My ‘transformation’ really began for me when my daughter was born. At the time I was quite unhealthy and weighed just over 10 stone (being 6ft 1” this was ever so slightly underweight!). I never ate right, I never did any exercise and although I wanted to, I just couldn’t get the motivation to do it.
“Enough was enough, I wanted to get better and that was the turning point”
At this point I smoked heavily too, and the wakeup call was literally whenever I used to wake up and spend the first 10 minutes of the day coughing! I started talking to a couple of friends about it and decided enough was enough, I wanted to get better and that was the turning point.
I decided I needed something to work towards. I set myself a target weight, spoke to a couple of Personal Trainer friends who gave me some quick pointers on what to do and how I needed to eat. I started boxing and stopped smoking. At the same time I massively reduced the sugar in my diet and started to alter what I ate and when I ate my meals. I’m still to this day not 100% on the diet front but the junk food is gone!
I joined Simply Gym in Chesterfield alongside attending a local boxing gym. I began an initial training routine and switched this around every 3 months. The main thing I have taken away from everything so far is that it’s one thing to go and work out for an hour a day, it’s another thing to change your entire mindset. It’s the latter I’m still fighting with, and I will have days where I lapse on my diet and other days where I don’t quite put 100% in. The key thing however is that continual strive for improvement, to do better the next day, to lift more, to run that bit extra.
My gym routine changes often, I typically have a base set of workouts for various muscle groups and alter this often. It keeps me constantly challenging myself and pushing to do better and get my form right. I keep in touch with my cardio (although prefer outdoor running over treadmills) and studied the right supplements and nutrient timing to get the best from my workouts.
“Nothing is beyond your reach. Find your reason why, let that be your drive”
So far I have gained just under 3 stone (154lb to 192lb). I’ve since got myself an actual diet to work towards and stick to, and I’m aiming now to maintain this weight and build in some more definition. I’ll never be a big guy (nor do I want to be), but I can at least now be happy with the way I look!
I still box too, I’ve found something I enjoy and now that keeps me motivated!
To anyone in a similar situation, firstly you’ve got to want to change. Think of more than just appearance though, you’ll need a fair amount of drive and dedication to reach your goals but nothing is beyond your reach. Find your reason why, let that be your drive.
