped eating cold cuts, cut out soda completely (both regular and diet), deferred mayonnaise and chips with lunch, started eating less red meat, and more chicken, fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.  I still eat bread, I love bread, but I just make sure it’s good bread, made from 100% whole grains.  In addition, my doctor recommended I start taking fish oil and flaxseed oil, which I started doing at that point.

NP: And when did you start exercising?

Brian: After I got my nutrition in check, I started running again and have been doing so for 3 years.  It was really my daughter who got me into it as I joined her for some runs, and my wife was always active, which helped too.  It was important that my family was so supportive of the changes I was trying to make, and since then I’ve completed 3 half marathons, 3 full marathons, and my 5k times keep getting faster even though I’m getting older.  I figure that’s a good sign of progress.

NP: It sure is!  I figure even if you stay the same speed as you age, then you’d be making progress...so that’s great!  Tell me about how hard it was to make the change.

Brian:  Well, I have a 45 minute commute to and from work every day.  I work a full time job, have a wife and 2 kids with a granddaughter on the way, and a home to take care of, so it was pretty tough.  As far as running goes, I made up my mind to MAKE time to run and wake-up at 4:30 in the morning to do it, because I knew I was never going to just FIND some extra time...I’ve got a long honey-do list.  Sometimes it gets tough to not spend as much time with my family because I’m exercising, but choose to invest a little time now in order to reap the rewards of more, high quality time with them the rest of my life.

NP: Tell me a little more about your nutrition changes.

Brian:  I started cooking.  I watched the food network, got a subscription to Bon Apetit magazine and away I went looking for healthy recipes.  I also do all the shopping and stop on my way home from work.  I’ll buy the staples on the weekend, and then stop to pick up the things I need for dinner 2 or 3 other times throughout the week.  I use the grill a lot and am not afraid of a good roast beef every once and awhile.  The stuff you can buy from the butcher and cook up at home is much different than cold cuts.

NP: How hard was it to change your eating?  Most believe eating healthy means eating foods with no taste.

Brian:  I’ve probably been eating more flavorful foods since I started eating healthy than I ever did before.  I use a lot more herbs and spices now, so it wasn’t hard at all.

NP: So do you have any advice for someone if they find out they have high numbers?

Brian:  I would definitely recommend talking to the consultants (in the case of the screenings at my place of employment) or the doctor who give you the results first to see what they have to say.  In my case though, I started with nutrition before exercise.  I thought about what I could exchange in my daily food to eat better, and went for walks around the block.  There are some pretty simple places to start.

NP: What would you say to someone that doesn’t think knowing your blood numbers is important?

Brian: Do It!  Just to know where you’re at.  You can’t see inside yourself, and you may feel fine and think everything is fine, but there may be something seriously wrong and this is the only way to find out.

NP: What would you say to people who are afraid to know their numbers?

Brian: For me, it was what I needed, a slap in the face, something that scared me into getting motivated.  I would just recommend to disassociate yourself from the situation and ask, “who else does this affect other than myself such as my wife and children.”  I’d rather know and be able to address the situation, no matter how hard the truth may be.  It’s just that important, especially if you have other people to think about other than just yourself.  

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Brian, we couldn't agree more......thank you for your willingness to share this part of your story and taking the time to tell it.  I hope this story of "one man’s" journey which started with knowing "numbers" and resulted in a life-change can help others in the future.