For all of his adult life, David had been in a complicated relationship with health and fitness.
Periods of dieting and intense training followed by low mood and lack of motivation left David back at square one – or worse. With his 50th birthday approaching, he wanted to find a way off the rollercoaster.
“Life had got really tough and I was not doing well at all,” he said, “I was unfit physically and mentally, and my emotional health was having an impact on my work, my marriage, my home life. Something had to change.”
David knew he needed to tackle the root of his relationship with health and fitness, and that meant working on himself. He’d had Personal Trainers in the past, and done some intense 12-week diet and exercise programmes.
This time he wanted to find a coach who would help him with the mindset side of transforming his lifestyle.
“I didn’t want a quick fix, I needed a decent amount of time to retrain my brain and get my body into a new routine so I could learn a new set of habits,” He said. “Joe’s online coaching was time-efficient and flexible, with plenty of contact throughout the week.”
David signed up for a 6-month block of remote coaching, with weekly video call ongoing WhatsApp support, and a personalised nutrition, training, and lifestyle programme. Although he had a goal weight, his focus was more on developing healthy new habits that he could maintain.
Self-motivating mindset tips for faster fat loss
Like so many people, David knew how to exercise and what to eat. But something had always got in the way – and it was usually his mindset. We delved into his personal history of nutrition and workouts to get a deeper understanding of what needed to change. Together, we worked on Davids self-talk and limiting beliefs. Before long, David was able to reframe his thinking, and replace negative mantras with positive ones.
“Joe’s positive attitude changed my life,” he said. “His process changed the way I think about myself, which in turn changed my reactions, my choices, and ultimately my health. It’s not an exaggeration to say this was a transformation.”
David had a habit of being very hard on himself in all areas of life, and this sometimes meant he failed to recognise the incredible progress he was making.
“Joe kept reminding me that I’ve trained my brain to think in certain ways for nearly 50 years, so it would take time to unlearn those habits and rewrite things,” said David. “That was really powerful and it’s a mantra I still use whenever I feel like I should be doing more.”
Reframing negative self-talk for a healthier lifestyle
A core part of my healthy lifestyle coaching is helping people identify and then reframe the negative phrases they say to themselves. For David, this meant replacing “I can never change” or “it’s too late for me” with “this is the perfect time to change, I’ve got life experience, I know I can do it.”
The goal of coaching isn’t to be perfect or to avoid real-life stresses. It’s to learn how to deal with inevitable bumps in the road, and get back on track more quickly than you did before.
Throughout our coaching, David used tools like reframing negative self-talk to identify his mindset triggers, put a small pause in place, and make mindful choices around food and exercise.
“Joe’s coaching is life-changing because it tackles the root of your reactions and decisions, which impacts your food and exercise,” said David. “The result is losing weight and getting in shape. But the mindset stuff comes first, which is why it’s more powerful than yet another diet!”
David’s lightbulb moments for lasting change
David spent most of his life being hard on himself, believing that he needed to push harder and achieve more to deserve credit. By changing those deep-rooted beliefs and values, he’s been able to make more progress with his nutrition and exercise – and lose more weight – than ever.
“Joe always encouraged me to be easier on myself,” he said. “He constantly showed me that I was making progress, and didn’t need to make it harder. His positive attitude rubbed off – I’ve realised that I can lose weight, and it doesn’t need to be a negative process. I’ve learned so much about myself.”
Lost – 16kgs body fat and gained a powerful new mindset
By the end of our 6-month online coaching plan, David had gone from 94kgs to a strong and healthy 78kgs.
He’s gained muscle and lost body-fat, shaped up, and got rid of the unwanted belly fat.
But the most important difference is in how he feels – happier, more confident, more in control. David now has the practical tools and self-belief to keep going, but I’ll continue to be in his corner.
“I’d tried a lot of fitness coaches, and I’ve had therapy,” said David. “But I knew I needed to tackle mindset and health together. It’s the most important thing I’ve ever done. Give Joe a chance, I recommend him completely.”
If you would like help getting results like David please get in touch today and let’s see how I can help you.
Coach Joseph Webb.
NOTE: David is used as a pseudonym used to protect the identity of a client who wishes to remain anonymous but wanted to share their story to inspire others. With certain clients, confidentiality is paramount and as a company we want to respect all our clients right to privacy. If you have any questions regarding this story please e-mail me directly: [email protected].
