About the Author and Founder of LifeNuts
I’m Dr. Bob Kroeger. I want to tell you how LifeNuts has made a difference in my life. After I graduated from dental school at Ohio State, I served four years in the Navy and got married, eventually moving to Cincinnati after finishing my tour of active duty. I started a private dental practice and my wife and I raised five children, sending them to private schools and then to college. I led a typical suburbanite life.
Despite having presented many seminars on stress management during the 1980s and 90s, in January of 2005 my 36-inch trousers were shrinking. Or maybe my waist was enlarging. You get the picture. When I wondered if I would have to buy size 38 pants, a little voice whispered, try running a marathon. But, after many years of casual jogging and growing fatter each year, I wondered if the voice was a hoax. In 1989 I tried training for a marathon but wound up hurt and gave up hope of ever running one, figuring my body was not designed for that test of endurance. And, now with a weight of 195 and a BMI of 27.3, I was overweight and bordering on obesity. But this time the voice sounded terribly convincing and so I thought I would try it again. I had nothing to lose at age 58, I figured.
After training with a friend for four months, I ran my first marathon, the 2005 Cincinnati Flying Pig, in 4:03, not fast for my age bracket but still an incredible life experience. With a tweak in my eating habits and additional exercise, I lost 30 pounds. My pants weren’t tight anymore. And, being a marathon runner now, I decided to attempt a second one. So in October of that year I ran the Columbus, Ohio, marathon in 3:57, a time that qualified me to run the Boston marathon in 2007. I was ecstatic at qualifying but a week later my spirits sank when my wife of 33 years was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. Devastating news.
But I was lucky. Both my marathon-fit body and my experience in stress management helped me to view this as a life challenge and remain healthy during this sad time. She died in January of 2007. My life quickly transitioned from living in a big lively home with a wife and five children to existing alone in an empty house. Running was my therapy. I even lost my drive to play competitive golf.
Over the next year my eating habits improved and my zest for running marathons continued. Thanks to a nutritional mentor 25 years my senior, I shifted to a plant-based diet. Eventually I became a vegan. Without trying, I shed another 20 pounds. My energy level tripled and my marathon times improved. In most marathons I would beat many runners half my age.
I ran my 50th marathon, the Marshall University marathon, in November of 2011. And most of the time I don’t run marathons slowly, having qualified for Boston in over half of them. In 2007 I ran the Newport, Oregon, marathon in 3:37, which earned me All-American status through the USATF, the national running organization.
But, after my wife died, my home became a quiet tomb, especially since my children were either on their own or away at college. I learned that living life alone is not healthy, especially for a widower. So, after reading Healthy at 100, I decided to remarry. The book confirmed that loneliness breeds disease. And, having transitioned from a house full of five children and a wife to a ever-so-empty house, I was lonely. Men don’t have the social support that most women do. I didn’t want my children, who just lost their mom, to be burdened with me winding up in the hospital with a stress-induced disease. So I married for the second time. Now I am the father of five grown children and I have three grandchildren.
My wife Laura and I reside in a suburb of Cincinnati and we benefit from the friendship of an active social network of neighbors and friends. I belong to a golf club and treasure the camaraderie of my fellow golfers. I also enjoy giving back to the community. In 2005 I started a foundation to help survivors of sexual abuse and, thanks to the help of Jim Barnett, the Akron marathon’s race director, enhanced our charity run/walk called the Bashful Ostrich 5K, now in its 12th year.
As my practice grew and I was able to save money, I began to invest and plan for my financial independence. Along the way I made my share of investment mistakes. But I persisted to save and invest and, in 2010 at age 63, I retired comfortably. The American Dental Association’s data reveals that less than five percent of dentists can retire in their same lifestyle by the age of 65. So get rid of the notion that all dentists are wealthy. It’s simply not true. Financial management is a key to successful transitioning.
After retiring from dentistry and after some soul searching, I decided to transition into motivating people through personal training and giving workshops on stress management. I also wanted to reverse childhood obesity and improve Americans’ health and longevity and so I developed the LifeNuts program.
So that’s my story. Yours will be different. Some of you are younger and some are older than I am. If you’re younger, that’s great – you’ve got time on your side. If you’re older, don’t despair. You, too, have time. Remember, I was 58 when I started on this road.
