Hi! I'm Quin. I found Nerd Fitness around two (maybe three) years ago and subscribed to the newsletters. I was still at a point in my life, however, where I didn't really take my personal health seriously. I thought "I'm only in my twenties. I'll be fine." This past Friday, that thought went away and my view on everything changed. The Awakening: I went to the doctor earlier in the week because my right arm and hand hurt constantly. Carrying a gallon of milk from the back of the store to the front of the store was painful for me! She thought that I may have a pinched nerve, but sent me in for x-rays just to be sure. On Friday, while I was at work, one of the nurses called me. She called me six times in two hours. I decided I should probably call back the second that I had the chance, because they don't typically call that much unless something is going on. I went to lunch around 2pm that day and, without knowing what was going on with my body, I decided that I should start trying to clean up my diet. I grabbed a salad, a bottle of water, and a small bag of grapes before going to the break room and giving her a call. She didn't answer, so I left a voicemail. A few minutes later, she called me back. I was just starting to eat my lunch when she told me what the x-ray showed and I completely lost my appetite. I have early Osteoporosis. At 29 years old, I'm already experiencing bone loss. Following the phone call, I immediately walked over to the pharmacy (I work at Walmart) and grabbed a bottle of Calcium +D3. I went back to the break room, took one of the tablets, and then started Googling like crazy. I'm not lying when I say that all of my free time right now is spent reading about Osteoporosis, how to stop its progress, and how to restore bone density. The good news: It is possible to stop it! Rise to Power: For most of my life, my diet has been absolutely awful. It could probably be described as "Unattended Toddler in a Sweet Shoppe" at best. When I was younger, however, it didn't seem to matter quite as much because I was extremely active. Nowadays, I'm quite sedentary outside of work and it shows. After reading quite a bit, I realized just how much my choices have affected my body's ability to absorb calcium like it should and how much all of it affects bone density. I immediately stopped drinking soda after that phone call on Friday and I will absolutely never touch another one. I also very quickly made serious changes to my diet. For the most part, I've been avoiding the inner aisles of the grocery store. I shop for lean meats, vegetables, fruits, milk, and eggs. The way I see it, I can let it bring me down or I can let it empower me to live a healthier life. I'm going to use it as a way to empower myself! I know what to buy, because I've read the Beginner's Guide to Paleo a dozen times. It's putting together meals and exercising right that I have trouble with. The doctor mentioned doing strength training, so I guess that's what I'm looking to get into. Help me out, guys! Oh.. And it's great to meet all of you!
