Tuesday, 25th June 2024
74-year-old Tony Leather has been an Activo member with Pendle Leisure Trust for almost 10 years. But once lockdown hit in 2020, as did many of us, he became unable to come along to the gym and complete his usual fitness routine. Although he persisted and created his own home workouts during this time, he and his wife were itching to return to the Pendle Wavelengths gym once restrictions had lifted.
During this downtime, Tony's weight had reached almost 120kg, and his health had plummeted. It was at this point he knew changes needed to be made. Being a morning person, Tony liked to get up at 5am most days and complete 2 hours of exercise, whether that be a walk, gym session, home workout etc. By 7am, he has achieved his daily fitness goals and this is what works for him. He did say that he will fall asleep by mid-afternoon most days, but we say well deserved! It’s important to remember that not every path to success looks the same due to things such as work, family, health conditions etc, but as long as there is a path laid out, and your head is in the game, you’re on your way.
Now, 15 months on, Tony has lost 34 kilos and feels “fantastic” for it! Not only that, but he is also on the way to reversing his diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes through his efforts in weight loss and improved physical health.
We asked Tony what his advice would be to somebody in a similar situation who may have gotten themselves in a physical and mental rut and needs to make some pro-active lifestyle changes. His advice was that “It’s really not as difficult to give up bad foods as you think. It becomes easier. All it takes is to decide you’re not going to eat that type of stuff and decide you’re going to go out and have half an hour walk a day. Make your mind up and stick with it and you’ll be alright.”. He also wanted to stress that "age need not be a barrier" as you can make these changes at any point in your life!
With Tony's story in mind, it’s important to recognise that lifestyle changes are as much about your mindset as they are about the physical efforts you’re putting in. It’s way too easy to miss the workout or have that extra snack if you don’t have the mental willpower to do what it takes to achieve your goals.
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