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Gary Hall Jr.
"Gary Hall Jr. - Olympic Gold Medallist- Diabetic."
An Olympic Swimmer: I won two gold medals and two silver medals at the 1996 Atlanta games. I have spent what seems like an eternity, at least a lifetime, dedicated to the sport. Everyday I come into practice thinking, “How am I able to go faster?” In swimming, I am able to gauge how effective something is by the end result, a time measured to the one-hundredth of a second. This enables me to make changes and compare the results. Everyone knows that nutrition and sport go hand in hand. I have paid much attention to my diet over the years. I have tried so many different products, all claiming to “enhance” and “build”. Oftentimes the only thing built was gastrointestinal pressure. This was frustrating for me because I really was looking to put on weight, in the form of strength. I had tried unsuccessfully for years to do this. Then something unexpected came along. At the age of 24 I was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes. It was tragic news. I was informed upon diagnosis that my swimming career was over, at least as I knew it. I was devastated. I took two months off and went on a vacation-against doctors orders. When I returned I decided that I was going to try swimming again. I met with a great doctor and was informed that the difficult part of this swimming thing was going to be in the training. Balancing diet with exercise proved to be a juggling act. Administering insulin in accordance to the amount of exercise and the amount of carbohydrates was difficult because of the variables. It would be difficult, but not impossible. After meeting with this doctor, I was encouraged. I met up with Mike Bottom, the coach that I had been working with over the years. He was now coaching at Cal-Berkeley. I flew up to meet with him. It was at this time, through him, that I was introduced to Platinum Performance. The timing was perfect. Platinum Performance assisted me in the difficult balancing act of training and nutrition.
It’s important to understand that I was new to diabetes, and diabetes management. There were times when I misjudged the carbo content of a meal. Having Platinum as part of my diet made things so much easier. I found that not only did it help in avoiding the “lows” of diabetes, it did so without sky-rocketing my blood sugar levels. I was training well, perhaps even better than before. I felt good. I was putting on strength too. Any uncertainties that I had through that short summer season were washed away at the summer National Championships. Five short months after being diagnosed with diabetes, I won Nationals with a career best time. A time that would have won in the Atlanta Olympics, in an event that I came away with silver. What was the difference? I won’t tell you that the only reason why I was able to overcome so much was because I was taking Platinum Performance. But I will say that had I not been able to balance my nutrition, I wouldn’t have won Nationals. For that, I am extremely grateful. It’s not just that Platinum Performance is helping me attain my goals in swimming, it’s helping me with my health. I am now training for the 2000 Olympics, to be held in Sydney. I’ve never felt better. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been and I’m swimming faster times in practice than ever before. I feel great and I’m healthy. The results speak for themselves, Platinum Performance works. next client profile
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