Miserable, anxious, unhealthy, and unproductive.
That was how 39-year-old Mark described himself.
He was tucking into £50 takeaways and drinking full bottles of wine with his wife almost every night.
It was a cycle which needed breaking. Quickly. But the real ‘wake-up call’ moment came when a serious health scare meant the whole left side of Mark’s face dropped.
He quickly acknowledged that his erratic lifestyle and poor fitness were largely to blame. He wasted no time at all contacting Ultimate Performance, ready to start his own personal training program.
A little under 30 weeks on, he’s not looked back since.
Mark has lost a remarkable 24kg and seen significant improvements to his cholesterol and blood pressure which had been on his mind for years.
Equally as important, he believes going through this transformation experience with his wife Sarah has “rescued” their marriage.
Find out why, and read more about Mark’s incredible weight loss, here.
What were the main reasons you decided to start your own U.P. personal training program? Why now?
Me and my wife needed to do something about our routine. We were stuck in a cycle of bad habits. That was one of the drivers.
But the main driver for me was health reasons. I had some issues with my cholesterol and blood pressure, which culminated in a pretty serious issue where the left side of my face dropped because the blood flow was restricted to the veins.
So, my main motivator was to get healthy and make sure I didn’t have to face any more serious health issues.
In the time you’ve been working with your trainer, just tell us what you’ve achieved and explain how much it’s changed your life.
In around 24 weeks, I’ve lost 30kg of weight and reduced my body fat percentage to around 8%.
I’ve also dropped my resting heart rate dramatically and reduced my blood pressure to a healthy level.
There have been huge, huge differences to my health markers. I’ve also dropped a couple of clothes sizes and my waist has shrunk – that’s meant I’ve needed to buy a whole new wardrobe.
I was an XL, whereas now I fit into small and medium clothes.
After going through this journey with your wife, do you believe getting in shape has strengthened your relationship?
100%. We were both stuck in a rut before U.P. We were miserable, depressed, anxious, unhealthy, and unproductive. We’d argue quite frequently. We were drinking a lot.
Since we started the transformation back in October, our lives look totally different. We’re a lot more productive and far more organised.
We go out all the time. We’re more active. We’re healthier and most importantly happier.
We don’t drink anymore and aren’t arguing anywhere near as much, so to a certain degree this experience has rescued our relationship.
As a business owner, do you think getting fit has improved your overall productivity at work?
Definitely. There’s been a massive difference.
I wasn’t handling stressful situations very well before. I would eat and drink around five or six o’clock to cope with it. As a result, I noticed I wasn’t as productive the following day.
However, since I’ve started prioritising my health, cutting out drinking, and eating healthier, I feel much more focused. I am much more productive in the office and able to handle stressful situations more effectively.
The business is performing better as a result, and my co-directors have noticed the changes. They feel less strain because I’m taking on more responsibility.
So, all in all, I am more productive, focused, and find it easier to resolve issues.
How good did it feel seeing your photoshoot pictures back afterwards?
Unbelievable. Around five weeks before me and my wife were a little bit stressed, wondering if we’d look our best in front of the camera.
Those five weeks were tough, but when the photoshoot day came around, I felt incredible. It was great to walk in the gym and have all the support from the trainers. Everyone was massively supportive.
I couldn’t believe it was me in those photos. I never thought it was possible to achieve results like this is such a short period of time.
Once you’d done your photoshoot, you went on holiday for a few weeks. Did you feel confident about yourself while you were away?
Our holidays in the past have been much different from what we experienced this time. Our normal holiday routine would be travel to the airport, head straight to the bar, start drinking, feel terrible on the plane, then carry on drinking throughout the day. The next day, we’d do the exact same and it felt like a bit of a waste.
The holiday we went on after our transformation was significantly different from any holiday we’ve ever had. It was a celebration of what we had achieved, and we both felt unbelievable going into it.
We stayed active while we were there and enjoyed it a lot more. I remember me and Sarah walking back to the hotel from a late dinner at around eleven o’clock, and we both said, “how good is this?” We were sober walking back to the hotel. It just felt great.
We woke up fresh every day, had gym sessions a few times while we were there. We went for a lot of walks and hikes and were able to see the country we were visiting.
It was just a much better-rounded holiday and we felt more relaxed.
Finally, what would you say to someone who’s considering starting their own U.P. training program?
I know from experience, when you are in a cycle of not being healthy, it’s difficult to snap out of and kickstart things. I know people will feel anxious about making a change. But I would urge people to do it.
Once you take that first step through the door, the rest of it is massively supportive. Everyone here is here to do the same thing. All the trainers are massively supportive. Everyone encourages you. No judgment from anybody. Even people that are training support each other.
We’ve had some good chats with some of the other people who are doing the same thing in the changing rooms and in and around the gym. It’s just a great place to be.
Cut the cycle, do something drastic. Get yourself into something like this. Listen to what you’re being told by your trainer. They’re the experts. This is what they study for – this is what they do every day. Follow the plan and you’ll see incredible results.
When your health is on the line, a data-led personal training program with U.P. could be one of the best investments you ever make. Get started today and see measurable improvements in just weeks.
- 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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