Last week I did a podcast with my client Aidan on his weight loss journey . Hopefully a lot of you can relate to where he was and the things that he’s achieved, just to see what’s actually possible with small steps, consistency and patience. Aidan took an extra step and hired me to get his knowledge up to par too.
What made Aidan consider coaching?
Aidan felt like he was constantly telling himself “I’ll do it next month or the month after when this project at work is kind of finished”. His career really started to take off and although it was great seeing that going in one direction he also wanted the lifestyle to go with. He wanted his health and wellbeing to go in that upward trajectory as well. He didn’t want to fall into the trap of having a good career and then get home and sitting on the couch and eating whatever was there because he was tired after a long work day.
He was also living in the Netherlands at the time doing his Masters degree. Studying long hours made it easy to hop on the phone and order pizza. Eventually those short-term decisions started to add up, not just financially, but also from a weight perspective where he felt uncomfortable in himself. He got fed up of the feeling of guilt he got from short-term decisions he knew weren’t helping him be healthier and happier.
We’re all creatures of comfort. Aidan decided it was time to apply that growth mindset that he had for his career to himself.
First time working with an Online Personal Trainer?
It can be hard to cut through all the noise of the fitness industry online, especially on Instagram. Funnily enough that’s where Aidan found my profile and resonated with my coaching style. Aidan grew up on a farm and was always active with football until about 18 or 19. Once he went to college he wasn’t playing football or farming anymore. His normal exercise and physical activity dropped off a cliff edge bar, walking to and from college.
He became unhappy in himself when he’d look in the mirror which he wasn’t used to. It was then he decided to take his first step with me and my online personal training. We ended up working together for a year to get the best results for him.
Why didn’t he just train himself ?
In our podcast Aidan says that he had 2 main reasons why he hired an personal trainer over going it alone. His first biggest concern was that he would end up hurting himself by doing movements completely wrong. His second was that he could spend two to three months doing things completely wrong for his goal and it’d be a waste. He was fearing that would put him off the gym and training. This is what can happen to a lot of people. They go into the gym and they’re not necessarily seeing any results at all and it’s not for the want of trying!
It can be purely down to the fact that they don’t know how to set up their nutrition and training correctly so they don’t exhaust themselves and give up. It can be a never ending cycle of starting and stopping when you take that approach.
What have been the biggest changes in Aidan’s life?
Aidan’s lifestyle choices and decision making has changed to impact his life for the better. After about three months of consistency he noticed it was easier to make the better choices. Things like the internal battle when you pick up the chocolate bar versus picking up piece of fruit. Now subconsciously when he’s shopping he’s picking up the healthier options without having to think about it. He makes and effort to get out for the walks too.
Another huge impact coaching has had on his life is the enjoyment he gets from working out. He mentioned that a year ago he would never have believed he would be enjoying working out four or five times a week. He sometimes works out before work and it fills him with energy. He also mentions that he feels more productive in every other aspect of his life when he works out.
What’s the #1 tip to successful weight loss?
“Discipline, discipline will take you places that motivation simply can’t” Aidan says when I asked him this. Relying on motivation wouldn’t have helped him lose 10 kilos . If you keep your discipline consistently over a period of time, then you will win regardless of what winning looks like for you. Whether it’s putting on muscle, losing fat, managing to form that new habit of getting up earlier, eating healthy, or losing weight discipline will help.
How does he feel after losing 10kg?
Throughout our coaching and the podcast Aidan chatted about the physiological changes he has had. Having more energy, sleeping better and being less anxious, more productive and a hundred percent more confidence. He feels completely different in terms of lifestyle decisions and all those various pieces.
He mentions to listeners “If anyone else is listening, you can too, even if you are not approaching with the same amount of confidence. But once you take that initial first step, I promise you that if you get a bit of guidance from a coach or whoever, just someone to kind of show you the path, essentially, you’ll get to where you wanna go and your mindset will grow massively.”
Advice for starting your fitness journey
Aidan says that he has zero regrets and taking the first step of finding someone who’s 1 step ahead of you or a coach who can help you is the way to go. It’s like with a new job where you’re thrown in the deep end , you wouldn’t just think I’m just going to go in here and attempt it with no help at all. You go and ask for help or some mentorship or guidance. As a coach I see that people can be afraid or nearly embarrassed almost to ask for guidance but everyone needs help in different areas.
Conclusion
Aidan is one in a long list of clients I’ve worked with to get them feeling more confident and healthier. It’s my passion to make health and fitness accessible to everyone no matter what their starting point is. You can listen to out full client interview on episode 69 of The Eanna McNamara Podcast.
