I started my nurse training in 1992, working as a nurse on 3 continents, with thousands of people who were critically ill or dying.
I started my nurse training as a fit young man with a desire to help others feel good. At the time I was a part-time fitness instructor, exercising 6 days a week. A total of 10-15 hours of full-out exercise a week. Within one year of NHS training I was drinking like a fish, smoking like a trooper and learning about how drugs can help with almost any health condition. It was an interesting start to my professional health career!
After fleeting stints with diets, yoga, meditation, gyms, strenuous exercise programmes, personal development courses and listening to health experts, I realised that I needed another way. For this I created my own guilt-free Active Energy System, which allowed me to get great health results by remembering to do a simple set of interventions with my thoughts as I walked. I have since been published in several magazines, including High Spirit, Money Maker, Candis, Real People, Choices, Chat and Choices Health.
I grew up in a Psychiatric Hospital, where my parents worked and lived.
My upbringing and approach to health issues is alternative. My curiosity into wellbeing was sparked at a very young age, when I witnessed the various health challenges of the residents of the hospital, many of whom wandered down to my family home, looking for cigarettes. Such experiences have cultivated my sense of humour, which I believe is an essential tool in wellbeing and that many issues arise from people taking life too seriously. Being surrounded by lunacy as a child was my preparation for the seemingly crazy world that we live in.
From working with thousands of people with health challenges I believe that there is a lunatic gene that can cause you temporary insanity. This usually manifests in a health challenge. It could start with drinking too much alcohol, smoking too much or eating poor food choices. It also causes people to enter or stay in relationships where they know they won’t be happy, put other people’s happiness before their own consistently or agree to things they simply don’t want to do. If left unaddressed this can often manifest in physical pain, depression, headaches, sleeplessness, hypertension, diabetes heart attacks and cancer (to name a few). The lunatic gene is very common!
I call myself The Heart Guy, Lunatic, Comedian.
The reason that I am The Heart Guy is that my background is health and I have worked for many years on a coronary care ward and have spent decades working with the psychology of heart disease. I have also helped numerous people with health and relationship issues, specialising in working with the dying and their families.
The reason that I am a lunatic is that I grew up in a psychiatric hospital, surrounded by people who were mentally ill. It is only fair to say that I have the lunatic gene. This gene is the reason that I sometimes sacrifice perfect health habits for a good night out with my friends or the occasional not so healthy indulgence! I never give anything up – only choose not to do them. According to TheFreeDictionary.com lunacy is “Great or wild foolishness.” Having been a health expert for so long I realise that people will judge the effectiveness of my teachings by what I do, rather than what I say. For this reason I have branded myself a lunatic so that you will question everything for yourself and use only what feels right to you. I have been known to drink alcohol, eat some not so healthy choices and even smoke occasionally. For this reason I encourage you to take only what works for you. I am wildly foolish when playing with my nephews and sometimes out in public when it comes to things like karaoke. I am that lunatic!
The reason that I am a comedian is because I would rather laugh about what doesn’t work than complain about it. Humour is the best medicine for wellbeing in my experience. My capacity to laugh in even some of the darkest situations enabled me to function during my most challenging days as a nurse. I am also starting to study stand-up comedy and will be developing this aspect of myself as time progresses.
My former careers as a waiter, chef, banker and fitness instructor are married with over 6 years of overseas travel, visiting more than 30 countries, in 6 different continents.
I have a keen sense of adventure has led me to witness riots, flash floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and parties with Witch Doctors. I have been lost in a jungle, faced local tribesmen running towards me with a machete and been pursued by potential robbers on a moped, armed with an AK-47. This has led me to believe that the human body is capable of exceptional feats when the prospect of death becomes a reality.
I have worked with hundreds of people at the end of their lives and believe that most people spend most of their lives playing it safe.
I make no judgements about anyone doing anything as I suspect that we all have the lunatic gene. At the height of my lunacy I was adventuring around the world to the some of the most dangerous places I could find to see them for myself. This has led to several potential brushes with death.
What I do know is the consistent regrets that I have heard by those at the end of their lives or who were about to die. These usually involve wishing that they had lived more passionate and adventurous lives, resolving family issues and putting their own needs first more, rather than lives spent attempting to please everyone else. Many had not had any fun for several years, sometimes decades before they died and regretted this. Consequently, I value fun very highly.
By accepting that I have the lunatic gene and highlighting this to the people that I work with, it is possible to live a happier, more meaningful life whilst you have the time to change it. I help people to avoid the numerous pitfalls that come when the Grim Reaper visits. My role is to have fun and help you to live a happier, more accepting life where you can do what you like, without any guilt, and balance your life with some slightly healthier interventions.
Who I can help.
If you have a dying relative and you don’t know how to cope or what the best thing to do is then get in touch with me via the contact form on this website and I’ll have a chat with you to see if I can help. I have done this hundreds of times and can work with families as they cope with dying friends or family members.
If you suspect that you may be at risk of cancer , a heart attack or any other serious health issue then I can offer you a heart health check which will show you what your risk factors are and give you a template of easy things you can do to increase your heart health easily, without giving anything up.
If you are looking to meet fun people, do fun things or just have more fun in your life then join my fun community on facebook and lets have a laugh together. I look forward to get to know you better.
Love,
Adam
The Heart Guy, Lunatic, Comedian
