Former Monroe man to compete in Ninja Warrior contest - Empty Nest by Curt Swarm

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Eric Robbins, in his late 40's and 100 pounds over weight, sat in the doctor's office.  He had gone there to have a freckle on his back checked.  The doctor walked in and said, “Mr. Robbins, I have to ask you to hand over your car keys.  By law, your blood pressure is so high I can't let you leave unless it's in an ambulance.”

Eric's life flashed before his eyes.  His grandfather had died of a stroke in his sixties.  It was the wake-up call Eric needed.  He called a friend who had lost a lot of weight and was a health coach.  The friend, Lee, helped him get on the same program.

            Eric lost 20 pounds right away and people were starting to notice.  He was hearing comments like, “Even your skin looks better.”  A friend called him and said she was overweight and wanted to try the same program as Eric.  Eric called Lee and said, “Hey, I have another candidate for you.”  Lee said, “No, no, no.  Your friend doesn't need me.  She needs you.”

            Thus started Eric's business, Health ReLaunch LLC.  All he wants to do is inspire people.  He has helped over 2,000 people do the same thing he did: lose 100 pounds and lower his BP by 70 points.  Eric keeps the bottle of BP medication on his desk and rattles the pills around as a reminder.  He hates prescription medication. 

            Then he got a wild hair—he was nearly a half century old and in the best shape of his life—why not try out for American Ninja Warrior?  Eric had reached his goal of 1,000 push-ups in a day (he actually did 1007), in sets of 70's, 60's, 50's, and 40's.  (He started with 10.)  Eric put together a video of one of his workouts.  His wife, Cherie, did the filming and it included one of his four children.  He sent the video and application off to American Ninja Warrior and more-or-less forgot about it.  After all, approximately 7,500 people apply annually.

            One day Eric's phone rang.  He looked down at the Caller ID.  It said, “NBC Studios-California.”  Eric's jaw dropped.  They were intrigued by his story of being nearly 50, having lost 100 pounds, and was now a health coach.  Eric will be leaving in March for the quarter finals of American Ninja Warrior in San Antonio.  If he makes it to the finals, and he intends to—you better believe it!—he will be in Las Vegas.  The show will air in late May.  Be watching.  Will former Monroe boy, Eric Robbins, be an American Ninja Warrior?

            Eric was athletic in high school.  He ran track, did a little wrestling, and played football.  He was going to pursue a track scholarship in college but a major event changed his life.  He was involved, at the age of 16, in a head-on collision.  He changed course and went off to Minnesota and became a youth pastor.  On the first day of class, he met his beautiful wife-to-be on her first day of class.  Eric went on to earn a MBA in Social Enterprise.    

            They went to Illinois for a youth pastorate and had their first child.  Eric and his family moved to Seattle where he was involved in sales and marketing for several companies.  Then they moved to Montana where Eric had his health crisis. 

            All he wants to do now is reach people just like him and help them along the same path.  The program he teaches is a relational coaching model based on science and nutrition.  It's different than the anti-carb, fad diets—he tried them all.  Relationships with food, triggers and habits have to be changed, one micro-habit at a time. 

            Visit Eric's website at HealthReLaunch.com or Eric Robbins on Facebook.  Be watching American Ninja Warrior, for former Monroe-and-PCM boy, Eric Robbins, as he hopes to inspire other middle-aged and overweight guys get their health back. 

            BTW, to keep up his training while traveling, Eric has been known to do pull-ups from luggage racks on commuter trains.

author, columnist, Curt Swarm, editorial, Empty Nest, Monroe, Mt. Pleasant, opinion, Sunday

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