Below are 2 pictures of the same person, me.
As the founder of Chigwell Personal Training, I have my own fitness journey to tell.
The picture on the left hand side is the start of when I was gaining weight. Am I right by saying, the question in your mind is "where are the pictures of you at your worst?"
Well, pretty much all of them were destroyed.
Not by a tragic flood or fire, but by me. Yes I regret doing it now, at the time however it made me feel better to avoid the reality of what I had become.
Have you ever had a picture taken of you at your worst, then when you look at it, makes you feel pretty awful? Well I know how it feels.
Those pictures are like an awakening. A real slap back to reality, where it can feel almost like a taunt. You can shrug off a negative comment about your weight or fitness. However, when your faced with cold, hard evidence that shows you what you have allowed to happen, it can't be shaken off that easily.
These pictures represent a man with two choices:
1. A choice that leads to fat and unhealthy.
The guy on the left hand side would sit and watch TV with a 2 litre bottle of coke, a pack of chocolate digestives and set mini competitions about how much he could eat and drink before the next advert.
2. A choice that leads to fit and healthy.
The guy on the right whom cleaned up his eating and drinking and channelled his energy into exercise and sport.
We are all faced with the same choices.
I spent 10 years learning about fitness and exercise. Staying in the gym until 11pm on a Friday night doing cardio and ab sessions.
In those 10 years I found how to refine every method, exercise and eating habit, so now when I teach my clients at Chigwell Personal Training they can achieve greater success in a fraction of the time. They have already made their decision to move forward and achieve their goals, so now I can sit here like a proud father as I see them constantly striving and pushing themselves beyond their limits.
One day, if not already, there will be a moment when you also get a slap from reality. It may be a picture. It may be a breathless climb up some stairs. Or it may even be a glance at your reflection. Whenever it happens, and you decide that you want to take control of your life, have the confidence to know, I am here and I have been where you are.
"You can avoid reality, but you can not avoid the consequences of avoiding reality"
Thomas Bisson, Founder of Chigwell Personal Training