James Turley, a young family man aged 36, was under the impression that he was relatively fit with a diet that he thought was okay (apart from the odd pizza and chocolate bar!). He is no longer under that impression after he was given a Well Check by Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke – 30 minute health check which reviews cardiovascular risk factors.
He said that his only reason for attending this Well Check was because last year his 42 year old brother suffered from a heart attack. James thought that his brother was a “super fit guy”, so this was a big shock to the family.
On the day of the Well Check, James went in thinking that they would tell him everything is fine and that he was 100% fit and healthy. However this was not the case. James was diagnosed with high ‘bad’ cholesterol (with low ‘good’ cholesterol), on the borderline of having high blood pressure and that he was carrying nearly 2 stones more than he should be. He was also informed that he had a metabolic age of 51. He was amazed at these results!
James would have never imagined that he was at risk of a future heart attack. He said, “I’m slim and a moderately active guy. I can honestly say this is a huge wakeup call and with having four young children at home, I cannot continue the way I am… this is genuinely the motivation I need to get back to training and eat clean”.
James said that he never would have attended his GP for a health check and that Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke may have saved him from a heart attack in the future.
