Jonathan felt more motivated than ever to lose weight after his friend pointed out he looked heavier.
He’d ignored the problem for years, but was now at a point where his clothes were skin-tight and he daren’t take off his shirt on holiday.
Jonathan placed the blame on 14-hour shifts sat behind his computer screen. He’d lost his work-life balance entirely and felt terrible in his own skin.
When his friend highlighted that he’d gained weight, it hit Jonathan like a ton of bricks. Within a matter of days he signed up with U.P., motivated to completely overhaul his lifestyle.
In 14 weeks, he’s shed the weight which was holding his confidence back so much. Jonathan is 11kg down and has finally settled into a healthy routine that he’s thrilled with at 41.
“I look a lot better. I play football, so a lot of my teammates have made positive comments and noticed the weight I’ve lost.
“I’m definitely a lot more productive during the day, having a routine really helped me structure my days better.”
Here, Jonathan speaks about how he’s overcome severe injuries to get in shape at 41, why working with U.P. has given him a great work-life balance, and the incredible commitment of his trainer.
What motivated you to start training with U.P?
My motivation was to get a better work-life balance. I’ve had that previously, but I just lost my way with different jobs and injuries. I wanted to return to my old ways and boost my confidence, but I felt like I had such a long way to go to where I wanted to be. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own.
I’d done the 12-week body plan some years back with a friend of mine, so got into decent shape, But the subsequent years after that, I had hip surgery and my activity levels slowly went down. At the same time, the demands of my job were increasing and I was spending 12 to 14 hours a day behind my screen.
I then started a new job and had a little bit more time to myself, so I decided to change things in my life. I didn’t have the motivation to do anything before U.P. It was actually a friend of mine who mentioned that I’d looked like I had put on weight. I think that was the trigger to make the call. I signed up and started my first session within two or three days after that.
How was your weight making you feel, and was it affecting your confidence?
I don’t think I was aware of how much weight I’d gained and how much my body had changed. I knew something wasn’t right because my clothes didn’t fit and I felt sluggish. I told myself it wasn’t as bad as it was – it took a comment from someone else to make me realise how overweight I was.
That really hit home. It got to a point on holiday where I was embarrassed to take my shirt off for the first time ever. I’d never felt like that before, so it was a bit of reality check and I didn’t feel good about myself at all.
What was your lifestyle like before you partnered with your U.P. trainer?
I tore the labrum in my hip, which took a long time to diagnose. I had a lot of issues before that, which reduced my activity levels. When my labrum tear was diagnosed, I had surgery, which meant 12 weeks on crutches and a year of rehab. I built up a little bit of strength doing basic exercises, then COVID hit, so my momentum came to an end.
My diet also wasn’t great before I came to U.P. I’d cook fresh meals and use meat and vegetables, but I would often miss lunch and dinner just because of my workload. If I got hungry, I’d grab a quick snack like a sandwich or a sugary treat, for example.
Now you’ve completely transformed your body, how do you feel about yourself mentally and physically?
I’m still learning to improve my confidence, but I look a lot better. I play football, so I’ve had a lot of positive comments and people noticing the weight I’ve lost. I’m definitely a lot more productive during the day, having a routine really helped me structure my days better and find time to do the exercise that I needed to do. Just being outside and getting walks in made me feel far more confident in myself and a lot more comfortable in my skin.
How impressed were you with the support of your trainer during your transformation?
I was really impressed with the progress in the gym. I started off pretty shaky lifting low weights, but I progressed really quickly under my trainer’s guidance. He made sure my technique was spot on and explained the reasons why we were doing every movement. Moving up the weights, you feel yourself getting stronger which gave me a lot of confidence. It felt like my trainer wanted the result more than me at times. He genuinely seemed very invested in the goals that we’d set. He was there pushing me all the time. The whole U.P. team generally seemed interested in my progress.
- 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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