Robert Surenbroek

My Story

My health journey begins as a young kid growing up in The Netherlands, active, healthy, and energetic. I loved all kinds of physical activity, starting early in youth playing water polo and did this for over two decades, at one of the top teams in the Netherlands. I was an avid runner and like all Dutch citizens cycling is inherently part of everyday life. Immediately following High School, I served in the Dutch military as an Army Ranger. This of course was an intense period of physical and mental training.

After my military service I enrolled and graduated from the Amsterdam Business School. However, my passion led me in a different direction, where I pursued a career in television. I became a successful cameraman working internationally for several decades. This was an incredibly demanding job, physically and mentally with lots of travel, long hours of filming daily and an erratic schedule due to the 24/7 news cycle.

Prior to this time, I’d always managed to keep a regular running and workout regime. And I thought of myself as being “fairly fit” still relying on the fitness level obtained from water polo training and military service years. Slowly but surely this lifestyle started to catch up with me.

Downward Spiral

I believed then it was just a question of burning the calories I consumed, the old paradigm of calories in/calories out theory (CICO). I began to develop seasonal allergies and later also had GERD (acid reflux) issues. Besides these ailments I also found my once lean and lanky 6’2” frame gaining weight, rather “chubby.” Let’s say I started to slowly develop the middle age spread, excess waist circumference, even though my exercise patterns were the same. I was regularly running, cycling, swimming, doing weight training and Pilates.

Also, at this time I had started to transition from full-time camera work to becoming a certified Pilates instructor. The 24/7 always on the move lifestyle of a cameraman was no longer working for me. I felt my overall health was paying a price by always being on the road and not having time to take care of myself. I transitioned into teaching Pilates and later owning a studio. My passion for teaching was re-invigorated again. As a youngster I taught swimming lessons for our swim team and club thus it felt like coming home. I expanded my teaching skills even more by becoming a certified snowboard instructor in Austria. Snowboarding is still a big passion of mine.

Something I started to notice as a Pilates’ instructor and studio owner was how many individuals were constantly struggling with weight. And like me, kept to a rigorous workout regime. I witnessed a plethora of clients regularly training some even daily and still not able to lose weight and or in many cases maintain it.

Aha Moment

This was my big “aha” moment of the calories in calories out theory doesn’t work. It got my brain cells moving and then I stumbled on an article in the New York Times by Gary Taubes called “What if it has all been a big fat lie?” In the article Taubes’ mentioned his book “Good Calories Bad Calories.” The article and subsequent book opened my eyes to so many issues that I was witnessing with my clients. It just made sense that, its’ not how much (read calories) or little you eat, but WHAT you eat matters. That the issues lie in our hormonal system function and not in an energy balance problem.

This is how I started on the Low-Carb/High Fat (LCHF) path, gradually I reduced my carbs especially grains and the first thing to heal was my GERD. My journey started in 2007 so awhile back and there was not nearly as much information available as now. Therefore, it was a lot of trial and error along with my wife (Krisna). We did a lot of experimenting in our house to find the LCHF path best suited to our needs and age. Over the years I’ve gained a lot more knowledge and, in the process even got rid of my seasonal allergies.

This led me to becoming a Primal Health Coach I wanted to share the knowledge I gained over the years to help people becoming a better version of themselves. I’ve found the Primal Health method was the closest to my own personal health journey, experience is everything. Diet certainly is not the only component for vibrant living; exercise, mindset, managing stress and sleep are just a few of the vital elements. Figuring out the right mix of the puzzle pieces is where a health coach comes in to play. I’m ready to support you on your health journey.