I can hardly believe that it's been a year since I started this "Fitness Reboot" - it's been an incredible journey, so far! I've done things I never thought I'd do. Conquered fears and achieved goals I once only dreamed of. It's been an amazing adventure, and this is only the beginning!
It all started on Thursday 20 July 2023 - Day Zero - when I awoke with the realisation that I had to do things differently. I had to make some fundamental changes to my lifestyle. I had to reboot myself and learn a new way of life.
I had a random meeting with someone called Ken at a Jaguar car event I had organised earlier in the year. We discovered a lot of common ground and became good friends. It was during many long WhatsApp chats that his love for everything fitness related came to light and so on the 20th July, when I was looking for advice and support, there was only one person I was going to turn to. I had placed an order for some Huel products - meal replacement shakes - but he recommended Protein Works. So I placed a second order with them. It just happened that the Protein Works products arrived the very next day (Huel didn't turn up until 2 days later) and so at lunchtime on Friday 21 July 2023 my "Weight Loss Challenge" started.
Mark's 2023 Weight Loss Challenge
That's all it was intended to be, at the start, losing weight. A diet. But it wasn't long before Ken suggested that I should join a gym. I think he saw something in me that even I didn't realise was there. A determination to succeed. We talked about some of my long-held dreams, things I never thought were in my reach. He ignited the spark which transformed my mere diet into a "fitness reboot".
I wanted to wait a few weeks, lose a bit of weight, before joining the gym. After six weeks I had lost nearly 10kg (1½ stone) and so I took a deep breath and joined JD Gyms Thornton-Cleveleys. Assistant Manager Brandon showed me around and passed my details over to two personal trainers. I just had to wait for them to contact me.
