My name is Rafael Ramirez and I am the Founder and CEO of Your Fantastic Fifties. I have been involved in fitness and wellness since I was around fourteen years old, over forty years. That’s when I started training in the martial arts.
I excelled in the martial arts and I was chosen to fight on a regional team that would travel to another country to participate in an international competition. I was always health-conscious, not drinking or smoking and staying in very good physical condition.
I married my college sweetheart, and together we raised two beautiful girls. I was living a happy and fulfilling life.
Then the unthinkable happened. My beautiful wife Jane of 17 years suddenly and tragically passed away. This was a blow to my entire family. It was an event that I still struggle with to this day, fifteen years after it took place.
I was forty three when my wife died. For the next twelve years I suffered a deep depression, overeating every chance I got to ease my emotional pain. As my weight grew and grew, I developed unhealthy levels of blood sugar and cholesterol. From age forty three to age fifty five I gained over 50 pounds. I looked and felt terrible.
All the while I knew I had to do something to change the direction of my life. Through reliance on my faith in God and support from my family I knew I had to get healthy. I drew on my experience as a martial artist to devise a diet and exercise program that was sustainable and would make me shed those unwanted pounds while becoming healthy again.
At age fifty five I began the diet and exercise program I had devised. At first, I was surprised when the weight started melting off of my body. I was losing up to two pounds a week. There were days where I didn’t follow my program, but I continued with it as soon as I could and the results continued to happen.
I would record my declining weight on the calendar. Doing that would motivate me even more as I saw my weight dropping over time. All in all, I lost over fifty pounds in just over ten months at the age of fifty five.
This was amazing because a person’s metabolism is slower and it is harder to firm and tone muscles over the age of fifty. I also had to deal with some arthritic joint pain so my program had to take all of those factors into account. I was able to become much healthier as a result of using my program, not only losing weight but also dropping my cholesterol and blood sugar to healthy levels.
It has now become my mission to help men and women age fifty and older to lose weight, stay in shape, and become healthier. We can do this together, and I will do everything in my power to help you along your health and wellness journey.
Yours truly,
Rafael Ramirez