- Name: Dennis W. Rowley
- Email: dennis@absolutionsfitness.com
- Age: 48
Age: 48, Weight: 240 lbs. Body Fat: 38%
Age: 48, Weight: 170 lbs. Body Fat: 10%
Why I Got Started
My name is Dennis and I own a business in Lake Havasu City, AZ called ABSolutions Fitness. My dedication to health began in April 2003. I was 43-years old and felt much, much older. Several family members had died from cancer and other diseases. Watching family members getting sicker, including some friends that were even younger than me, made me question my own health.
At this point I was so sick I didn't want to get off the couch, wondering if I wanted to even be alive at 60. I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, acid reflux, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Diabetes 2, arthritis, allergies, and a chronic cough. I was on six medications, tired all the time with no energy to do anything active. At 240 pounds I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.
All I had was my children, and unless I made a U-turn I wasn't going to be around for them. I started doing resistance weight training, cardio, and began changing my diet. My eating habits were horrible, consisting mainly of fast food, Chinese food, and subs, which resulted in a lack of fruits and vegetables. This is called the Standard American Diet or SAD (ironic acronym huh?).
I began keeping a journal and changed things a little at a time. I started improving my diet weekly until I lost 50 pounds the first year. Twenty more pounds were dropped the second year and I quit smoking (after 30 years). Currently I eat 95% healthy, weight train 5 days per week and cardio 3-4 days a week. Running and waterskiing have become my favorite free-time activity, not channel surfing.
These are my six keys to good health:
- Eating the right foods
- Taking the right supplements
- Conditioning the body with both cardiovascular and weight bearing exercises
- Managing the intake of toxins
- Avoid stress
- And most importantly, prayer
I eat a Biblically based diet which consists of organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, salmon, free range chicken, oatmeal, raw nuts and seeds, fruit smoothies, organic wheat and barley grasses and green superfoods.
If it does not have a nutritional value I generally do not eat it. I also know that an improved diet can save your life. I have none of the previous health concerns, not even allergies. I have helped people with degenerative diseases through changes in their diet. God gave us a self-healing body. My purpose in life is to help those who want help and are willing to listen. You just have to get started and believe it will work.
Supplements
Diet
4:00 AM
Fruit Smoothie:
- Banana
- Oranges
- Pear
- Apple
- Lemon/lime
- Frozen strawberries
- Frozen blueberries
- Flax meal
8:00 AM
- Antioxidants
- Oatmeal
11:30 AM
- Salad
- Romaine/Green Mix
- Tomatoes
- Sprouts
- Broccoli
- Peppers
- Black beans
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Flax
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Vinegar
2:00 PM: Pre-workout
- Banana
- Apple
- Strawberries
- Whey Protein
3:30 PM: Post-workout
- Whey Protein
5:30 PM
- Salad
- Salmon/Chicken
- Veggies
Training
Note: I run 4-5 days a week. Between 15-20 miles total.
Suggestions For Others
Use a notebook for everything. Log your food, your workouts, your cardio, your heart rate progress; log everything! See it and you will believe it. If you screw-up don't beat yourself up; get right back to it. I did this to be healthy; no other reason.