Belfast man, Lee Fitzpatrick (34) had a revelation in the changing room of a clothing store that would change the trajectory of his life. He took the shirt he liked – the biggest size he could find was an oversized 1XL – to the changing room to try on.
After a few failed attempts, he took a deep breath and decided he would pull the shirt on over his head. He struggled but eventually got it over his belly and after catching his breath he exhaled, and a button pinged off and noisily hit the mirror in front of him. The shrill sound made him jump but it was a shocking realisation that unnerved him more – at 20, he weighed nearly 22 stone and was obese, with no clear path ahead.
“As I took off the shirt, I was doing my best not to looking in the changing room mirrors”, said Lee Fitzpatrick. “They showed me in excruciating detail every angle of my body and I was ashamed.”
That was 14 years ago, and the west Belfast man couldn’t have known the adventure he was about to embark upon, the inspiring people he would meet and the client who told Lee that his advice and support saved his life.
Lee continued: “I realised my weight was largely self-inflicted. There were some outside factors that were putting me on the wrong path but at the heart of the issue, I knew it was a battle that I had to face alone, at least at first. Early on, I distanced myself from people who didn’t make me feel good about myself. Energy zappers and friends who weren’t supporting my decision to get healthier.
“I started slowly, playing handball 3 times a week, something I enjoyed at school. I was gradually getting stronger and some mates told me that I needed to join a gym and lift weights to build my core strength. A gym was a place I never saw myself in. The thought of it made my blood run cold – I thought I was going to be mocked, sniggered at, and made to feel less than.”
Lee plucked up the courage to join a gym but it was fraught with fear
He continued: “I had to work hard to quiet those voices and change the narrative – that’s a massive piece of advice I would give to anyone. The way you speak to yourself is so important. I was telling myself all this negative stuff, it didn’t occur to me that I could replace them with positive thoughts. I know it’s not easy, trust me, it took me a long time, years in fact. Speak kindly to yourself, it does make a difference, but you need to be consistent. The negative voices will always be there but as you get stronger physically and mentally, they quieten to a background whisper.
“I truly believe that after years of seeing people struggle and then succeed, that physical fitness and mental health are linked.”
Lee was 20 when he took the brave decision to join a gym. “My stomach was churning with anxiety but I spotted a machine that looked familiar and a made a beeline for it. After a while and from out of nowhere, an older guy, clearly a bodybuilder, appeared beside me and said he said he could see I was nervous. During the short conversation, he told me something I have never forgotten to this day. He said, “this is going to be the start of a new life for you”, and he was spot on. That insignificant comment flipped the story I was telling myself and gave me something new to say – this is the start of my new life”, said Lee.
After years of hard work, at the age of 26, and seven stone lighter, Lee became a qualitied personal trainer.
He continued: “From being terrified of the gym to calling it my workplace – life can surprise you sometimes. My 20-year-old self would never have believed it.
“Because of my experiences, I have a unique insight that a lot of my clients really appreciate. They too struggle with their weight, confidence and most have a fear of gyms. I was that person and when I explain my back story, it allows them to relax and realise it’s not just them.”
Lee has helped hundreds of men and women transform their bodies, so he has seen what does and doesn’t work, during his 8-year career.
“One of the biggest mistakes that people make when starting their fitness journey is copying what they see is working for others. How you get healthier is truly a personal choice. Consistency is key and if you find an exercise that you like, focus on that for a while. Of course, there will always be things during your work out that challenge you, but this is exactly the point. You need to challenge yourself in order to achieve results.
“A common fear that people share with me is that they believe going to the gym and lifting weights will make them bulkier. Depending on your goal, weight training is one of the most beneficial things you can do, just chat to someone like me for the best advice.”, said Lee.
Lee has an unlikely fitness hero that inspires him to get out of bed when the alarm goes off at 5am on a cold, dark winter morning.
He added: “My Dad, Mark, is my fitness hero. It’s an unlikely choice as he’s never been to a gym and hasn’t played sport since 5 a side football in the 90s. He lost both his legs due to diabetes, had major heart surgery, lost his father and best friend, all in the space of 4 years. He’s also battled non-Hodgkins’s lymphoma so you can imagine that he has a lot to be unhappy about.
“He’s had to cope with the challenges of having no legs, learning how to use prosthetics, a wheelchair and all the other everyday tasks that we all take for granted. His outlook on life fuels me every single day and in every area of my life – he inspires me to be a better person. I see it as a privilege being one of his carers.”
Lee has some advice for people thinking of getting fitter.
He said: “Join now if you can. Life is not a dress rehearsal, and a day spent being unhappy within yourself is a day wasted. It doesn’t matter the activity. Do an activity that you enjoy and that you find strenuous.
“The gym isn’t a scary place that is just for bodybuilders with arms the size of footballs. Belfast has fantastic gyms with some amazing coaches.
“My top three tips are, one, change the way you perceive yourself and stop talking about yourself negatively. You deserve to be the happiest and healthiest version of yourself and that begins when you take action.
“Stop hoping for change and start working for change. Get outdoors for that walk. Go for that coffee and a dander with your mates. Don’t talking yourself out of going to the gym. No one there will mock you and if they do it says more about them.
“And finally, develop the mindset that fitness and working on yourself is for life and not just for a few weeks. A lot of people, especially at this time of year, set the most ridiculous of goals like wanting to drop 4 stone in 8 weeks. It’s not achievable or sustainable. Instead set realistic expectations and take each day at a time.”
Lee’s proudest moment as a personal trainer was life changing.
“A client told me that I was the reason he was still alive and I was floored. To hear that I’d impacted someone on this scale wasn’t just the proudest moment of my PT career, it was the proudest moment of my life. Through sustained sessions and our honest chats, he was able to clear the mind fog he was feeling and see a way forward to enjoying life again. He’s still a client to this day”, concluded Lee.
Lee’s upcoming 8-week fat loss challenge begins on Monday January 27th. Contact him via email, [email protected] or follow him on https://www.instagram.com/leefitzcoach/.
