Newsletter 15 - Taking Ownership of My Health

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Taking Ownership of My Health - My Personal Reflection

By Matt Campbell

Many of you know that I lost my mom unexpectedly in April. She had some common health issues, but nothing alarming or predictive of such a sudden outcome.

I consider myself a “healthy” person. But I think people sometimes assume that means more than it does given my occupation. Just because I am the “Personal Trainer” doesn’t mean I don’t, like anyone else, struggle. I deal with the same lack of motivation, the same excuses—kids’ activities, work, life in general. And sometimes, the simple truth is this: the people who take care of everyone else often don’t prioritize the care of themselves.

The shoemaker’s kids go barefoot. The plumber has the leaky faucet. You know how it goes.

In many ways, my mom was the personification of that. She was a very well recognized educator of 40 years and always went the extra mile for others. She made an enormous impact on literally thousands of lives. I’m very proud of her and the difference she made. Most recently she had become a caregiver for my dad, full-time. She had an extraordinary amount of stress throughout her life, caring for and worrying about others and, in my opinion, did not get to do the same for herself. From the outside, she looked fine. Everything was always under control. I wonder now about what the story was inside. And after she passed, I realized: I was on the same path.

Many of us have the best intentions to serve others. That’s a truly beautiful thing. In fact the world needs more of that in my opinion. But the people we love also need us to take care of ourselves, so we can show up fully—for them, and also for ourselves.

The loss of my mom caused me to pause and reevaluate everything. When I did, I started seeing signs of the same patterns in my life. I thought: One day, I will be my mom. And my kids and loved ones will be me. What will they want for me? And what will I want for myself?

I had my annual checkup with my cardiologist coming up in a couple weeks so I asked for a full blood panel in advance. I knew some numbers ran a little high but to be honest I didn't really remember and hadn't cared that much in the past. My results came back and most things were indeed in the “normal” range—but my LDL specifically had been on a steady increase since 2016 and had hit an all-time high of 131. General recommendations are between 50-99. Was that also part of the path I was on? That I just accept it’s “part of getting older” and that being otherwise "healthy" I just assume nothing needs to be done?

I was not satisfied and wanted to know more so I chose to have an elective CT scan of my coronary arteries. When I got the results back that I had a small amount of blockage forming in one artery, the immediate recommendation was to start a statin. I asked: What are my other options? My doctor said diet and exercise might help but that given my professional role I was probably already doing those things. But we discussed more and he gave me three months to try.

I didn’t go to extremes. I didn’t make unsustainable or rigid changes. I made sensible, practical adjustments and became more aware of the little things I was eating and doing without thinking—things that were adding up. Things I didn’t need to do.

I realized just how many small decisions I was making on a daily basis that had the potential to be either helpful or harmful. The difference mattered. So I made better ones, consistently.

After those three months, 90 days, I was nervous for my follow-up. I didn’t know if the changes would make a real difference. I hoped they would—but if they didn’t, I knew I’d be disappointed and discouraged.

But here’s the thing: no matter what the numbers said, I had accomplished the goal. I felt different. In fact I felt a lot different. Sometimes you don’t even know how comparatively bad you feel because you haven’t experienced any alternative. I had taken greater ownership of my health. I felt so much pride. My kids had been watching and saw the difference. I had done what I could, and I could let go of what I couldn’t control. There was growth that happened in me. Whether the numbers reflected it or not.

And then—I got the results.

I was astounded. My LDL had actually dropped 30 points in just three months. In fact it wasn’t technically in the “normal” range still but sat exactly two points over at 101. There couldn't have been a better message for me. Progress, not perfection. For all intents and purposes I had achieved the goal. One number doesn’t change that. But there's also no contentment for me that I "did it” and can now move on or forget about it. There’s more work to be done. There always is.

There are so many areas in life where we check a box and move on. But sometimes, it’s worth digging deeper. Don’t assume there isn’t more you can do. Don’t assume that anything is normal or as good as it gets and that you can't feel better. And don’t underestimate the power to make even a small change in course. It may change the trajectory entirely.

Take care of yourself. You matter—just as much as the people you care for.

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