Reclaiming Your Joy: Sarah's Journey
Sarah M. has conquered mountains on her weight loss journey. Working with her trainer Chris Haddock, she's managed to overcome staggering physical and mental hurdles to lose 50 lbs! When she sent us this letter detailing her experience, we knew we had to share. Get ready to be inspired!
When I met Chris, I was at my lowest point both mentally and physically. After 7 months, I had given up on both my psychiatrist and ever feeling better again. I was suffering from depression, an identity crisis, anxiety, PTSD, obesity, and a lot of things in between. I was at a point where I was begging for relief: an option where I would be free from all of the suffering that I was going through. I felt like I was suffocating, and I was beginning to feel like it wasn’t worth coming up for air again. I only had enough in me to stand up one more time. It was now or never. At our first session, Chris kneeled down in front of me and asked me what my goals were. I explained to him that in addition to my obesity, I also had an ACL surgery which I was still trying to recover from, plus Plantar Fasciitis and Severe Shin Splints that were preventing me from being able to exercise. When I asked him if it was even possible for me to lose any weight with all these limitations, he said, “Absolutely, we can do this! I will design workouts that are suitable for you and your ability. I will customize it for you, but you will have to make sure that you do exactly what I tell you regarding exercise and food."
At that time, opening up to anyone that wasn’t my Psychiatrist was a huge deal! Chris really helped bring a smile back to my face. There was a huge difference between Chris’s Personal Training sessions and the ones with my psychiatrist: Chris’s ended with a smile every time! He’s always made sure that I’m happy in my heart. No matter how sad and depressed I was before I entered the gym, he always made sure that I had two things on my face by the end of the session- a SMILE and SWEAT. He somehow knows how to make your heart smile, and that, for a long time, was the only thing I had to look forward to during the day. Having Chris as my personal trainer is a privilege and working out with him is the main highlight of my day. Regardless of whether you are having a good day or a bad one, the positive energy that he radiates makes you believe that you’ll be fine emotionally, mentally and physically. I have shown up to his training sessions on my worst days, with literal tears in my eyes, all because I knew he would come through. He’s never let me down to this day!
Chris is that rare trainer who is exceedingly responsive and knows how to meet his clients at their energy level: both physically and psychologically. Regardless of my energy level, he’s able to meet me where I am. As an extreme introvert, it can be difficult for me to be around people. Chris’s ability to stay flexible with his energy makes it easy for me to open up and express my needs without stress. He is extremely receptive to his client’s frame of mind, which makes them feel valued, cared for, and most importantly - heard.
Be ready to fall in love with the pain, hard work and soreness. The workouts that Chris designs are not easy: they’re challenging and ever-changing. He’s able to work the same group of muscles in different ways without shocking your body and he’s big on teaching you proper form, he will give you all the knowledge that is needed in order for you to be able to work out independently. None of his sessions are quite the same and with all of the variations that he teaches you in each session, you’ll leave feeling wiser and feeling stronger every day. He wants his clients to be independent and knowledgeable, which is why he is extremely detail oriented when it comes to proper form and weight lifting. He is not only there to help you reach your goals: your body, your muscles, your mind, your health, and your life will be fine tuned after your time with him. You can trust him when he says “You can do this”, because he knows your strengths better than you do. To say that I got a Personal Trainer, Nutritionist, Physical Therapist, Psychiatrist, and Friend in a single bundle would be an understatement. When I first met Chris, he said "We can do this!" - AND NOW WE HAVE! Well - I still have 5 more pounds until I reach my goal but I will arrive soon. He said - "I will design the workouts that are suitable for you and your ability." - He designed and customized the workouts for me and modified and altered them based on my strength. He said -"You will have to make sure you do exactly what I tell you to do regarding exercises and food” - I DID MY PART. I did exactly what he asked me to do. Followed his instructions to the T. He did what he said he would, and I followed through with what I committed to doing.
The most important part of personal training is that: as a client, you need to listen to your trainer and do what he/she tells you to do. They speak from experience. You cannot just buy sessions and magically get a good physique. It's not just dependent on money - your discipline, honesty, hard work, commitment, dedication, devotion, time, and patience are what will get you results. How bad do you want this? We cannot expect better results when we’re too arrogant to follow through on what our trainer has asked us to do. The reason I sought help from Chris is because I knew that my techniques were not working; that is why I am standing where I am today. After successfully going from 175lbs on 06/27/2021 to 125lbs on 01/29/2022, I can say that I’m living proof that Chris’s services work. The physical changes in me happened so quickly that I sometimes forget that I am no longer 175lbs. My mind is still playing catch-up with my body and thinks I’m 175lbs, I have to back it up with actual proof in the mirror to make my mind believe it. Chris's workouts and his sessions have not only changed my physical appearance, but have helped me with my mental health, emotional well-being, boosted up my confidence level and given me a new definition of life and self-love. He has taught me to be happy and fight for what is important to me and what makes me happy.
Current Results: It has been 190 days today since I first started working out with Chris and I have lost 50lbs so far. Only 5lbs to go.
Goal Weight: 120lbs
Start Date: June 27, 2021 Initial weight: 175lbs
Today’s Date: January 29, 2021 Current weight: 125lbs, 125.6lbs to be exact. 04/2021- 06/2021 – 175lbs 07/2021 – 168lbs 08/2021 – 160.2lbs 09/2021 – 153.7lbs 10/2021 – 143.4lbs 11/2021 – 136.80lbs 12/2021 – 130.04lbs 1/29/2022 -125.6lbs