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pumping—the perfect setting for sudden cardiac arrest.

To add to the crazy paradox that is my life, ARVC is genetic and only develops in the perfect environment. Geneticists see a significant correlation between patients who were high-level athletes during their youth and the development of the disease. If doctors knew that I had the genetic code as a child, they would have advised me not to participate in intense physical activity. The active and athletic lifestyle that I had led up to this point was, ironically, the root of my rare and incurable heart condition.

My pregnancy switched from textbook to high risk. At my 36-week checkup, there was concern that my heart might not hold up much longer. I was admitted to the hospital and induced. The delivery was intense, but on May 28, 2013, at 12:15 p.m., our precious baby girl, Charlotte (Charley), was born.

In an attempt to decelerate the damage to my heart and prevent a case of sudden cardiac arrest, I was instructed to cease all physical activity indefinitely. Fitness was my whole life, from swimmer to trainer, so this devastating news turned my world upside down.

I can no longer exercise. My career as a personal trainer is over. I am not allowed to have any more babies because my heart is not strong enough to handle another pregnancy. To add insult to injury, I am not even allowed to have coffee! Grieving the loss of my old life is a dynamic journey with constant ups and downs. However, as I continue to develop new hobbies and

skills outside the scope of fitness, I am learning to not only cope with my new reality, but to thrive in it. I’m completely devoted to my role as mother of the most captivating little girl and wife of a supportive and loving husband, but I still sometimes questioned my purpose.

When Life Gives You Lemons. . . Bake a Lemon Meringue Pie!

After my diagnosis, I began looking for ways to control my weight without physical activity. In February 2015 I started a blog to share my journey of both weight loss and weight manage-ment through proper nutrition. Each week I developed meal plans using a diet analysis program I used in university and shared them, along with lessons learned on my new journey. Seeing the transformation of my body over a year, purely through nutrition, was amazing. And it was encouraging to know that, thanks to a conscientious meal plan, I still had control over my body.

Exercise and Weight Loss

While exercise is necessary for weight maintenance and several important physiological adaptations (like improved cardiovascular and pulmonary health), it is not key for weight loss.1 Current literature suggests that aerobic training must be frequent and extremely high in intensity for significant weight loss to occur.2 Nutrition is a fundamental factor in weight loss and one variable in my life