“Let’s see. Where do I start?” Ken Warlick says when I ask him about his medical condition before joining PN Coaching. “Maybe the easier question to answer would be what wasn’t wrong with me?”
High blood pressure. High cholesterol. Sleep apnea — he had to use a CPAP machine for that.
Most afternoons, he’d find himself exhausted at work, tempted to slump over on his desk rather than do the complex thinking required for his job of drafting legislation.
He was considerably overweight. And now his doctor was telling him that if he didn’t get his glucose levels in check, he was going to have to go on insulin.
The term “pre-diabetic” now joined the others on Ken’s laundry list of medical diagnoses.
Yet Ken’s doctor couldn’t really help him improve his situation.
Because Ken had already tried quite a few weight loss strategies in the past. And at times, he’d even achieved considerable success. At one point he’d lost around 60 pounds.
Problem was, losing that weight hadn’t done a whole lot to improve his health profile.
“Sure, I looked better,” he says. “And that was nice. But the labs were more or less the same.”
Sometimes he was fat. Sometimes he wasn’t fat. “But even when I was thinner, I was skinnyfat. And weak.”
No wonder he’d lost consistency and allowed the weight to creep back up again.
Because at some point, you have to wonder, what’s the difference? Why bother half-starving yourself if it won’t add years to your life, or life to your years?
Now, as a last-ditch suggestion, his doctor threw out the idea of some resistance training.
He also made a remark that surprised Ken a little bit, and stuck with him: “You need better nutritional guidance than I can give you.”
So Ken set off on a research mission.
And as someone who researches, reads, and writes for his profession, he’s something of an expert at that.
Still, it was almost a coincidence that he came upon Precision Nutrition Coaching. He was browsing the shelves of a used bookstore when he happened to come across an old copy of Dr. John Berardi’s book The Metabolism Advantage.
Metabolism. Metabolism. The word rang in his head.
“I knew my doc was always saying we had to find a way to change that,” he says.
He picked up the book and took it home. Then he looked up its author on the Internet. And that was his introduction to Precision Nutrition.
“I knew I could lose weight,” Ken says. “But I wanted something I could sustain.”
He wanted a program that would help him keep himself accountable. That would allow him to monitor himself and make adjustments as needed.
“I’m stubborn,” he says. Once, he’d even won a contest at work for the person who could walk the most miles in a month.
So he knew that if he had a good plan, he could be consistent.
Still, when he figured out that at age 64, he was one of the oldest members of his cohort, he felt a little worried. Maybe this program wasn’t for him. Maybe it wouldn’t work on somebody his age.
Then he thought: I’m not going to embarrass myself by doing badly at this. That gave him an extra boost of motivation to persist.
Actually, age can be an advantage when it comes to a program like Precision Nutrition Coaching.
“The program teaches patience about everything regarding life,” Ken says.
But his age and experience had already tutored him in patience — giving him a significant leg up on some of the program’s key lessons.
“Most of us have experienced real physical pain in our lives so we don’t indulge in whining over the least small discomfort”.
“We don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Ken should know. Among his long list of diagnoses was one for Dupuytren’s contracture, a condition in which knots of tissue form beneath the skin of the hand, making it difficult or impossible to straighten the fingers.
This can make it awkward and painful to perform everyday activities like pulling on gloves or shaking hands. So imagine how it complicates a workout.
But Ken’s coach worked together with a local trainer to help Ken find some workarounds to this problem. And instead of complaining, Ken just kept practicing what he was learning.
Gradually introduced habits and carefully calibrated lifestyle changes made Ken feel confident.
“The habits, the exercise — these were part of my life now,” he says.
And, as he reminded himself, it had taken him a long time to develop his various health conditions. It made sense that it would take a while to resolve them.
Even so, the changes came faster than he expected. Week by week, he started noticing improvements.
First he noticed changes to his sleep. He was getting better rest.
He started losing pounds — but maintaining muscle mass. He felt more energetic. No more mid-afternoon slump.
But the big surprise came when he had his annual physical exam.
By the end of the program, Ken’s resting heart rate had gone from 96 beats per minute to 59.
His doctor gave him permission to unplug the CPAP. He no longer had sleep apnea.
His glucose levels were excellent. No more “pre-diabetes.”
