Friday, September 13, 2013 I was having a great time; riding my Harley Davidson motorcycle through the North Carolina mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway with a group of guys. Since we were miles from civilization, my GPS wasn’t picking up a signal, I couldn’t see how sharp the next left turn was. Entering the turn, I knew I was going to be pushing the bike to her limits to get around this corner. I hugged the double yellow line at the apex giving me about ten feet of extra road to exit the turn. Suddenly, a car appeared, coming right at me in the opposite direction. Startled, I straightened my turn to avoid the car. Doing this did not allow enough road to complete the corner and off the parkway I went at about 50 miles per hour.
My bike came to a stop upside down and backwards in a ditch next to the tree line. I came to a stop on the only grassy patch in the area. Hitting the ground at 50 miles per hour is not fun and something I don’t plan on repeating. My hand has a small break in one of the bones, my face hit the ground giving me some nice abrasions and a black eye, my ankle is sprained, and a nice chunk was taken out of my shin. Other than that, just a few minor aches and pains and some scratches.
So how did weight training and testosterone save my life?
Having a balanced testosterone level, along with my other hormones strengthened my bones. The testosterone also helps to increase my muscle mass and toughen-up my whole body. Remember when you were a teenager? You could fall and bounce right back up, unhurt. Your testosterone level was higher then. If you did hurt yourself, you would heal right up and be good as new in no time.
Weight training further increases bone strength. I’ve been weight training for thirty years now. I’ve never had an official bone density test but that accident certainly tested the strength of my inner structure. I’m not a physicist but slamming into the ground at 50 miles per hour is going to put some serious stress on the bones and connective tissue. I really believe all these years of preparation along with God’s grace allowed me to literally walk away from that accident.
Weight training is the single best thing you can do for bone strength. Putting that excess weight on your structure builds not only your muscle strength, but your bone strength and density. Having proper hormone levels, especially testosterone, gives your body what it needs hormonally to build up those bones and strengthen your body.
Get your hormone levels checked, it’s important. If they are low, supplement with natural, bio-identical hormones to achieve optimal levels. Eat properly to give your body the fuel required to build those bones. Supplement with a high quality multi-vitamin, Omega-3 fish oil, DHEA, Vitamin D, and digestive enzymes. You should be weight training and supplementing with whey protein powder to provide the necessary building blocks for your muscles.
Keeping your body strong and healthy greatly decreases your chance of serious injury and significantly increases your chance of survival if you are ever involved in an accident.
Oh, my bike? She survived; bent, battered, scratched, dented, and dirty, but alive. We got her back on her wheels and she started right up. My Harley Davidson is resting comfortably in my garage waiting for the insurance adjuster to come by.
Great story West! So glad you are ALIVE