I am not the best at writing about myself, but I have been kindly asked by Maxine to write a special Father’s Day blog so here goes.
So being a Dad is enjoyable, challenging, interesting and most of all rewarding. I was unsure what to expect when I found out that I was going to be a Dad, but I knew it was going to a great journey. I did however have a couple of concerns about the future.
There is always the ongoing concern that I am not doing things quite right, like putting the nappy on the right way round!
It was important to me to stay fit and healthy so that I can run around and play sport with my children, I am finding you need a lot of energy just to keep up with Henry!
It’s not been easy to try and fit everything into the schedule; I’m a dad, husband, self employed, and trying to stay fit for life and rugby (my other love).
So while out on a family dog walk into Lindfield, obviously to go and feed the ducks, a well sign written Vauxhall drove past ( the PT wagon). I remembered seeing it before, but this time thought I would get in contact with the driver to see what I could do about my fitness. I had done boot camps before and been a member of a local gym, but daddy duties had got in the way, along with work and the fact that during the rugby season I am out of the house most Thursday evenings and sometimes up to 12 hours on a Saturday. So the thought of being away more evenings was not going well with my wife Yudi.
After finding Potential Personal Training on Facebook I contacted Maxine, and so my adventure in fitness started.
As a client I found it a refreshing setup, Maxine and Sophia being relaxed and approachable. The sessions where challenging and exactly what I was looking for, I signed up for the 21 day challenge. I did not really mind the fact that both the trainers and most of the other clients where female, if anything it was nice. Most of the other places I had been were full of what I like to call ‘Peacocks’, strutting around showing off how much they can lift or how big there arms had got since last time. Most of which may not have been all down to the workout, if you know what I mean.
During the 21 days I started to really enjoy the workouts and felt that this was something I wanted to continue doing, it was also helping me at home, being more energetic with Henry. Everything was starting to feel a little easier as I was getting fitter, Henry was also growing which meant I could keep up. Plus I have lost more than a stone in body weight!! I wasn’t as worn out after work which helped Yudi have some down time…I still think she could do with more!
As I finished my 21 day challenge I felt that I wanted to become a trainer so I could help others achieve what I had, plus I am rubbish in offices. After speaking to Maxine about joining the team, she explained what I would have to do and what would be expected of me. I signed up on the relevant training courses and started shadowing the bootcamps. I was introduced to some of the regular clients, again nearly all women. To me this was not a bad thing, plus most of them where fitter and stronger than me (boxing was an eye opener, and on a couple of occasions close to making them black). The few men that where at bootcamps or small group sessions were also great to be around, as they were there to workout rather than flash muscles. These guys are a true representation of the Potential PT strapline ‘No Egos, Just Results’.
I have now started planning and running small group sessions in the studio, which is great fun. I have been a member of staff since the start of May, which has helped me see the non-training side of the team, the sheer effort that goes into every single person and what Emily gets up to behind the scenes, those girls are BUSY. It is a lot of fun spending time with the team and makes the hard work feel worth it. I am looking forward to doing more and staying fit so that I can be an active dad for Henry. Fingers crossed he plays rugby and one day we can play alongside each other when he is 18.
To celebrate Potential PT hiring it’s first ever male member of staff (I think I am pretty brave), and seeing as it’s Father’s Day, we are offering “One For The Lads”. There is so much focus on helping the ladies with their weight loss and fitness programs, which is awesome, but sometimes us boys get forgotten. We can struggle as much as the girls when it comes to our health, and even more so because there is less support available…Unless you want to build massive guns and strut around the gym flexing your pecks!!
We have devised a very special program, tailored specifically to the guys out there who like me, have let their health and fitness slip. Soon the pints of Lager, takeaways and nights on the sofa start to catch up on us, and the view from the side starts to resemble a woman that is 8 months pregnant! This MALE ONLY program will shred unwanted fat, build lean muscle and give you back your fitness, because trust me, nothing is more heartbreaking than being out-run by a 2 year old!!