And celebrating seven years of serving Northwest Arkansas!
Have you ever had one of those thoughts in your head that won’t go away, but finally hits you like a Mack truck one day? You know the kind of reminder that has been in the back of your mind for years, but you try every way you can to avoid facing the inevitable truth. Well, that happened to me in the fall of 2010. I was 53 years old and had been previously diagnosed with all kinds of diseases and ailments that were a direct result of not taking care of my health. I weighed well over 350 pounds (I had weighed as much as 390), which was a direct result of bad eating habits and no exercise. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type II diabetes, sleep apnea, and poor circulation. My knees ached constantly; I was taking nine prescription medications per day and was giving myself 3 injections of insulin daily as well. My doctors told me repeatedly that it wasn’t a matter of “if” I was going to have a heart attack, but “when”.
While visiting the nursing home one night to visit my father-in-law, I met a very nice lady resident who recently had both of her legs removed due to diabetes. As I talked to her, I realized she was my age! In a few short years, that could be me- or worse! That was definitely an epiphany for me, and I decided to do something about it this time! Through a Doctor’s help, and even more help from God, I lost a lot of weight by eating slower, eating less, and mostly by eating the right foods! As I learned more about what some of these foods are doing to all our bodies, I began my lifelong search for learning and improving my health.
Fast forward to the fall of 2012. Instead of weighing 350-390 pounds, I now weighed 210-215 pounds. I was free of all medications, including no more insulin shots! All my previous diseases, including diabetes, were gone! I had turned my health around in that 2-year period simply by changing my lifestyle of what I eat and how I exercise.
My journey for better health continued, and I soon realized that getting healthier myself wasn’t enough for me. I was driven to help other people learn how they can turn their health issues around as well. I had written articles in Facebook for over a year but needed to reach more people. The vehicles God convicted me to use was as a Certified Health Coach, which eventually led me to the need for a “healthy snack store”. I had no idea what that looked like, but God also helped me figure out to reach out to Emily Amadon, a friend of our daughter. She’s very bright, and a tremendous person as well. I knew she was the one we needed to make this concept work- whatever that ended up looking like.
Emily agreed to be my business partner in this journey into something that had not really been done before, and certainly neither of us knew how to do! In the next several months (over a year, really) that ensued, those principles led to the creation of Snack Lab- a store/restaurant that features grab-n-go meals and nutritious snacks.
Snack Lab is about more than selling you whole natural foods- in the long run, it is about helping you learn how to treat all parts of your health- your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being- the way they were intended by your Creator.
Snack Lab’s long term vision is simple- to change lives by inspiring our guests to lead a balanced healthy life, and provide those opportunities to learn, grow and live life to its fullest each day. That is not just a motto- it’s a way of life for all of us at Snack Lab.
Snack Lab came about eventually because of desperation to improve my health, but it was really born because of Emily’s and my passion for making a difference in the lives of those around us. You CAN live a balanced healthy life, improve your overall health, and make a difference in other’s lives. I challenge you to start today!
Emily and I are grateful for all the wonderful people who have made Snack Lab possible for the last 7 years- our family, our staff and of course our guests. Along the way, I believe we have accomplished our goal of changing lives in Northwest Arkansas- one person at a time!
Bobby Bland Emily Amadon
Take a peek at photos from our early days!
It was such a surreal feeling to see the store you dreamed up on paper and in your head begin to take shape! (November 2016)
When the inside starts to come together, things get really real! (April 2017)
Our first team dinner at The Berry Farm in Centerton (June 2018)