Thursday, February 10, 2011
Some time last year we posted an article titled “Regarding Ella.” It was a showcase on the changes that CrossFit had made in the life of a teenage girl. Today we would like to showcase the genetics from whence that teenager sprang from in an attempt to show you just how important the environment that we put ourselves in can be. Pictured above is Kelli, last year she gave birth to her third child Gabriel. During the pregnancy the doctors told her that she may have acquired gestational diabetes. This was a problem for us, as a family, because certainly the Lowenburg tribe was a part of our family. Needless to say, Kelli was fairly stunned by the news. She (like so many of us) had worked very hard to change the eating habits of her family in an attempt to stave off just such things as diabetes.
So we talked, we tried to find a method to the madness. What could have been the causal factors, how could we reverse it, what would she have to do to stay healthy. We knew for sure that there was going to have to be a lot of work on the parts of her and her family as well as me as her trainer. So we did, we set forth to do the work. Fortunately, the doctors that were the fine purveyors of such bad news also gave us the measuring stick with which to track the effects of our plan. The metrics looked a little like this: A1C-5.6 (this is what doctors use as a primary marker for diabetes, typically over 6 means that you are diabetic), Triglycerides were 102 in January, that was a vast improvement from where they started, but could stand to be better. The crux, her cholesterol was 328 with an HDL of 107 and an LDL of 211. Needless to say, those numbers were cause for a lot of trepidation. The doctors of course gave her a bunch of malarkey about treatments, but Kelli put her chips in our corner. She said that she would do whatever she needed to do. I had to do the same, as I was confused as to why we couldn’t get these numbers to change. For my part, I had to swallow my pride and get on the horn with one Mr. Robb Wolf to see where I was falling short. After some back and forth, we decided that the biggest thing that Kelli needed was someone to hold her accountable and to be there to support her. So that is what I set out to do, to be there for her as much as I could in an attempt to help her save her sanity. For sure, she had the bigger job.
We spent the next 4 months going over food logs, adjusting the numbers and making sure that she was putting the right things in her body in the correct proportions. We changed her fat intake, we upped her fish oil consumption, we cut out some cheat days (just hearing that can be a harbinger of doom for a diet, but Kelli was committed). And what was the result of all of this work? Well, Kelli just got her blood work back from her test in January and these are the cards that fell:
A1C-5.6, no change, but that is okay as it is still in normative ranges.
Triglycerides-down to 65, a whopping 37 point shift!
and the biggie…
Cholesterol: from 328 down to 220 with an HDL of 119 (a twelve point jump in good Chol!!!) and an LDL of 101 (A 110 POINT DROP IN BADCHOLESTEROL!!!!!).
Now, we have spoken about her numbers and while they aren’t perfect, they have come an amazing distance. Kelli has been amazing throughout this process, managing to keep her chin up on most days, and fighting through the tough days. Her family should be proud of her, because she is an example of strength. The population at large should use her as an example. 95% of the reported cases of diabetes are type 2, in other words, they are largely the fault of the people diagnosed themselves. But if we look at Kelli (and all of the rest of you amazing CrossFitters!) we see that this problem can be overcome with some hard work and commitment and a little discipline at the dinner table. Good work Kelli… good work.
Workout of the Day
Wod
75 Kettle Bell Snatches for time. Each time you put the kettle bell down do 1 more burpee. (i.e. the first break do one burpee, the second do two burpees etc…)
Comp Team Goodies
accumulate 2 minutes in a hollow hold position