Before becoming a member, Ethan was feeling quite lazy and despite “feeling gross” was very unmotivated to make a change in his life. COVID definitely didn’t help this situation either… “I was unhappy with how I looked when I looked in the mirror and overall my physical health. I used to be a pretty fit and active but I had turned into someone who was extremely lazy.”
Before joining Club Sweat Ethan had a goal to enjoy the look of himself when friends posted pictures or once again when he looked in the mirror. A weight goal was set but at the end of the day it was really all about how he felt and looked. Despite all the media campaigns and all the ads saying “be happy no matter your shape or size”, Ethan knew what he used to look like in his younger days, and how he looked when he first started with Club Sweat. “I liked how I looked before a hell of a lot more than I did when I was first started, so I guess this was so important to me because I knew what I could look like and I wanted to get back to that state.”
The biggest thing that held Ethan back from this goal was self-control. As a kid, he used to eat A LOT (As most teenage boys do) so he found it pretty hard to just stop and have a clean diet cold turkey (Which he now knows is not the case to creating sustainable change in his life). Another thing holding him back was the fear of going to the gym. Being 18 years old he had a fear of being looked down upon because he “should be in better shape”.
Ethan’s parents have been members of Club Sweat for the past 3-4 years so he knew he was in good hands but this did not stop him from questioning his ability to reach his goal in the time frame that was set for him. “I overcame this bit of fear after seeing actual progress to my goal. I saw that a proper diet really does help a ton and this motivated me to start making better choices and to continue going. Also just getting out of the house, doing exercise in a good environment, and being around nice people has also been pretty great!”
Ethan is most proud of his 15lb weight loss goal as a whole. “I never thought I could lose this much and even though I am bound to have more struggles along the way, I am pretty happy with how much I have lost so far. I finally like how I look in pictures but more importantly, I now know that I can really do anything I put my mind to. If I want it bad enough and dedicate my time to it, I can make it happen! I am also feeling pretty good about my future. I really enjoy going to the gym and can’t see myself stop for a long while 🙂