MEET DR. BILL

Dr. Bill at a glance: Fun-loving, quick-witted, quirky, passionate, surfing exercise physiologist, health writer, presenter, consultant, salsa dancer, world traveling polyglot, artful dodger of angry African elephants and Mozambican land mines, impromptu observer of life, solver of long-division in his head, seldom solver of sudoku puzzles, infrequent referrer to self in the third-person,  misplacer of car keys in the morning, savant of international time zones, currency and metric to imperial conversions, life-long lover of alliteration, and part-time Gemini.

Paper collection: Far too many years spent toiling in academia, but with the following results:

• Ph.D Exercise and Sport Science (diabetes/obesity research)

• Accredited Exercise Physiologist/Member of Exercise and Sport Science Australia

• MSc Exercise Physiology (with cardiology emphasis)

• BSc Nutrition

Purpose in life: I have three key criteria which guide everything I do in life.

• Passion

• Creativity

• Fun

In short, I choose to focus on exciting challenges which serve my personal passion of helping people, have a creative element which keeps me excited and enthusiastic, and are just good old-fashioned fun.  For example, my hands-on work over the past 20 years has directly improved the lives of  my cardiac rehab patients, diabetes research study participants, and personal training clients.  My articles for Weight Watchers and other major magazines have reached millions of health-conscious readers around the world in multiple languages.  And my presentations have had a favorable impact on the health/fitness and medical fields across five continents.  The common denominator in all this? Passion, creativity, and fun!  Anything less would be…. a job?

Keep it real: Aside from a collection of university degrees, I’ve always felt it important to stay down to earth and just keep it real.  It’s my inner “pracademic” (practical academic).  I’ve seen far too many snooty knobs with credentials strutting about with their holier than thou egos but, at the end of the day, it’s laughable and doesn’t really make this world a better place.  Sure, I can talk shop with biochemists and heart surgeons when the situation calls for it, but I also think it’s important to translate complicated science into every day terms from which most people can benefit.  So next time we’re having a beer, ask me for my Reader’s Digest version of GLUT4 transporters or the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase enzyme in the insulin signaling cascade.

Health Watchdog: I  have a strong interest in speaking out against health misinformation, particularly in the area of over-promised quick-fix exercise gimmicks, gadgets, and nutrition supplements.  Everyone is entitled to make a buck in this world, but if the turd you’re selling is wrapped up in deceptive half-truths, then you can expect a veritable Charlie Sheen-style torpedo of truth exposé coming your way!