By: Chris Gates
This is my client, Jim. And you should know his story.
Because Jim is one of the busiest people I know, but he’s still managed to make amazing progress and experience a dramatic transformation with his health and fitness.
Jim and I started working together in 2022, and he’s managed to unlock some unbelievable results, specifically in the past 12 months.
All told, Jim’s lost nearly 40 pounds. And most importantly, he’s seen a dramatic shift in his healthy lifestyle habits.
“My mindset going into this whole thing was: I need accountability,” Jim said. “And I need a structure to get back on track.”
The covid-19 pandemic really complicated things for Jim. The lockdowns and dramatic change in lifestyle that occurred for virtually everybody during that time led to weight gain.
Once those restrictions were lifted and life started to get back to normal, he tried managing his health and fitness on his own, but nothing seemed to stick. Consistency was a struggle.
So we started working together, and collaborated on a program that would fit his busy lifestyle.
Jim travels a ton for his job, so we made sure to accommodate his changing lifestyle on a weekly basis.
With a program in place, he went to work.
“What I really like about the coaching process is it’s a two-way street. It’s not just Chris saying, ‘here’s what you need to do,'” he said. “Chris asks questions, figures out where I’m at, and then comes up with a game plan to figure out how to deal with different situations.
“That’s the biggest thing for me — preparation. Stuff comes up all the time. I travel a ton. It’s easy to get sidetracked and distracted from your ultimate goals. But we’ve done a really good job of preparing for everything that’s going on in my life and coming up with a game plan to attack that.”
On top of regular at-home strength training, rowing (which is his personal favorite form of cardio), and being in a calorie deficit to lose body fat, Jim took it upon himself to ensure he made progress.
Jim built his own habit tracker to reward himself for being consistent. And he also learned how to set up his own intermittent fasting routine that aligned well with his day-to-day, as well as his nutritional goals.
The rest is history.
Jim’s weight has dropped relatively consistently, and he’s seen huge improvements in his overall health and wellness.
“It’s cool to look back and see I’m doing things now that wasn’t the same a year ago today,” he said. “That’s what I look back at and enjoy the most. Clothes fitting better, being able to bump down in sizes, and seeing people who I haven’t seen in a while — and they’re able to notice. “
“I’m enjoying just feeling better about myself. It just feels better whenever you’re healthier, and you’re fitting into your clothes. Maybe you fit into a shirt you haven’t been able to wear in a couple of years. That’s the stuff — little steps along the way — that keep your positivity going.”
Jim plans on making more progress as we head into 2024, and there’s absolutely no doubt he can continue his transformation.
With habits like his, and the commitment to his health and fitness goals, the sky is the limit!
“It feels good whenever you see somebody who you haven’t seen in a few months — or the first time in a year or so — and the first words out of their mouth are, ‘Oh my God, Jim, you look great!'”
“Definitely a lot of progress that we’ve made with our time together. It feels good.”