The long story behind HealthyButter
I have an advantage - I love sports and have always been active.
Of course, since I was “active”, and ate reasonably “healthy”, and my annual doctor check-ups didn’t show any abnormalities - I thought I was in pretty good shape. Most people would have agreed.
Then, between ages 47-50, my body failed me.
Chronic Lower Back Pain. One day I picked up a box and tweaked my lower back. Except, unlike most other times, this one didn’t heal, and chronic pain became part of my life. Rolling over in bed was an event. Getting out of the car after a 20-minute commute was brutal. Picking something up from the ground required a weird twist and knee-bend. I was able to function ok once my back was “warmed up” - I even continued to play tennis (poorly.) But moving from a cold start was not an enjoyable part of my day.
Rotator Cuff. My shoulder had been bothering me a little bit. Not enough to go see somebody, obviously - but enough that I kept thinking I should rest it for a couple weeks to see if it gets better. Then, in one throwing motion, I dislocated my shoulder. MRI showed two of the Rotator Cuff tendons had micro-tears. I did not require surgery, but had to work hard with physical therapy over a 6-month period before I was able to use my right arm again with full functionality.
Elbow Pain. I had pain in my elbow that got progressively worse over a few years’ time. I first noticed that while walking with my wife, I had to keep switching my coffee to the other hand. Why was one arm getting so tired from carrying a cup of coffee? Eventually it got to the point where I wasn’t able to lift anything over a few pounds - or even close my truck’s tailgate with one arm. I went back to my PT, but she was unable to diagnose a problem.
Colonoscopy. The results of my first colonoscopy showed I had polyps, some of which were the pre-cancerous variety. These had to be removed.
Heart Attack! One morning I woke up and had a heart attack. It was confirmed by the ER and 2-day stay at the hospital. The angiogram showed 70% - 80% blockage in my arteries. My cardiologist recommended a wait-and-see approach, rather than doing any surgery at that time. He was also surprised this had happened, since my bloodwork was normal and I was in such good shape. He said I must have just hit the unlucky lottery. (My primary care doctor echoed his comments.) He put me on a low daily dose of statin, and advised I would likely be on this medication for the rest of my life - the statin won’t remove any existing arterial plaque but it will help stop new plaque from forming. This is just one of those things and we should be thankful for the wonders of modern medicine.
I spent the next year wondering why I was so “lucky” to have had my number picked, while also waiting for the next shoe to drop. Finally, after my 1-year checkup with the cardiologist - where I again was told that this shouldn’t have happened, my frustration with not having any answers boiled over.
Nutrition
I had a few days off from work and dug deep into research. I was looking for answers, not theory. Any article written by somebody who was selling something was out. Same for anybody who had a great theory behind why their plan worked, but didn’t have long-term,repeatable, double-blind studies to prove it.
Heart Health. There are a million articles and videos with just as many theories about what you should eat. All protein. No protein. No carbs. Fasting. Different types of foods at different times of the day. Eat differently depending on your body type. But there was only one type of eating plan that had actual scientific studies done - long-term and large-population studies, with repeated studies by different people showing the same results.
The Nutrition Plan that works? The one that can actually remove arterial plaque buildup? Plant-Based Eating: Eat fewer animals, and eat more plants.
I took this to heart, literally, and went 98% plant-based. If it came from an animal, I didn’t eat it. Very simple, but not very easy. Even now, I allow myself one “cheat meal” per week, where I can grab a pizza or a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. (This keeps me sane and allows me to go out with friends without being “that guy” who has to eat at a specialty restaurant.)
The results were amazing:
My next bloodwork screening showed my cholesterol levels had dropped. They were always at the high end of normal, but now they were really low. Too low to have been driven by the statin mediation.
My cardiologist asked what I had changed to cause my bloodwork result to change. Upon hearing about my diet, he admitted this was the best course of treatment, and if I agree to continue for another year, he will have me do a CT Scan next year to see if there has been any change inside my arteries.
I had to get my next colonoscopy done due to the polyps from my last visit. It had been almost 4 years between appointments and 18 months of plant-based eating. My results this time were clear. No polyps this visit. None.
The next year my cardiologist ordered a CT scan, as promised. I had now been eating plant-based for 2 years. The results were off the chart, literally. Zero arterial plaque. None. Arteries are fully clear and present as those of a healthy young adult. Cardiologist reduced my medication to every-other day for one more year. If all looks good this winter he will remove medication entirely and remove himself from my medical team as unnecessary.
Side Note: After doing all this research, I stumbled across a Netflix documentary called The Game Changers (gamechangersmovie.com). It’s a big-budget documentary with all sorts of famous names attached to it. And it spells out - much more clearly than I ever could - how all this research makes sense. I recommend you stop reading this website and go watch that video immediately.
So, eating the right nutrition helped fix my arteries. What about fitness?
Fitness
I had been using a kettlebell as part of my workout routine for awhile, but I had some challenges with it.
I sort of felt like it made my back feel better, but it hurt my elbow so badly that I could barely finish a set.
Prior to having elbow pain, I had thought kettlebells offered a good full-body workout. I always felt great after using them. But…
I got so fatigued so quickly when using a kettlebell that it didn’t make any sense. I couldn’t imagine ever being able to do a full workout with it (thinking that a full workout was the standard 60-minute workout.)
I wanted to figure out how if it was possible to make kettlebell the center point of my workouts, so I started researching this topic. I read every article and watched every video I could find. And then I found this:
Is 10 minutes of kettlebell enough to be in good shape? by Mark Wildman
Not only was his answer Yes, but he spoke in a way that made a lot of sense. I quickly started watching more of his videos, and found a golden nugget soon after. He demonstrates how to do a certain movement, and makes an off-handed comment about “don’t turn your hand this way - if you do you’ll end up with elbow pain…” Holy crap - he just identified and diagnosed my bad elbow, and showed how to fix it, all in a 5-second clip!
I changed my technique, and the results were amazing.
Both elbow and back started feeling better immediately after correcting to the proper form. With each passing week I was able to do more with my elbow, which allowed my back to feel better and better. My back pain was gone within a few weeks, and my elbow was back to 100% not long after. Holy Shit - I suddenly felt better than I had in several years!
The switch to Functional-Fitness was on…
Today I’m nearing completion of my 3rd full year on this journey. I wish I hadn’t had to go through what I went through, but I’m happy to be standing here - on the other side, feeling great, and looking forward to the next several decades.
I’m trying to share information on this site that others find useful. What exercises do I do? How many? How frequently? How much plant-based eating is required? How much equipment do I need? Etc, etc. I spent a lot of time and energy working through all this; hopefully I can help make your journey easier.
- Chris Butterworth