YOLO Fitness is 2

I had a dream!

7 years ago, at Christmas dinner my lovely mum told me I was heading the same way as my uncle - quadruple bypass by the age of 48 and dead at 52! I suppose, we all need triggers in life to do something about it. Getting back in shape usually occurs following major personal events in our life:

  • Marriage,  Break ups
  • Death of a close one
  • Health scare

Fortunately, I was just an overweight (obese according to the scales and like something out of the Sopranos to my wife), on an eat-all diet, 2 or 3 glasses of wine a night (OK, that’s a bottle), decent smoker, London commuter, and Sales Director of a media business entertaining clients twice a week. What could possibly go wrong!?

A couple of months after the Mum incident, I woke up one morning and went running or rather walking with a bit of jogging. The next month I bought a road bike, the following month I signed up to my first race the GRIM Challenge. 6 months on, I had lost 3 stones and was becoming aware of what I was eating, drinking…

A year later… I was doing my first marathon, the Medoc Marathon, a tour around the Burgundy vineyards with a chance to taste a wine at each station (17 in total). You could do a lot worse for your first marathon.

2 years later… I was training for my first ironman 70.3 UK (half-Ironman)

3 years later… I was doing Ironman UK

4 years later… Training 10 hours a week gives you a certain perspective. What was I doing in London?

What I didn’t mention is that I knew how to do it! Growing up, I was swimming, skiing, playing tennis at county level and a tennis coach!

I left it all behind for a successful career but the hamster wheel wasn’t fun anymore… The work life balance was all wrong!

That lightbulb moment was YOLO (You Only Live Once). Becoming a personal trainer that would try and inspire people to invest in themselves - not the obsessed person pumping in front of the mirror who only talks about clean eating, but the one you can have a glass of wine and still train for a crazy event.  Your body is the most precious thing you will ever truly own and you cannot swap or sell it but you can look after it and fix it!

Fast forward to now and YOLO is 2 years old, I am a Level 4 Master Personal Trainer the highest possible level in the UK and back pain specialist, a sport conditioning coach and nutrition adviser. Enough about me! Your stories are the best:

  • I coach Chris, a mountain bike racer, in his 3 races this year, he finished 3rd, 4th and 5th, a great achievement and dedication.
  • Alice, 24 months in, has gone from no fitness to doing three 10K races, two 10 mile races, a half marathon and a full Tough Mudder and yes she can also deadlift her own weight.
  • Jenny lost a stone in 10 weeks and a whopping 8% bodyfat. She has never looked better despite losing weight in the past through dieting and even trying Lean in 15.
  • Clare wanted to be fitter and run. In 12 months, she ran a 2h03 half marathon - she doesn’t like mud but that didn’t stop her doing Judgement Day.
  • Jason completed his first half marathon in 1h52.
  • The Boomerang Media team of 18 did the national 3 peaks challenge after 4 months training!
  • John was told he had the body of a 35 year old, he was only 21, he is now 3 stones lighter and still loves partying.

Everyone has a different story but they all have embraced fitness into their lifestyle and saw real benefits. They also feel good about themselves.

If like 85% of gym members, you never go to the gym, book yourself for a free session with an independent personal trainer like me and see for yourself!