LifeNuts is a program involving lifestyle changes and includes stress management, diet, exercise, and total community involvement. If I can do it, so can you.
Despite having presented many seminars on stress management during the 1980s and 90s, in January of 2005 my 36-inch trousers were shrinking. Or maybe my waist was enlarging. You get the picture. When I wondered if I would have to buy size 38 pants, a little voice whispered, try running a marathon. But, after many years of casual jogging and growing fatter each year, I wondered if the voice was a hoax. In 1989 I tried training for a marathon but wound up hurt and gave up hope of ever running one, figuring my body was not designed for that test of endurance. And, now with a weight of 195 and a BMI of 27.3, I was overweight and bordering on obesity. But this time the voice sounded terribly convincing and so I thought I would try it again. I had nothing to lose at age 58, I figured.
After training with a friend for four months, I ran my first marathon, the 2005 Cincinnati Flying Pig, in 4:03, not fast for my age bracket but still an incredible life experience. With a tweak in my eating habits and additional exercise, I lost 30 pounds. My pants weren’t tight anymore. And, being a marathon runner now, I decided to attempt a second one. So in October of that year I ran the Columbus, Ohio, marathon in 3:57, a time that qualified me to run the Boston marathon in 2007. I was ecstatic at qualifying but a week later my spirits sank when my wife of 33 years was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. Devastating news.
But I was lucky. Both my marathon-fit body and my experience in stress management helped me to view this as a life challenge and remain healthy during this sad time. She died in January of 2007. My life quickly transitioned from living in a big lively home with a wife and five children to existing alone in an empty house. Running was my therapy. I even lost my drive to play competitive golf.
Over the next year my eating habits improved and my zest for running marathons continued. Thanks to a nutritional mentor 25 years my senior, I shifted to a plant-based diet. Eventually I became a vegan. Without trying, I shed another 20 pounds. My energy level tripled and my marathon times improved. In most marathons I would beat many runners half my age.
I ran my 50th marathon, the Marshall University marathon, in November of 2011. And most of the time I don’t run marathons slowly, having qualified for Boston in over half of them. In 2007 I ran the Newport, Oregon, marathon in 3:37, which earned me All-American status through the USATF, the national running organization.
But, after my wife died, my home became a quiet tomb, especially since my children were either on their own or away at college. I learned that living life alone is not healthy, especially for a widower. So, after reading Healthy at 100, I decided to remarry. The book confirmed that loneliness breeds disease. And, having transitioned from a house full of five children and a wife to a ever-so-empty house, I was lonely. Men don’t have the social support that most women do. I didn’t want my children, who just lost their mom, to be burdened with me winding up in the hospital with a stress-induced disease. So I married for the second time. Now I am the father of five grown children and I have three grandchildren.
My wife Laura and I reside in a suburb of Cincinnati and we benefit from the friendship of an active social network of neighbors and friends. I belong to a golf club and treasure the camaraderie of my fellow golfers. I also enjoy giving back to the community. In 2005 I started a foundation to help survivors of sexual abuse and, thanks to the help of Jim Barnett, the Akron marathon’s race director, enhanced our charity run/walk called the Bashful Ostrich 5K, now in its 12th year.
As my practice grew and I was able to save money, I began to invest and plan for my financial independence. Along the way I made my share of investment mistakes. But I persisted to save and invest and, in 2010 at age 63, I retired comfortably. The American Dental Association’s data reveals that less than five percent of dentists can retire in their same lifestyle by the age of 65. So get rid of the notion that all dentists are wealthy. It’s simply not true. Financial management is a key to successful transitioning.
After retiring from dentistry and after some soul searching, I decided to transition into motivating people through personal training and giving workshops on stress management. I also wanted to reverse childhood obesity and improve Americans’ health and longevity and so I developed the LifeNuts program.
So that’s my story. Yours will be different. Some of you are younger and some are older than I am. If you’re younger, that’s great – you’ve got time on your side. If you’re older, don’t despair. You, too, have time. Remember, I was 58 when I started on this road.
LifeNuts is a program involving lifestyle changes and includes stress management, diet, exercise, and total community involvement. If I can do it, so can you.