How my passion for health and fitness took me from weak and out of shape to helping people just like you.
Hey! My name is Andy Mason. I am an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach serving everyday folks in the Nanaimo area. A little bit about me. I am originally from the UK and moved to Canada with my family in early 2008. I am happily married to Rachel. We live in North Nanaimo with our four children and one dog, an Australian Berniedoodle. I have had a passion for health, fitness and nutrition for as long as I can remember. |
My FIRST client.....
Before becoming a Trainer/Coach I knew there was one person I needed to get into shape......ME!
I've always believed trainers should walk the walk and that a personal trainer should be their own business card. Does that mean a trainer needs to have a 6-pack year round, deadlift 900lbs and be able to run a marathon at a moment notice? No way, but bar a few exceptions, I believe a trainer should be healthy bodyweight, strong enough to cope with anything life demands and have enough fitness to go up a few flights of stairs without gasping for air!
Getting to where I am now wasn't easy.
I've been super skinny, I've been overweight, I've suffered from chronic stress, I've been trapped behind an office desk for years at a time, I've had irritable bowel syndrome, I've been sleep deprived and I've been run ragged by four kids.
I've experienced many of the barriers to health and fitness people just like you come across on a daily basis.
I can relate.
Before becoming a Trainer/Coach I knew there was one person I needed to get into shape......ME!
I've always believed trainers should walk the walk and that a personal trainer should be their own business card. Does that mean a trainer needs to have a 6-pack year round, deadlift 900lbs and be able to run a marathon at a moment notice? No way, but bar a few exceptions, I believe a trainer should be healthy bodyweight, strong enough to cope with anything life demands and have enough fitness to go up a few flights of stairs without gasping for air!
Getting to where I am now wasn't easy.
I've been super skinny, I've been overweight, I've suffered from chronic stress, I've been trapped behind an office desk for years at a time, I've had irritable bowel syndrome, I've been sleep deprived and I've been run ragged by four kids.
I've experienced many of the barriers to health and fitness people just like you come across on a daily basis.
I can relate.
I won't bore you with the whole story, but by 2015 I had let myself get pretty out of shape. As a reference point at age of 16, I weighed in at a whopping 145, at 6'1". I was super skinny.
Fast forward many years and by 2015, I was tipping the scales at around 215-220 with a 42" waist. I thought I was big and strong. I was kidding myself. I was fat and my digestive health was a mess. I was tired all the time. To the untrained eye I didn't look particularly overweight, but on my skinny frame I was able to hide it pretty well. I started to realize that looking okay and feeling okay were two different things. |
During 2016 something in me snapped. I went through an unrelated health scare. It turned out to be nothing, but it forced me to look at myself and gave me the wake up call I needed.
I had always had a passion for exercise, health, fitness and nutrition, but I wasn't walking the walk. I decided that not only would I get myself into great shape, but I would help others. I continued to hit the weights as I had always done, but drastically cleaned up my diet. I went from 215 - 195lb without even trying. I felt a lot better and my digestion started to improve. It gave me the motivation to push ahead. I read up on everything fitness and nutrition related I could get my hands on. I listened to endless podcasts and lectures from experts in the field and began studying to become a personal trainer. Along with making healthy food choices I began tracking my calorie intake along with protein, carbs, fat and fibre. After a while I was able to determine how many calories I needed to consume to keep the fat loss chugging along nicely (whilst preserving muscle). I continued strength training, but also introduced some cardio as there's no point having muscles if you can't run up a flight of stairs without being winded! I began doing yoga in the evenings before bed and dialed in my sleep habits. As I had everything else in check I also introduced a few key supplements. Over about 4 months, by Christmas of 2016, I had dropped to 160lbs! |
Not only was I lean for the first time in years, but I felt amazing! I had "abs", but at 40 years old I didn't care. I was more excited about my new found energy levels!
In fact, I felt so good that I was even more determined to help other people reach similar results.
In January of 2017 I opened "Train Without Limits". I came up with the name when I realized that a lot people write themselves off from getting into shape before they've even made a start. They just seem to set limitations, before finding out what is possible. Everyone's got a story....
The process of losing weight, getting stronger, fitter, reducing pain is often not as complicated as some would have you believe.
The only thing stopping you from from getting into shape is you!
......and now there's really no excuse! For a limited time I'm offering a FREE consultation and a FREE 1-1 Strength Training Session.
In fact, I felt so good that I was even more determined to help other people reach similar results.
In January of 2017 I opened "Train Without Limits". I came up with the name when I realized that a lot people write themselves off from getting into shape before they've even made a start. They just seem to set limitations, before finding out what is possible. Everyone's got a story....
- People telling me they're past it - at 40!
- "Well I guess this is what 50 looks like."
- "I can't lose weight, I must have a slow thyroid."
- "I don't have the time to exercise.'
- "I have back pain, I can't lift weights."
The process of losing weight, getting stronger, fitter, reducing pain is often not as complicated as some would have you believe.
The only thing stopping you from from getting into shape is you!
......and now there's really no excuse! For a limited time I'm offering a FREE consultation and a FREE 1-1 Strength Training Session.