Aaron Lambert, BS, CNE
Certified Nutritional Educator
Throughout most my life I have enjoyed near perfect health. I never had any major ailments to complain about and I never put on more than a few pounds. I attributed my ability to eat large quantities of food such as pizza and microwavable meals to my training regime. I ran track and cross country in high school and college. After school, I continued to train for 5k runs up to marathons on a regular basis. I enjoyed success in my running and felt myself to be in excellent health. Then something happened…….
One day, I developed a severe pain in my chest and began to feel light-headed while driving. There was just enough time to pull over and have my friend call 911 before I passed out. In the ambulance I was given a steroid injection to increase my heart rate which had dropped to 20 beats per minute. At the hospital the doctors found nothing wrong with me after several days of tests. Since I was given a clean bill of health, I began to think that the incident was just a fluke.
My sister, Tara, then took me to see a wellness practitioner who, through the use of Nutrition Response Testing (NRT), found that my body was overworked and under-nourished. She told me that my diet was the primary cause for my loss of health. My high intake of carbohydrates and sugar, daily intake of at least 1 liter of diet coke and over reliance on prepackaged food were the underlying nutritional causes of my near fatal experience.
For the next six months, I followed her nutritional advice to eat only whole, unprocessed foods. My health returned and I felt more energetic than ever before. My running times improved, as did my overall attitude toward life. Soon, though, I began to revert back to my old habits and I eventually stopped following the nutritional advice that had helped me. I returned to eating cereal or bagels for breakfast, fast food for lunch and then dinner at a restaurant or from the microwave. Diet soda and sugary foods were again part of my daily diet. Occasionally, I ate vegetables and some fruit. Then something happened again…….
I began to gain weight no matter how much I ran. Soon, I lost my desire to exercise as it was becoming too difficult. I was tired all the time but had a hard time getting quality sleep. Frequently, I felt that I was in a daze. My skin lost all color and I had a “pasty” look about me. My digestion was a mess and I developed acid reflux. In addition, my mental attitude became a mixture of anxiety and anger.
These are not normal health issues for a 34 year-old-man, or for anyone for that matter. I made a concerted effort to regain my health and maintain it for the rest of my life. Through the use of NRT and whole food nutrition all my aforementioned health problems quickly disappeared. Today, I am healthier and more energized than ever. My passion for running has come back and I am running faster and longer than I thought possible. The constant anxiety and anger I previously felt melted away. I truly feel like I have turned back the clock on life.
Today, I desire nothing more than to help others realize their full potential for optimal health. Through education I hope to empower others and to remove the mystery and myth that surrounds achieving a balanced and healthy body. As a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Certified Nutritional Educator through the National Institute of Whole Health, I seek to help improve the health of my clients with whole food nutrition. There are few things more valuable than enjoying excellent health every day of one’s life.
