Who am I? Hello, I’m James, the owner and founder of Simply FITT …..and what’s that all about?
Well, let’s start in the beginning. I got into fitness in my early teens, growing up with quite a few older brothers working out and taking care of how you looked was kind of important! One of my brothers bought a multi gym, remember those, a lot of people used them as an extra wardrobe! Great for gathering dust! It was a York, it worked your back with a lateral pull down, your chest with a flat bench attachment and legs were done with an add on! It did have cables which now in hindsight was the best bit.
I was told to never touch it but as soon as everyone went out I’d jump on it. Trying to hide DOMS was a nightmare!
And after that I was hooked. I wanted to know how my body was working, how food would affect the way I felt and the way I looked. But as with everything, life took over. School and girls, skateboarding….
As most young men, I always chased the six pack and thankfully having a demanding physical job kept me in shape, in and out of gyms, reading different books and magazines like Men’s Health (which I was lucky enough to be in!)
Then in my early twenties I had a bit of a life changer…
In just 6 weeks I was registered blind. I was diagnosed with Lebers Optic Neuropathy. Then about 7 years ago I was told I also had glaucoma, which I didn’t even realise as due to losing my eyesight I couldn’t see anyhow.
It happened very quickly, in fact over night for one eye.
All this was a real game changer…so I had to re-think everything. I was having to deal with depression and trying to get used to becoming a guide dog owner. I had started to drink too much and smoke around 40 cigarettes a day. It took me a few years to get my head around what was going on.
Then, one day, I just woke up and decided I needed to take control of my life. So, I kept myself indoors and only went out to take Dean, my dog, on long walks. With the money I saved up by not smoking and drinking I bought a rowing machine which I put together myself! (It took a while… but I did it). I would spend an hour on the machine followed by loads of press ups and sit ups. My body just remembered what to do and how good it felt!
Fast forward 10 years and here I am, a fully certified personal trainer and founder of Simply FITT! I succeeded despite the struggle I had to go through to prove I can do the job I’m doing, which is another blog all in itself.
Let’s just say, I have proved a lot of people wrong and a couple of people right, and I became the first blind personal trainer in the UK! I gained experience and extra knowledge working for Virgin Active in various clubs, then after moving to a new area I started up on my own and that is how Simply FITT began.
In my weekly blogs, I will be discussing and tackling subjects such as nutrition, diets, flash fads, workouts and the mental strength and results we can get through fitness.
If you would like to know more about the sessions I run at Simply FITT or would like to get in touch with me, please call 07881 100746 or email me at .