UNDO x Virgin Sport: Meet Aaron Ramey

  Meet Aaron Ramey, a resident of Los Angeles by way of Philly. When asked if he would be down to run a half marathon and train for it, he hesitated at first, then willingly said yes.  This Fall,  he will be competing in the Virgin Sport SF Bay Half for his first race, and UNDO is proud to to help guide him on his way. Get to know a little more about one of the founders of Babylon Cartel.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY

I got the hyperactive thyroidism when I was 24. Basically, my glands were swollen and I got a scan. Thyroid levels were too high, so they gave me a pill. It got smaller and the thyroid went down, but the medication had a steroid in it. It also had side effects like blurry vision, headaches and drowsiness. At the time I was driving for a work and I could not have blurry vision, so I stopped taking the medicine. Since the pill was a steroid, I was supposed to come off of it in doses, but I stopped completely. My thyroid levels up and blood pressure shot up. When your thyroid levels get too high, either overactive or inactive, you can experience mental episodes and blackout. You can lose complete consciousness and become paralyzed.

So I had an episode, and my sister called the doctor and they rushed me to the emergency room. They started treating me for diabetes, but I knew that couldn’t be the case. I don’t even like cookies, pies, or cakes. I wasn’t even consuming high fructose corn syrup. So they started treating me with insulin for diabetes. They had a specialist come and they determined I had a thyroid storm. They proceeded to do more tests and I had an MRI.

As I was coming out of the MRI, I had another thyroid storm,I blacked out completely, and tried to get up out the gurney. When your levels are that high, it can affect your psyche. I thought I was dreaming. I ended up being strapped down to the gurney because I was trying to escape the hospital. I took off my gown and was just butt ass naked. If my homie’s mom didn’t work in the hospital and see me there, they would have 302’d me and put me in a mental institution. I wasn’t in my right mind, during the whole time, I thought I was dreaming.

We never got down to exactly what caused it, but when they treated me for diabetes they gave  me a diet, and it had a meal plan with things that I could and could not eat. Eat meat once in while, fish once a week, eggs, dairy. It listed what I should be eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and that was a first for me.  In my mind I was getting ready for diabetes, and I’m in the hospital thinking, I can’t come back here for something that I can control like eating. I had like, PTSD from that shit, and changed my diet from then on. I started to be more active, thinking, I am not going into the hospital again if it has anything to do with what is in my control.

WHERE DO YOU GO TO GET PEACE OF MIND?

The shower and the gym

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU RUN?

How much stronger I will be tomorrow. Quitting my mind, balancing my insane thinking patterns

3 SONGS THAT GIVE YOU LIFE?

Jay – Z ” Allure “, Kid Cudi ” Rose Golden “,  Fela Kuti ” Water No Get Enemy “

3 FOOD ITEMS THAT YOU JUST CANT LIVE WITHOUT ?

Tofu Italian Sausage , Olive oil , eggs

WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY?

Wake up at 7am everyday or else.

IF YOU HAD AS MUCH MONEY AS RICHARD BRANSON, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH IT?

Partner with whomever to make health care free, fund art, therapy and martial arts facilities in the hood, invest in Ethereum, make endless projects.

Registration is open for Virgin Sport San Francisco’s Bay half-marathon, Twin Peaks Mile, and a weekend of fitness, October 13-15 in San Francisco.

Register for Virgin Sport SF: Virginsport.com/event/san-francisco-2017

THIS WEEKS TRAINING: