Amir Ali, 43, is a director of a property company and lives in London
In 2015 I had a sharp pain in my chest, so I went to the doctor and, after some tests, they discovered that I had arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy; a serious heart condition that can cause sudden death. I remember one doctor saying to me, “Listen, you’ve got a problem: your heart is weak, it’s going to get weaker and eventually you’re going to die.” There was no sugar-coating it. I left his office feeling almost dead.
It was a huge shock; you tend to think you’re immortal until you hear news like this. I had to have a defibrillator fitted and was told to stop any kind of sports.
I went through a period of depression; I started to think about what that meant for me and the people who rely on me – I have two sons, 11 and 8. It wasn’t a nice stage of my life. I was eating whatever I fancied and started to get a bit podgy – I didn’t think I was overweight, but I didn’t like how I looked. It didn’t feel like me.
In July 2021, I decided to have a consultation at my local gym, Ultimate Performance Fitness, and find out how I could help myself. My first weigh-in was a shock. It turned out that, at 5’6” and 82kg, I was overweight. My personal trainer Emma Kershaw started by overhauling my diet. I had to cut out junk food, then start counting macros – the amount of fat, carbs and protein that I ate. In general, I had to watch the kinds of carbs I ate and increase green vegetables and lean meat, which are both good for heart health.
Emma really did her research; she devised a strength-bearing regime adapted for me as I can’t work out my chest – so no bench presses – or lift weights above my shoulder as both those things could affect my heart. She told me to increase my step count – cardio that increases my heart rate is not allowed – so we started with the target of 10,000 steps a day, which I have increased up to 15,000.
I now weigh 52kg and my heart condition, while not curable, has improved so much that I am now just monitored with my home device – the doctors are not interested in me now, which is probably a good sign. I feel on top of everything again. I feel alive.
Credit: Christopher Pledger
My workout week
I do three sessions of strength training and walk around 15,000 steps a day.
What I eat in a day
- Breakfast: Zero per cent fat Greek yogurt with raspberries and blueberries, tea with milk
- Lunch: Bowl of salad with some protein such as good-quality canned tuna
- Dinner: No later than 6pm I’ll eat something like chicken breast with spices, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes or rice
- Snacks: I have the odd piece of fruit like an apple or orange, some nuts or rice cakes
Lifestyle aides
- Caffeine: One cup of tea in the morning, then a couple cups of green tea during the day
- Alcohol: None
- Sleep: Previously I would get five hours sleep maximum, but I now aim for seven hours.
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