It’s A Great Day to Be an Eagle

It’s A Great Day to Be an Eagle

By: Andrew Dorrel

Everyone has a story to tell about their fitness journey. I was encouraged to share mine only because I believe that one of life’s greatest satisfactions is to share experiences and encouragement in order to positively impact lives.  I am passionate about helping others achieve success and hopefully you are enriched in some way by the following remarks.

Exercising and working outdoors have been part of my life from a very young age. I grew up on a farm, have always been involved in sports, love being outdoors, and relish hard work – it is invigorating. My fitness goals have changed throughout my life but the most significant revelation to my improved health is a better understanding of how to manage a healthy diet.

My first deliberate efforts at monitoring my fitness began when I played college football. During this time I ate as much as could, spent hours lifting weights, and did some cardio workouts, but the simple reality was I wanted to be big and strong. After my college football career ended I continued to lift weights and periodically would exercise but continued to eat more than I needed.  Over the years I gained weight and lacked the self-discipline to admit that my college playing weight was not in my best interest. I enjoyed the adrenaline high lifting weights provided and liked feeling strong. However, I used the excuse that since I worked out I could still eat as much as I wanted with little thought toward nutritional value or caloric intake.

It was not until my wife, Jenny, who was also a college athlete, challenged me to consider how I could become healthier. Through her encouragement, along with the birth of our second son, and the fact that I was turning forty motivated me to improve my health in order to be the husband and father I aspired to be.    

Initially in my quest to become healthier I began to research multi-vitamins because I thought at my age that is what I needed to do. Fortunately my ignorance and research introduced me to a line of nutritional products that motivated me to think about what and how much I ate. I soon realized that a few minor changes to my diet and better management of portion sizes was critical to achieving better health. Additionally I started running; this was a feat in itself as a former offensive lineman I never envisioned myself as a runner.

As my diet improved and my energy level increased I became even more motivated to run. Once I started to experience modest results I was further encouraged by others who noticed that I had lost a few pounds. After only a couple of months I randomly stepped on the scales and was amazed. In fact, I stepped off and then back on as I thought the scales were broken. For the first time since high school I weighed less than 200 pounds, a milestone I never thought I would achieve again.

Fortunately I have been able to maintain this weight for over a year while enjoying the benefits of increased energy, more satisfying sleep, and the drive to exercise regularly. Most importantly, I am grateful to the support and encouragement from so many as I do not think I could have achieved these results without the help of others.