Terry Naughton

Before coming to Vision, I never liked my body, and hadn’t done so for many years. I was self-conscious about ever being seen without a shirt on, and although I knew the reality of it - no-one actually really cared what I looked like, I cared enough that it bothered me to the point I never really took my shirt off around other people. I dreaded Summer for fear of being invited to go for a swim or to the beach, leaving my shirt on with the reason that I didn’t want to get burnt, which while true wasn’t the real reason.

As I was constantly critical of my body, my weight, my appearance, I was always aware when I was starting to put on weight and would always do something about it - walking/jogging regularly, being more aware of what I was putting in my body which would manage my weight however being a shallow homosexual man I always wanted the stereotypical ‘sexy’ body which I knew cardio-based exercise alone was never going to achieve that and that I would have to join a gym.

Joining a gym as a skinny, shy, self-conscious and especially pale human being was as intimidating to me as public speaking so the prospect of even walking into a gym to sign up, despite of the rewards that may come, was too daunting to even consider doing seriously. So instead, I just continued to imagine what it must be like to be in a skin I actually was comfortable in.

I think the biggest surprise for me since joining Vision is that I actually enjoy it. I could never have imagined, 10 years ago, I would be someone who would be happy to take themselves to the gym every day. And I’m not saying that there aren’t days where I don’t have to drag myself in there but even on those days, I leave feeling better than when I went in.

I also never expected that I would make friends, both with the trainers and with the other regular patrons, and that I would feel genuinely happy watching other people hitting their goals on their own journeys.

I also didn’t realise how very little protein I was actually consuming before I joined Vision. While I was always mindful of what I should be eating less of (chocolate, fast food, soft drink, etc.) I never really considered the concept of what I should be eating more of. Being able to track my macros painted a fairly concise picture of what I was actually putting in my body and that, not everything I thought was ‘the healthy option’ was actually the healthy option.

The biggest tangible benefit to me is that I now have a body that I am proud of having. I still look like I live on the moon but my body composition is now more in line with what I had always assumed I would never achieve.

This I owe credit to the trainers I had during my time at Vision. My success is as much theirs as it is mine thanks to their assistance, guidance and overall encouragement they have given me. If I had actually gone and joined a regular old gym way back, I have no doubt in my mind that I would not have lasted the distance as I would not have known what I was doing. I would not have seen any results and subsequently would have left feeling more intimidated and deflated with no intention of returning.

In addition to the tangible benefits there have been other intangible benefits that I hadn’t considered. I have more confidence in myself now and while I’m not necessarily (or ever) ripping my shirt off and flexing at any given occasion, I definitely have greater body positivity. Overall, I now just have a greater appreciation in, and understanding of what it means to take care of myself.

If you’re are in the same boat as I was, feeling stuck and wishing for something more, I would whole-heartedly recommend Vision. The entire Vision experience for me has been as intimidating as a newborn kitten from the first day and I honestly regret not doing it sooner.