Eddie's journey started when he was halfway through his 3rd Great North Run. At the time, his training had been hit and miss, he was overindulging in food and had found himself feeling very uncomfortable in his skin. As he set off for that half marathon, his performance steadily declined.
As a keen runner, he felt disappointed in his slower than previous time - he knew that he needed to get his act together and improve.
After working with his Pioneer Performance Coach Finn, Eddie has reduced his body weight by 42lbs and rapidly improved his running times. He has also been able to develop skills around planning food, training & tracking progress to ensure he is keeping an overview of his progression.
What were your expectations & motivations behind starting Personal Training?
“I set off to do my 3rd Great North Run. My training had not been consistent that year, and my lifestyle/diet was not great. I started off the run great, but at miles 7-8 it just fell apart."
"Whilst I did finish the race, I brought on a lot of self-reflection during the race. It was at that point I realised I was too heavy, and I needed to make a lifestyle change."
"My motivation was beyond just simple weight loss, it was to make a long-term sustainable change to my lifestyle. In addition, I set a target of being able to run a half marathon in under 1 hour 50 minutes (5 mins off my PB)"
"Note – this year I surpassed my goal and ran a half marathon sub 1 hr 40 mins!”
What was your lifestyle and nutrition like before starting?
“Two words…not great! I have never been a big drinker, but I do enjoy a night out and with it comes bad associated behaviours the next day – e.g. high salt and sugar foods! My diet was focussed on too many processed foods and a lack of awareness of the number of calories I was consuming.”
How has your diet and lifestyle changed?
“When I started training with Pioneer, I had that ‘debit/credit’ mindset. I thought just by going to the gym once or twice a week plus a bit of cardio would be enough to offset the bad stuff I wanted to put in my body."
"It is fair to say that it has taken me a while to ‘click’ that training is more than just lifting weights or burning calories. Lockdown has been a difficult and uncertain time for many people, but I saw this as an opportunity to ‘reset’ and ‘refocus’."
"Number one change was tracking what I’m doing and weighing myself daily. Those two behaviours were the most difficult to adopt at first, but once you get over the initial embarrassment, you start to think about your impact on your body."
"The other main behaviour change was learning to meal plan through understanding what nutrients I needed for my body. Being a vegetarian, you do get disproportionately told to make sure you get enough protein…so achieving daily protein goals was a key focus.”
What was the hardest habit to kick during this process?
Learning to not say yes to every offer of temptation! This is where I think lockdown helped me because there were far fewer opportunities for falling off track!
How has the change in nutrition and training impacted your lifestyle and energy levels outside the gym?
Before, I would find that I would often get tired easily and have a lack of interest/desire in doing things. Now, I seem to have abundant energy, which benefits other areas of my life. I am far more productive, and my general mood is positive & stable.
What have you learned since working with your coach?
There are 3 main things that Finn has instilled in me:
Patience – ‘You didn’t put the weight on overnight, so you can’t expect to lose it overnight.”
Importance of planning & tracking – from what you eat, what you weigh and how you train. This helps you to identify your progress and understand areas you may be falling short.
Technique – Doing fewer reps with the right technique is more beneficial than doing loads of reps & taking shortcuts!
Disclaimer: Results vary from person to person, timescales on results are not guaranteed, hard work is always required.
If you’re interested in personal training or being coached at Pioneer, get in touch by completing the below form.
