Christopher Watson
“Hi, my name is Chris Watson and I just hit my 1 year anniversary of being a member at IPT! In these last 4 months since Jan-April 2023 I have lost 21.5lbs. I have also lost 14.5lbs in strictly body fat and 5.3% in my body fat percent. My goals are not tied to any number right now, but rather to my quality of life, and the biggest change I have noticed is in regards to my recovery. For example, before IPT I would walk around after “leg day” feeling like I had glass shards all through my legs but I haven’t felt like that since about a month into my time here. I am able to not only put in maximum effort during my workouts, but also live the rest of my life feeling comfortable in my own body.
My life has been flipped upside down in the last year for reasons outside of the gym, but I’d say the biggest changes attributable to my work here have been the ability to make better food choices, the ease with which I maintain my hydration, and my ability to prioritize my own needs in the form of being consistent with my workout frequency and knowing when to rest AND doing both without guilt or apology.
I have always been incredibly self-conscious during my workouts, to the point I would work out in my own home with the door closed. IPT has a very welcoming atmosphere, with everyone focused on their own session and guidance/instruction from their trainer.
I also like how diverse the client base seems to be, and figure that perhaps we are all helping each other, in a way, as different approaches work for different clients and those ideas can be shared with others that might benefit through nutritional or fitness coaching. The nutritional component is not to be underestimated; it was the clincher for me choosing IPT over other options and has made all the difference compared to my past workout/health efforts.
The biggest piece of advice I can give, and it has served me well in other areas of my life, is to stay curious. Something brought you here, and you are showing an interest in pursuing your health and well-being, it doesn’t matter if you are at the start of your journey or have been going down this path for decades. As for me, curiosity usually comes in the form of researching food options that might fit into my macros when I see something that interests me, or adding even just a tiny bit more difficulty to a workout set (even just 1lb) if I think I have it in me to do more just to see how I feel. I wonder what new things I will find to be curious about in the future!
The second piece of advice is to come to terms with knowing what you are NOT willing to do. For example, most people I know enjoy cooking and food prep in general to some degree even if they aren’t directly pursuing their physical health, but I absolutely loathe it. For now I’ve accepted this about myself, and have come up with healthy approaches to eating that have essentially eliminated this step. As my goals change and my priorities along with it, I may revisit my resistance, but ultimately I had to find an approach that was truly sustainable, because I am stubborn as hell and know that trying to force it would have sabotaged my efforts entirely. Don’t force that kale salad if you don’t enjoy it, find other things that you enjoy but will still help you get closer to your goals.
The final thing I will say is don’t worry about being perfect, which is a HUGE challenge for some of us. If you have a nutrition macro but you struggle to meet it, work with your nutrition coach at IPT to explore options that you might enjoy. It took me about 10 months to come up with a consistent approach that allowed me to truly meet my nutrition goals as shown on paper, but that doesn’t mean I was failing in the meantime, I was just in the process of learning what works for me. Like so many other things in life, it’s all about the journey and not the perceived destination. I know that what I’m doing now will not necessarily meet the needs of my future goals, and now I think I’m going to have fun figuring out how to change things up when that time comes!”
Congrats Chris!! We are SO proud of all your hard work and dedication you put in each and every day! You are so deserving of this! Keep up the grind and we will continue to see your growth!
