The Return to Torrey Pines: How your life can change in five years!
Five years ago, this month my life changed as I knew it. A new journey began without any intention or mission. A new journey just happened due to an unforeseen experience that I will never forget. As I walk around the hotel and start a new retreat, I feel reflective – sad, tearful and alone. What would my life be today if I didn’t go through what started five years ago here?
Five years ago, this month, I was staying at the Torrey Pines-La Jolla Hilton for my Todd Durkin Mastermind retreat. This weekend I am once again at my annual Todd Durkin Mastermind retreat that happens to be at the same Torrey Pines-La Jolla Hilton that we stayed at in 2013. The Mastermind is designed for fitness professionals to work on our business- our passions to create impact in our society and inspire others. We coach individuals to be a better version of themselves – to move better, to feel better and to look better. We also need to practice what we preach and take care of ourselves… and five years ago in this same hotel and at the same retreat, I was faced with a life-transforming experience that changed my mission in life, my purpose, my future business, and my personal life.
Does everything happen for a reason? Well as I walk around this hotel and experience the surrounding Torrey Pines parks, I feel emotional and reflective as I look back at what happened at this same place five years ago.
If you read my personal story I shared in my book on Amazon called “LIFE IS NOT RACE… IT IS A JOURNEY”, then you may remember the chapter on the “party bus ride from hell”.
Before this weekend started five years ago, I was training for my 16th Ironman in Whistler Canada (started in 2001) and prepping for the Honu 70.3 triathlon in Kona in June. I was training for long distance triathlons (20 plus hours per week) while I was operating a new large fitness studio for personal and group training. My life was too busy, and I was burning the candle at both ends. My days started at 3:45 AM and I didn’t stop “racing” until I hit the pillow exhausted at 9 PM. I went to yoga 3-4 days a week to “relax”, to improve mobility and recovery but really, I was just adding too much in my day.
We only have so many hours in the day, and I made my days full as possible with appointments with clients, teaching group classes, answering emails, working on the fitness business end of the studio and then fitting in my own triathlon training on top of that. Oh yes, I was also doing a podcast once a week, eating low-carb, intermittent fasting while trying to spend quality time with my husband. I was loving life, having fun and feeling fit… or at least I thought I was healthy.
You can read all about my experience in my book, but the transformation started at my TD Mastermind Retreat at Torrey Pines in 2013. I went on the party bus with our team to the winery for a dinner. I was doing intermittent fasting and being very strict on my low-carb/ high-fat food plan. After a full day of seminar and teamwork on our business, I fit in a quick speed run before our Saturday night party starting on the bus.
We had wine on the bus and some snacks- but they were not foods that I would eat. I was acting tense and anxious, and I thought I should let my guard down and have some wine. I acted like I was in my 20’s again trying to fit in and be “fun” Debbie. Well, I don’t remember the rest of the night. Not only did I pass out in the back seat of the party bus, missed the entire dinner at the winery and threw up all over the bathroom on the bus… but I did the “walk of shame” off the bus to get a ride home when I was sick for the following week. I was not able to tolerate alcohol, wine or the sugar. Now I know what was going on since I took school last year to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. My liver, pancreas, and adrenals were exhausted and dysfunctional. In simple terms, I was experiencing the domino effect of “adrenal exhaustion”. Also known as HPA Axis dysregulation = hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis dysfunction. Everybody system works together.
Anything too much can be toxic. Anything too little can be deficient. I did too much of everything because I love being busy and doing everything! My addiction to busyness and doing too much in life caught up with me… and I missed all the red flags along the way until this major one hit me on the party bus. The year plan for 2013 took a quick change the next month after this weekend. My body – my health was far less than optimal and doing any type of race was not possible. My days of being known as the competitive top-age group triathlete quickly came to an end… even though I thought it was just temporary and I would be better in six weeks. The six weeks became six months and then the six months became now five years.
My journey now is to learn WHY this happened to me and how I can help others optimize their health from the inside out to improve their performance in life and their sports. I am finding my passion to learn, to share and to educate others on what I call “The WHOLESTIC Method”. My fitness studio is more an “all in one” place where we offer nutritional therapy, 5-day liver detox programs, and 21-day digestive repair and reset challenges. Now we are adding a Sunlighten Full-Spectrum Infrared Treatment room into our program to help clients heal, repair, rebuild and recover at a cellular level – or rather I say, “transform the WHOLE you from the inside out”.
What if I didn’t have the party bus experience and get “adrenal exhaustion” that changed my life forever? What would I be doing today? Perhaps everything happens for a reason. We go through experiences that challenge us but only make us stronger and smarter!
I know eventually I need to stop doing marathons a few times a year, a 50k trail run and Ironman Triathlons. As I said, anything too much is toxic and an overload over various sources of “STRESS” accumulate in the body until it overflows. Running a small business (fitness studio) on your own as well as training clients and teaching most of the clients is a major source of STRESS by itself, then add more sources of “STRESS” by doing endurance exercise and racing at a competitive level.
In summary, anything with the work “CHRONIC” is not healthy and operating at a less than optimal level day after day will eventually catch up with you. So now from my experience for the past five years, after I hit a “dead-end” road, I was forced to select a new road and start a new journey. I miss racing and competing as well as feeling ultra fit, strong and lean but I know I am still able to do my own type of triathlon training to keep me happy. Eventually, I do believe, I will be able to feel strong and fast again but until then, I will continue my new road towards educating myself and sharing elements ‘The WHOLESTIC Method’ to help educate what being HEALTHY is all about. Hopefully, we all start to pay attention to our addiction to chronic busy-ness and staying connected. If we could make more time to unplug, disconnect, repair and recover then hopefully we will be more aware of the “RED FLAGS” of sources of stress in our lives – on the inside and out.
My passion is to EDUCATE others… as I love to learn and share what I am learning via my blog, podcast, books, and 30-day transformation program. At Fitness Forward Studio in Bellevue, WA we offer coaching services to transform the WHOLE Athlete with elements of The WHOLESTIC Method including our new Infrared Treatment room and Nutritional Services.
So, I ask myself this weekend if would I have been where I am today if I didn’t go through what I did here five years ago?
Honestly, I don’t think so. I am sure I would still be training, racing and traveling for events while running my fitness studio. I would have never written a book, a manual/workbook, became an NTP and changed the focus on the “The WHOLE Athlete” podcast to discuss elements of digestion, detoxification and other elements of The WHOLESTIC Method.
Every experience happens for a reason…we just have slow down long enough to realize the gift that you have been given and pay it forward.
Learn more on Amazon…
LIFE IS NOT A RACE… IT IS A JOURNEY and The WHOLESTIC Method Manual & Workbook
Learn more about my upcoming 5-Day Jumpstart Challenge and 30-Day Total Transformation Challenge by contacting me via www.fitnessforwardstudio.com
The WHOLESTIC Method Coach,
Debbie
https://youtu.be/vJzET7pebqU
