28/07/2021
Scotty Darroch’s Randox Health Journey
For powerlifter Scotty Darroch, the first step in improving his physical and mental health was obtaining a comprehensive understanding of his body, to determine areas for improvement.
And with his involvement in the prestigious Invictus Games, getting his body in optimum condition for peak performance is paramount.
“As a former services member and a regular competitor in the Invictus Games, my health is so important to me. I need to know how my body is performing, reacting to my training, and coping with life in general, to know how to best take care of it and to adapt my exercise regime if necessary.
“I also have a mental illness, and suffer from stress and post-traumatic stress disorder, so I have regular blood tests to track my progress with that. I therefore appreciate the importance of a health check and the fantastic insight it can give.
“So when I started to feel a bit sluggish and tired earlier this year, I approached Randox Health to find out what was going on. I had just competed in the 2017 Invictus Games in Canada, after having also taken part in the 2016 Games in Orlando, and I had hit all my personal bests in my powerlifting categories. I wanted to maintain my good performance and make sure there wasn’t anything going on underneath the surface of which I wasn’t aware so I knew a full body MOT was the way to go.
“The process in the Randox Health clinic was very smooth and seamless, and the team were very friendly and helpful. The consultation over the phone with my Randox Health expert was very informative and helped explain the results included within the very comprehensive report of my results. I was told that my cholesterol levels were through the roof, and that the Body Composition Analysis I had done had discovered I have very high levels of visceral fat.
“Visceral fat is a ‘deep’ fat which is stored underneath the skin and wraps around major organs, including the liver, pancreas and kidneys. It’s invisible to the naked eye, and somebody who actually appears very slim can have high levels of internal visceral fat which can’t be seen. I’m a solid build – a bit of a chunky monkey you might say! – so it was great to find out what’s on the inside and to have a comprehensive breakdown of how I’m made up.
“I do in fact have a bit of a family history when it comes to high cholesterol, but I didn’t think mine would be as high as I discovered it was, and I certainly couldn’t have predicted that I had high levels of visceral fat. There’s really no way of knowing what our visceral fat levels without an in-depth health screen!
“I also found out that I have irregular levels of the hunger-suppressing hormone leptin. It has been thrown out of whack by a consistently high intake of food, which causes the body to become resistant to leptin. Basically, this means that fat within the body is secreting lots of leptin to tell the brain to stop eating, but the brain does not receive this message!
“I’m now on a course of statins to manage my cholesterol, but in the New Year I’m going to launch into a healthier lifestyle, a better diet, and will be coaching some guys in my local gym to take part in the Invictus Games. After taking part in two games myself I now have my coaching qualifications and so I want to help the next generation of competitors achieve their Invictus goals.
“In terms of my own goals, it’s great to have something to work towards for my next check-up. In 2018, I’m aiming to reduce my calorie intake so that my leptin returns to optimum level, to reduce my visceral fat levels, and to get on top of my exercise and nutrition so that I can lower my cholesterol and remove the need to take the statins, which I have to take every night.
“I’m so glad that I now have this wealth of information about my body at my disposal, as I strongly believe that it is better to take control of your health before it takes control of you. Having a profile of all the different areas of my health, in black and white, has been invaluable in understanding my body. Knowing that I need to improve my diet is one thing, but having all the different pieces of the jigsaw together – my visceral fat, my leptin, my cholesterol – gives me plenty of things to work on.
“I’m looking forward to my follow-up tests in a few months’ time to see just how much difference these lifestyle changes have made.”
If, like Scotty, you want to be the Front Runner of your own health, get in touch with our team today.
Phone 0800 2545 130 or email info@randoxhealth.com