“The mental transformation means so much more than the physical.”
David’s doctor had described him as the ‘perfect disguise’ for most of his life.
Although he didn’t look terribly out of shape from the outside, on the inside David’s cholesterol was a concern, and his blood pressure was dangerously high – a condition which ran in his family.
Also suffering from depression, the 33-year-old knew he needed to pay more attention to his health, especially as a young father.
The turning point came when he struggled to chase his 18-month-old boy around the house without being out of breath. He realised it was no example to set.
Losing 16kg in just 12 weeks has helped David transform his health and become an inspirational father, while giving him the peace of mind that he can live a long, healthy life with his son.
Why did you decide to start a personal training plan with Ultimate Performance?
I was not in good shape at all.
For most of my adult life, I was what my doctor called the ‘perfect disguise’. He said, “you’re slim from the outside looking in, but you’re carrying around a lot more weight than you should.
You’re not eating healthy and you’re not doing any strength training”. It was his way of telling me I needed to get into much better shape.
When I had my son, who’s now 18 months old, that was the first time in a long time that I realised I needed to get myself together.
It clicked when I was chasing after him around the house. After a couple of laps, I found myself getting winded. I said to myself I’ve got to do something different.
I’ve got to get in good shape and set a good example for him.
Secondly, I realised that I often don’t feel in control of my health, or committed to my responsibilities. So those things combined led me here to get my act together.
How concerned was your doctor about your health?
When I talked to my doctor about the state of my health, he told me that even though my BMI looked like it was in a good place, I was carrying about too much body fat.
He said this was bad for my heart and a number of other things. I had very high cholesterol and high blood pressure – which runs in the family.
So, I was already at high risk, and I was putting myself at an even greater risk because of the way I was eating and not doing any exercise.
My doctor told me “you need to try and get in better shape. If not, your problems will get worse.”
So for me, It wasn’t just about looking good – it was about getting healthy to ensure I could live longer and eliminate some of the health risks I was facing.
You mentioned that you struggled with depression when you first came to U.P. Has your training program impacted your depression and mental health?
When I started training at U.P., I was finally beginning to take my depression seriously and had regular conversations with my therapist.
I was taking medicine for my depression, which was pushing me in the right direction. One thing that my therapist told me was that there is a strong connection between mental and physical health.
So, if I wanted to take control, I’d have to take my physical fitness seriously. I can tell my demeanour and behaviour have changed dramatically in the past three months.
There’s no denying that the commitment and the results that I’ve seen here have done wonders for my mental health.
Physical workouts have become part of my life now.
How much of a motivation has your son been throughout your transformation?
When my son was born, it was a transformative experience for me because I immediately felt responsible for two things.
Firstly, being around for as long as I could for him to make sure that I was present as he grew up.
And secondly, I realised that from a very early age, he would model his behaviour on what he saw me and his mom do.
I wanted to make sure that I was setting the right example from an early age and become a dad who took his fitness and wellness seriously.
Even at 18 months, he’s already copying some of the things I do, so I want this to carry on.
I’m not going to be perfect, but I want to influence him as much as possible and make sure he’s healthy.
What kind of results have you seen from your training program, David?
Twelve weeks later, I’m honestly shocked at my results and how much my body and my mind have changed.
The numbers speak for themselves. I lost 16kg in 12 weeks and cut my body fat percentage almost in half.
For someone who has only set foot inside a gym maybe twice before now, it shocked me. It’s something that I’m extremely grateful for.
I’m glad that I decided to take the plunge and make the commitment, and I’m grateful for my trainer who has helped bring these results out of me.
I’ve had my blood pressure checked, which has decreased from the elevated levels it was previously. I’m sure that my cholesterol is in a much healthier place than it was when I started.
Plus, the nutrition and diet plans my trainer have shared with me over the last 12 weeks have been instrumental in not just helping me slim down and grow muscle, but also feel less sluggish after I eat.
When you look at your ‘before and after’ photos side-by-side, how would you compare yourself now to day 1?
It’s crazy looking at these photos from when I first started, because it’s obvious on a surface level that my body looks different now than it did when we took these photos 12 weeks ago.
There’s a lot of muscle growth and fat loss, and that’s immediately obvious, but what strikes me more is my facial expression.
When I put myself back in that mental place, I had such a lack of confidence. I wasn’t in control of my health and wasn’t happy with who I was.
To see how much I’ve changed over the last three months is incredible; I feel like a completely different person.
The physical transformation is what people see first, but for me personally, the mental and emotional transformation means so much more.
- We show you the best, we don't show you the worst.
- We show you people who follow the plans, not those who are all talk.
- We show you those who inspire even us with their commitment to their results.
- You cannot get results exactly like these. You are unique and that means you can only get your own best possible results.
- Your results are a function of time spent following the plan; your genetic response to the right exercise and diet program; how hard you train; how consistently you come to the gym; how disciplined you are with your diet; & your starting point.
- Oftentimes the lower your starting point (poor fitness, terrible body composition) the better your results.
- We cannot do the work for you and the results you see here are a testament to the work ethic of our clients.
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Our reputation is that we are the best trainers in the world for helping you to unlock your potential, & we can lead you to the door, give you the key, even turn the handle and push the door open, but we cannot walk through it for you.
In the end the result is down to you.
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