Over the Borderline

Muhammad Ali once said “It isn’t the mountain ahead to climb that wears you out. Its the pebble in your shoe.” We are all inherently strong enough to overcome our obstacles, its the smallest thing that’ll stop you short of reaching your goals. After losing my mother to Alzheimer's disease and suffering a heart attack to begin 2016 it felt like I had more than a pebble in my shoe; there was a pebble, a thorn and a couple razor blades as well, and that mountain was more like staring up at a sheer cliff. There wasn’t much I could do but immediately set a goal (after never having been very goal oriented), and that goal was simply to never have another heart attack. The first step was dietary; I cut out dairy, alcohol, starchy foods, fat, anything that wasn’t whole grain, and lots of other things. Fruits and vegetables by the truck load have become my staple, along with brown rice and many varieties of beans. Eventually I was able to begin cardiac rehab, a closely monitored exe...

Former U of A Wildcat Sean Rooks died of a heart attack , as have several former NBA big men over the last couple years. There's growing interest as to why former NBA players are suffering cardiac events, but I see it as an issue with many layers. Former Oakland Athletic Tony Phillips died suddenly of a heart attack a few months ago. The drummer from Megadeath recently died of a heart attack while performing. My opinion is that the American diet, reckless use of drugs and alcohol, stress, and heredity, among other things, are to blame. Although, in the case of 7-foot men running like gazelles in the open court game after game, one has to wonder if the human body of that size just isn't cut out for that much stress. Makes me reminisce about all the basketball my friends and I used to play, pounding our knees, feet and ankles, and probably our hearts as well. Inevitably, seeing these supreme athletes die, people who had the best medical care in the world available to them, re...