Jim Goldie

04 Nov Jim Goldie

The Concept – Fit Ethos (My original company name when it was fitness related)

The idea of Fit Ethos (Fit Ethos was the previous name of my coaching business when it was only fitness related)  is a simple one, to make you a better you. Whether that be through diet, fitness, mindfulness or the environment, Gareth aims to show you how you can take steps to improve your lifestyle, in a number of ways. It really can be life changing, which is something I’ve experienced first hand over the past 12 months.

The Background – About me

I am a 31yr old Finance worker living in London. Before embarking on my Fit Ethos journey I trained most days and went to the pub most weekends. I was your typical uninformed ego-lifter that did zero cardio and just wanted to lift as heavy as possible, with little regard for technique or proper form. My workouts were lazy and unstructured and I lacked motivation, simply going through the motions each day. It’s fair to say I wasn’t seeing results and I was picking up a number of niggling injuries along the way. Outside of the gym I would generally eat healthy Monday to Thursday, however I had an anything goes approach to weekends, which typically involved a lot of beer and unhealthy eating. By the end of last year, I weighed 101.5kgs, was very out of shape and was very uncomfortable in my own skin.

The Journey – 20 pints to 20kgs

I was lucky enough to meet Gareth through my gym in London. He introduced me to his idea for Fit Ethos and suggested I should give it a go. Just from speaking to him about it I could tell how passionate he was about fitness, nutrition and mindfulness, which was exactly the motivation and inspiration I needed to make the decision to change my own lifestyle. Over the last 12 months Gareth has coached me in ways that have dramatically improved my fitness, diet and mindset. I have gone from drinking 20 pints each week, to losing 20kgs in a year, and had a tonne of fun along the way!

The Easy Bit – Habits

One of the most important and most interesting elements of the Fit Ethos plan is the emphasis on mindfulness. Gareth speaks a lot about habit; about reinforcing good one’s and breaking bad one’s. For me, that is by far the most important element that has led to the weight loss I’ve experienced over the past 12 months. My diet has changed drastically since the beginning of the year, however, it has been through many small gradual changes that has made it sustainable, and quite frankly, easy! By slowly eradicating your bad habits and introducing good one’s, it’s amazing the difference it can have on your overall lifestyle. The best part of it is, once you reinforce the good habits they become exactly that – habitual. It then becomes very easy to maintain many of the changes that will have a positive impact on your overall wellbeing.

The Hard Bit – Alcohol

In my opinion, alcohol was the single most contributory factor that led to my weight gain and unhealthy lifestyle. The knock on effect of drinking 20 pints over the course of a weekend is that it also leads to poor diet choices, which has a compounding effect that can wipe out all the good work you put in midweek. I gradually reduced my alcohol intake over the course of the year to the point where I had no alcohol for the last 3 months. This in itself was the easy part; by making gradual changes and reinforcing the habit I have been able to go alcohol free for longer than I ever have in the previous 15 years.

The hard part was the reaction of those around me when out in bars and pubs and not drinking. I read a good quote not so long ago that went along the lines of – alcohol is the only drug on the planet that you have to justify NOT taking. I can certainly relate to this as I came in for a lot of stick when I would go out with friends or colleagues and not drink alcohol. However, when I explained to people what I was doing and the changes I was trying to make to my lifestyle that quickly stopped and most people were impressed, and genuinely interested in the steps I was taking to do so. It’s amazing how many people want to do something similar with their own lives and are keen to pick your brain on how you approach certain things like alcohol, which can prove a difficult hurdle for anyone looking to commit to changing their lifestyle for the better.

The Repping – Mix things up

One of the most fun parts of the Fit Ethos journey is the workouts. Through years of training and multiple bodybuilding competitions, Gareth has an infinite amount of exercises and workout routines up his sleeve. We trained around 75mins 5 times per week and every single week was something different. From set to set I had no idea what was coming and this not only keeps the workouts fresh and exciting, it also keeps your body guessing. I had got into a very bad habit of running through the motions in the gym, doing the exact same exercises on the exact same days every week and I was seeing zero results. Through working out with Gareth I quickly saw my fitness improve, my motivation returns and my body change. Gareth was also able to pinpoint a number of bad habits and weaknesses I had developed over years of sacrificing technique for ego. I always had niggling shoulder and knee injuries and by making little tweaks to my technique these have completely disappeared over the past 12 months.

The Prepping – Get into the habit

Diet is an incredibly important part of anyone’s overall wellbeing. For that reason, food prep is an incredibly important part of anyone’s journey to improving their lifestyle. Gareth has spent a lot of time analysing my diet and suggesting ways that I can make little tweaks over time that have led to a dramatic improvement in my overall health and wellbeing. By getting into the habit of preparing my own meals I can control exactly what I put in my body and it doesn’t have to be the huge time burden that most people think it is. Gareth was able to suggest many simple and tasty recipes that can be prepared very quickly and easily. I’ve never felt fitter and healthier than I do right now and so much of that is down to controlling what I eat everyday.

The End – Not Quite…

I have changed a lot over the past 12 months but the best part of it is that I am just getting started! I have learned so much from Gareth through Fit Ethos and it has truly changed my life. It’s amazing what a difference something as simple as feeling comfortable in your own skin can make to your overall wellbeing. I feel fitter, healthier and more confident than I ever have before and I’ll continue to apply everything I’ve learned this year. I would recommend anyone serious about changing their own lives to get in touch with Gareth. Make sure to ‘Fit Ethos’ your way to a better you!