The Hidden Costs To Your Health When You Wait
Nov 20, 2024I'll be honest, I was surprised by the text.
This came through earlier this year and caught me off guard.
And here's why.
It came from a long time friend of mine that I hadn't seen in some time.
And it surprised me, because he was someone who had been taking really good care of himself the last time I saw him.
Over the past 5 years or so, he had seen an incredible health transformation.
He lost a ton of weight.
He was consistent with his workouts.
He was doing the right things with his eating, sleep, and overall lifestyle.
So I was curious.
What did he mean by needing to get back to training in 'a major way'?
It didn't take long for me to figure out.
When I got on the phone with him, my heart sank.
He has 3 young kids at home, and they had hit a financial rough patch with some changes in the real estate market.
This led him to doing everything he could to provide for his family, which meant picking up a full time night job on top of what he was already doing during the day.
His eating and sleep patterns were completely out of whack.
Workouts?
No chance.
Here is a recipe for wrecking havoc on your metabolism and your health:
High Stress + 80 Hour Work Weeks + Minimal Sleep + Significant Reduction in Physical Activity...For 2+ years straight
I don't recommend that for anyone.
This might sound extreme, and I hope it's a position you never find yourself in.
But he was doing what he needed to do to provide for his family.
And it can happen in much smaller ways.
Your kids start a new travel sport.
Your job changes or you have to travel more for work.
You start a business or your business growth takes off.
You move...whether across the street or across the country.
There is no telling where these small compromises can come from.
Thankfully for my friend..
Good news #1: things finally ramped up financially giving him stability to leave his overnight job and focus on his health again.
Bad news #1: he had an uphill battle to get his health back. 24 months of small compromises can add up in some sneaky ways.
I'm a firm believer that it's never too late to reverse damage, see positive changes, and transform your health for the better.
But I'm also a big believer in doing everything in your power to keep it from ever getting to that point.
Because it's a whole lot easier to stay healthy than it is to get healthy.
Him and I jumped head first into a highly personalized coaching program to get him back on track ASAP.
Whenever I start working with someone, it's beneficial to get as much data as possible to paint a picture of where someone is actually at.
Hint: the weight on the scale or how you look is not telling the whole picture.
Which leads me to Bad News #2:
The initial numbers confirmed what I was worried about:
Without going into depth about what all the numbers mean, I'll summarize it really quickly:
His body was fighting against him, his metabolism and hormones were not in a good spot, and things were not going to get better on their own.
Thankfully he was all in and ready for whatever changes needed to be made, which leads to Good News #2:
Some small and consistent changes led to immediate results.
He's made some awesome transformation already.
He dropped 15 lbs fairly quickly with some simple changes and a consistent workout program.
He's put on muscle as seen with his improvements across his strength in all of his workouts.
Best of all: he has more energy, more confidence, and is showing up better in his day to day life.
As I mentioned above: it's never too late to change.
But it's also worth repeating: do whatever you can to avoid the slippery slopes of health.
It makes me wonder what would have happened if he reached out 6 months into his downslide, instead of waiting for years to go by.
I'm still thankful my friend reached out when he did.
If that went on for another 1 year, 2 years, or 5 years...
Who knows what could have happened.
When these things get left unaddressed, it sometimes takes a major health crisis to wake people up.
That's not fair to you.
And it's certainly not fair to your family or anyone else that's counting on you.
The deeper a hole you dig yourself into, the longer it will take just to get back to baseline.
There's a much easier path.
Start building positive momentum right now.
Being healthy isn't hard once you get started.
And being healthy gives you margin for when life gets busy, making you more resilient and confident to whatever life throws at you.
I promise that getting started is the hardest part of any journey.
If you need help getting started, I'm here for you.
My friend didn't need more expertise, knowledge, or an elaborate plan. He just needed a little structure, some accountability, and some data to track.
He's been putting in the work, and his results are paying off in big ways. The same is available for you.
As always, reply right here if you need anything.
Dr. Dave