Steve’s a member at Kimberley Leisure Centre, read his inspiring journey back to fitness.
His journey
I started going to the gym at Kimberley Leisure Centre last August after finally becoming fed up with feeling overweight, unfit and generally unhealthy. I was often out of breath from performing even basic day-to-day tasks. I had many aches and pains and wasn’t enjoying my life at all. My self-esteem and confidence were suffering massively as well.
I’d only been in a gym a couple of times previously and hadn’t enjoyed the experience. It took an additional nudge from a friend to get me to do the free 3-day gym trial. I’m so glad I did and with the benefit of hindsight it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.
My fitness consultation
My consultation with a Fitness Advisor was really straightforward and not remotely daunting. It was just a great opportunity to discuss my goals and fitness aspirations. I was given a personal training plan with exercises to help me achieve my goals. This gives you something to work with or you’re free to experiment and find what works best for you. My personal preference is treadmill running and weight machines, but I also do some free weights and have used the cable resistance machines. There are plenty of classes on the timetable you can attend too if you wish.
Tracking my progress with Mywellness
At first, I found it hard going but quickly began to see results. Being able to track my progress on the Mywellness phone app helped keep me motivated and focused.
(Mywellness lets you track all your training both in and outside of the gym. You can link other apps such as Strava, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, Garmin and Apple Health to keep everything in one place. It also keeps track all your body measurements using the Tanita body analysis. Read more here.)
The gym staff are on hand to offer friendly advice if required but I usually just get on with it. I focus on what I’m doing and don’t really notice what other people are doing.
I also began to track my calorie intake and gained an appreciation of just how poor my diet had previously been. I still like pizzas, burgers and chips but now have a far better understanding of the negative effect on my health. I now eat more healthily to consolidate my progress.
Fast forward 10 months
Following a lot of running, lifting and the odd blister, I’ve managed to drop over 4 stone in body weight. My body fat has more than halved to within the healthy range and my metabolic age has reduced by 18 years to below my actual age! I find it slightly bizarre that I can now train like an athlete, but my body has quickly adapted to my new regime. I feel healthier and stronger than I have at any time in my adult life.
Here’s my chart showing my reduction in my body fat
Here’s my weight loss
It hasn’t been easy but has definitely proved worthwhile. I didn’t want to be at a point in the future where I regretted not taking the opportunity to do something about it. Looking back, the key was taking the first step.
Steve, a gym member at Kimberley Leisure Centre
If you’re interested in improving your health and fitness please get in touch with the fitness team at Kimberly Leisure Centre and see how they could help you.
0115 9173366
kimberley@lleisure.co.uk
