#MyBrio – Barry’s story 17 May

Meet Barry; he’s in his 50’s and has only just started his weight loss journey this year!

Here is his #MyBrio story: Barry had never done much exercise and over Christmas and new year discovered he weighed 22 stone. Through weighing himself and looking over old photos, Barry decided to start a new fitness journey.

He’d put on 6 stone over 3 years and was eating takeaways up to 4 times a week and drinking alcohol every night. He didn’t do any exercise and was struggling to put on socks and shoes. Many people at work began to make personal comments on his weight and so he withdrew from socialising and struggled with mental health. Simple things like walking up the stairs became difficult and left Barry out of breath.

He lost the motivation to stay fit and healthy when his mother-in-law moved in with them as she struggled with dementia; this meant he was unable to go on holidays as often and couldn’t find the time to look after himself. However, when his wife was made redundant, he realised he was free on his days off to exercise if he wanted to.

So, in January Barry became motivated to lose the weight he had put on. His goal – to lose 6 stone and stay fit and healthy in his 50’s! He joined Weight Watchers at the beginning of January, and with the help of his wife started to eat healthier. In the middle of January, Barry joined Winsford Lifestyle Centre and started slowly on a cross trainer doing around half an hour a day. This gradually built up to him working out on an incline on the treadmill; he suffered from blisters, chest pain and knee pain but persevered as he was determined to get healthy.

Not only has his fitness lifestyle changed, but Barry only has a few drinks at the weekend and has given wine up completely! He has turned his lifestyle upside down and is at the gym nearly every day determined to reach his goal.

In just 17 weeks, Barry has lost 5 stone! He feels so much more confident, all his clothes fit, and he feels great after training. Barry says it wasn’t easy but ‘is worth all the effort and pain.’

With Brio, Barry has worked alongside the gym instructors as they’ve taught him new exercises and kept him focused and determined on his path to reach his goals! He says that ‘a lot of people said it is hard to lose weight when you are older!’ but he disagrees saying that ‘it is never too late.’

The Brio instructors gave him lots of advice on where to start on his weight loss journey, helping him find the best equipment to lose weight. They showed him how to use the cross trainer without getting any injuries and after a few weeks, they started to introduce free weights and floor exercises. Barry says that the instructors are really great at supporting and motivating you, they are great at helping you focus on areas of your body and have lots of ideas for different exercises.

Join now to start your fitness journey, as Barry said, it is never too late to start!

Or if you have a story to share, let us know all about it!

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