52-year-old Reverses Chronic Health Conditions Using Zygo
How Jim Miller lost more than 50 lbs and got in the ‘best shape of his life’ thanks to Zygo
On the cusp of turning 50, Jim Miller, an engineer from Austin, Texas went to his doctor with several different health complaints. With high blood pressure and a recurring loss of feeling in his arms and toes, his doctor pinpointed the cause of his symptoms to one single thing: his weight.
At 254 lbs, Jim was overweight and the prescription for all his ailments was simple: better diet and regular exercise.
But for Jim, exercise had always been a challenge. “I’ve always had bad feet,” he said. “I broke my foot as a kid when I fell off a horse and it never healed properly. I’ve struggled with foot pain my whole life.”
Determined to get healthier, Jim decided to try walking and eventually made his way up from four to seven miles a day. But as his walks increased in length, his foot pain began to get worse, ultimately ending up with plantar fasciitis, a condition that causes excruciating pain on the bottom of the heel. It side-lined him and he was back to square one.
Getting in the Pool
“I was really in a bad way,” he said. “I needed a new form of exercise – one that wouldn’t hurt my feet – so I decided to try swimming,” he said. “I went to the Sendaro Springs Pool in Brushy Creek and just started swimming laps. It was so incredibly boring. I really couldn’t stand it! I started thinking to myself that for every other type of exercise, you get to have music on to motivate you. Something had to exist like that for swimming.”
Jim tried different types of underwater headphones but was always left disappointed. Despite lofty claims, most products fell short of his expectations. “The first ones I found were through a sponsored ad on Facebook. When I tried them, they weren’t waterproof at all! They were terrible. The next ones I bought were a bit better but the app it came with required you to download music and add it to the device. No one has MP3s anymore! We all use Spotify! At this point, I was swimming up to 80 laps of the pool at a time and I just ended up listening to the same songs over and over! It wasn’t working.”
The Turning Point
After several failed attempts, Jim discovered Zygo, an innovative set of headphones that can stream music, podcasts and audiobooks underwater.
“Zygo was the solution I was looking for,” he said. “With Zygo, I just zone out. I’m not thinking about counting laps. I’m just listening to music or audiobooks. The quality of the product is just phenomenal. They fit perfectly. The case is beautiful. I just love them.”
Not only was Jim now enjoying swimming with the help of Zygo, but it also marked a turning point in his fitness. Coupled with a strict diet and nutrition plan as well as regular weightlifting in his home gym, Jim lost more than 50 pounds and all the health issues he was experiencing disappeared.
“Today, at 52, I’m in the best shape of my life,” he said. “I’m no longer taking medicine for my blood pressure and I’m not in pain anymore. My swimming times continue to go down and now I’m working on building muscle and maintaining my weight. This year alone I’ve swam more than 150 times.”
The Life-Changing Power of Swimming
Jim credits Zygo for his commitment and newfound love of swimming. Today, thanks to his healthy lifestyle, Jim has enough energy to do all the things he loves to do like hiking outdoors and traveling with his wife. He says the best part is that his feet no longer hurt.
“I really believe swimming helped my foot heal,” he says. “Swimming stretches everything out. Everything feels a bit looser. All the walking I was doing before just made the pain worse. With Zygo, half the time I don’t even want to get out of the pool when my workout is done. I’m usually listening to an audiobook and sometimes I swim longer than I intended just to hear what happens next in my book!”
And, with more than 200 books in Audible, Jim foresees many more happy hours in the pool.
“Whenever I come back from a swim, I feel great. I’m so lucky to live in a climate where I can swim year-round. Swimming gives me all the benefits of a full body workout without the intensity. With Zygo, the workout is genuinely enjoyable. That’s been the key for me. It’s not only something I can stick to, but it’s something I look forward to.”