His blood pressure reading was 110/60.
And after his cholesterol test, his doctor called him. Not because there was a problem. But because his levels were now abnormally good.
“Nobody your age is supposed to be this healthy,” his doctor said. “I need the information about this program so I can give it to my other patients.”
Ken didn’t do it alone.
He’s quick to point that out. The program’s structure, the encouragement of his coach, the community he discovered on the forums — all gave him the support he needed.
Support that wasn’t always forthcoming from the people in his daily life — most of whom had seen him try and fail at sustained fitness many times. Some of whom didn’t really care about keeping fit, themselves.
Yet strangely enough, as Ken’s improved health and appearance became more obvious, even that began to change. The people around him started to notice. They began to ask him questions.
And slowly but surely, they started making healthier choices themselves.
Without really intending or trying to, Ken had become a role model.
“We lead by example,” he says. “And I’d made these little changes. Walking more. Going to the gym.”
“When people see that small things like that can actually have a huge impact on looks and health, they start to follow you.”
One day, in the gym, a couple of 20 year olds approached him. He was having fun playing around with the Precision Nutrition Coaching workout routines and started doing off-balance push-ups, crossing over and exchanging hands on a medicine ball.
“How do you do that?” the guys said, unable to disguise their amazement.
“Don’t feel bad about it,” he said with a smile. “I’m 64. I couldn’t do it at your age, either.”
“If somebody as old, as fat, and as weak as I was can do this program, it’s doable,” Ken says.
In fact, he didn’t just “do” the program. He excelled at it, losing 24 pounds and almost 10% body fat. And he wound up in the finalists’ circle.
But what makes him proudest and most satisfied is not the fat loss per se.
It’s the changes to his health. And to his mindset.
“It changes your psychology about how you approach everything,” he says.
“It makes you want to celebrate and share. There’s dialogue in the forums, and the feedback is reinforcing.”
He’s in better shape and better health than he has ever been in his entire life.
Now he’s studying the science behind it all in Precision Nutrition’s Certification program, working on increasing muscle mass in PN’s Scrawny to Brawny program — and serving as mentor to a whole new cohort of Precision Nutrition Coaching clients as they learn to make the gradual, sustainable changes that he has learned to make.
I asked Ken what he most wants people to know about his experience. The answer comes fast — and he speaks with a quiet passion.
“People sometimes say that they don’t have time for a program like this,” he says. “They’re too busy. They have too much on their plates.”
“But attending to these lessons is worth every minute.”
“If you value your health, if you value your long-term ability to spend time with your family and kids, if you care about how you’re going to age — you need to take the time now for this program.”
Want to read more great stories like Ken’s? Then come meet a few other men, women, and couples who lost weight, started eating better, and took control of their health.
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Want help finally getting the healthy, energetic body you’re after?
For many people, improved eating and lifestyle habits can seem impossible to sustain, especially when progress feels non-existent. What the experts know: Progress is always happening, you have to know what to look for.
That’s why we work closely with Precision Nutrition Coaching clients to help them stay energized and motivated, and get in the best shape of their lives… no matter what other challenges they’re dealing with.
It’s also why we work with health and fitness pros (through our Level 1 and Level 2 Certification programs) to teach them how to help their own clients recognize progress and stay motivated through the same challenges.
Interested in Precision Nutrition Coaching? Join the presale list; you’ll save up to 54% and secure a spot 24 hours early.
We’ll be opening up spots in our next Precision Nutrition Coaching on Tuesday, July 16th, 2024.
If you’re interested in coaching and want to find out more, I’d encourage you to join our presale list below. Being on the list gives you two special advantages.
- You’ll pay less than everyone else. At Precision Nutrition we like to reward the most interested and motivated people because they always make the best clients. Join the presale list and you’ll save up to 54% off the general public price, which is the lowest price we’ve ever offered.
- You’re more likely to get a spot. To give clients the personal care and attention they deserve, we only open up the program twice a year. Last time we opened registration, we sold out within minutes. By joining the presale list you’ll get the opportunity to register 24 hours before everyone else, increasing your chances of getting in.
If you’re ready to change your body, and your life, with help from the world’s best coaches, this is your chance.
[Note: If your health and fitness are already sorted out, but you’re interested in helping others, check out our Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification program].
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