How a heart attack changed my life and set me on The path to Health and Happiness
Hello and welcome to “From the Trainers Table“. My name is Randy Smith. I’d like to introduce myself, tell you my story and how it inspired me to start this blog. I am a certified personal trainer, with over 30+ years of experience in the field. In 1996 I founded BodySmith sports Performance Training which I still own and work as the head trainer of today. We specialize in the training and conditioning of elite athletes, and begin working with them from a young age to set them up for success in later professional athletic careers. We train athletes to compete in a variety of sports and work with general population clients as well.
I’d like to share my personal health journey with you in hopes spreading awareness and hopefully making a difference in someone’s life. I have a family history of atrial fibrillation (Afib). A condition that occurs when a person’s normal breathing in the upper chambers of their heart (the two atrial) is irregular and blood does not flow as well as it should from the atria to the lower chambers of the heart (the two ventricles). Afib may happen in brief episodes, or it may be a permanent condition. Two of my aunts and my mother have passed away from this condition. In 2003 I found myself in a personal battle with Afib. My business was quickly growing and becoming very busy. At the time, it was only myself training the athletes. I was waking up at 4:30am each morning and getting to the gym by 6am to start with my general population clients, and later in the morning, my athletes. I would work long intense hours, not getting home until 7pm each night, Monday to Friday. I would not go to sleep until 11 or 12 most nights and was not getting enough sleep.
As time went on – in order to keep up my energy up – I grew an unhealthy dependency to caffeine and ephedra pills, not thinking about my pre-disposition with my heart. One afternoon, late in the summer of 2003, I was doing some work outside with my wife at our chalet when I started to experience serious issues with my breathing. I was having a hard time catching my breath. Again, without considering my pre-disposition and since I was in good shape, I brushed it off, and assumed I was coming down with something. That Sunday afternoon when we got home, I walked up the stairs and at the top I could not catch my breath. I was having a hard time breathing, but had no chest pains or pain down my left arm, so I thought, no worries, right? I couldn’t have been more wrong. My wife was concerned and suggested that she should take me to the hospital, I brushed the idea off and said I would be fine after a nights rest but again that night I had a hard time sleeping. The next morning, I finally agreed to go to the walk-in clinic that was just 2 blocks from the hospital. We walked in and told the receptionist what I was experiencing. The Doctor came out, asked me a few questions and recommended that we do an ECG (electrocardiogram). He had us sit in the waiting room after the test, and in a few minutes he rushed out and said, you need to get to the hospital right away, handed me a document and said to give this to the nurse when you get there. So off we went, my wife dropped me off in front of the emergency room, it even though it was only a 12 foot walk to the door, I felt like I had just ran a 400 meter race. I approached the desk and handed the nurse the document the doctor at the clinic had provided. she took one look at the graph, looked at me with a concerning look that set alarm bells off in my head. I remember her saying code red, and before I knew it, I was laying on a stretcher and was whisked into a near by room. I was having a heart attack. Till this day, what the doctor said to me after examining me still scares me.
“Mr. Smith you are a lucky man, another few hours and you might not be here.”
What saved my life that day was the fact that I was in good shape and of course, that my wife had made me go to the clinic. The pills I was taking were giving me more energy, but in the end, it set off the Afib. My resting heart rate had gone up to 168 and it took a week and a lot of medication to get it back under 100. I was placed on quite a few medications to help manage the Afib, but those medications came with some nasty side effects. At one point I was taking up to 9 different medications and sometimes twice per day. These medications, though lifesaving, triggered diabetes, high blood pressure, inflammation and weight gain. I was sent to a nutritionist to discuss dietary changes to help manage my diabetes. I had damaged my heart, so this meant that I would be on at least two of the medications for quite some time.
In 2008, I had a pacemaker put in to help with my heart rhythm and to help my heart recover. Last year I had the battery replaced, and it was at this time they found out that my heart had recovered 100%. I was given the choice to have the pacemaker removed or keep it in. If I had it removed, they could not guarantee that I would relapse because they were not sure how the heart would react with the scar tissue. It was not bothering me, so I choose to keep it in. Along with being a certified personal trainer, I am also a specialist in performance nutrition, and after analyzing the nutrition program I was given, I knew that my diabetes would not get better and would only ever be “managed”.
That’s when the search for real answers about the disease, and if it could be reversed, began. I found myself going down a rabbit hole of nutrition misinformation, lies and cover ups but along the way I found out that I could reverse my diabetes, lower my blood pressure and get rid of my inflammation. Unfortunately, my research made me aware of the overwhelming amount of misinformation circulating on the internet that put people on the path to become sick, unhealthy and disease ridden, and with the wide reach of the internet, these falsities spread faster and farther than ever before. Through this research and the knowledge I have gained as a physical trainer and performance nutrition specialist I began a new journey. To heal myself and live a healthier life. In the end, I have been able to reverse my diabetes, lower my blood pressure and get rid of my inflammation.
My personal health journey has inspired me to share what I’ve learned with others who may be experiencing similar issues and that was my inspiration for this website. I hope that by telling my story and sharing the research, I will be able to help others live a healthy life style. With that all said, I welcome you to The Table. I invite you to join me as I share with you the steps I took to regain control over my health, share nutritious recipes, and some advice on physical fitness, training and ways for athletes to increase performance. My personal journey to better health and over 30+ years of experience training and conditioning athletes to achieve the highest levels of success in their sports has provided me with a unique perspective and insight into nutrition and fitness. For me, fitness and nutrition is not just my day job; it is my passion. I understand all the ins and outs of this industry and am here to share with you the knowledge that I have gained. I am here to tell you the truth. The good, the bad and the sometimes harsh truth. I will not sugarcoat it. I cannot not promise you that it is easy, but can promise you that the hard work, discipline and the effort you put into to your journey will pay off and, in the end, it is worth it.
**Medical Disclaimer**
The information found on this site is designed to entertain and inform – NOT provide medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a nutritionist when it comes to your personal health or before you start any type of diet or treatment.