So you want to know a bit more about the bloke behind this website? Awesome! I was born in Tampere, Finland in 1984 to a working class family. Both my parents were factory workers and when it comes to my mom she always wanted me to get good education so I wouldn’t have to do manual labor for living.
In late 2007 I graduated from Tampere Polytechnic University of Applied Sciences with a Bachelors Degree in International Business. I also spent a semester in Penang island, Malaysia as an exchange student. The hot weather and cheap food had left me very sedentary and somewhat overweight.
August 2008, back from South Korea. Seeing this among other photos made me realize that something has to change. Becoming a 30-year old with a beer belly was not an option.
Couple months before graduating I got a job at Accenture as an SAP consultant. A year later I was in the worst shape of my life: overweight, not having much energy to do anything except play World of Warcraft, and my dating life was in shambles.
After coming back from a two-week holiday in South Korea in August 2008 – and seeing myself in photos – I decided that something has to change. I was heading towards becoming a middle aged miserable man with a beer belly. Me who had run through most of high school. Me who had practiced Wushu 3-5 times a week while in university. Me who had always been rather athletic and in good shape.
So I started exercising and eating healthy. Treadmill became a friend 4-5 times a week. Chocolate, ice cream, candy and fatty foods changed to whole bread, potatoes and low-fat yogurt. Fast forward 5 months and guess how much my weight had dropped? Amazing zero kilograms! Yay! So much for all the hard work I had put into it.
At this point one has three options: 1) To throw hands in the air and call it quits, 2) To keep doing the same thing but with even more zeal, or 3) start questioning your beliefs and figure out why the hell what you’re doing is not working. I would argue that the third option is the most difficult one, but it’s also the one that can change your life. At least it changed mine.
July 2011, still far from my current appearance and physical performance goals. However, I can't express how grateful I am for not settling into life of mediocrity, and having managed to take control of my own health and well-being while still young.
Long story short; I found low-carb diets and started getting immediate results. My energy levels increased dramatically and a thought occurred: “If weight loss is this easy with the right method, what else could I achieve?” I started reading about nutrition, psychology, strength training, entrepreneurship, personal development, relationships… I consumed dozens of books, blogs, lectures, and seminars. In 2009 I launched this blog.
The topics I write about have varied, but in early 2011 I realized that there’s an underlying theme in all of them. I came to call it “Maximizing Human Performance.” What I strive to understand is how to optimize the entire human experience; all the different aspects that will make you a high performing individual.
I hope you enjoy the ride. I sure have :-)
//sami
2011-07-17