Chris Coughlan had\u00a0a very challenging year in 2019. After\u00a0being made redundant from his\u00a0job in May, he\u00a0sadly lost\u00a0his mum\u00a0just a month later and had to become\u00a0a full-time\u00a0carer\u00a0for his sister.<\/p>\n
When the first national lockdown hit in March\u00a02020,\u00a0he was five months into a membership at\u00a0Anytime\u00a0Fitness Welwyn Garden City,\u00a0and on the waiting list for an overdue shoulder operation.\u00a0The closure of the gym dramatically affected his activity levels\u00a0and he saw\u00a0both\u00a0his weight\u00a0and stress levels\u00a0spiral.<\/p>\n
As lockdown began to ease and gyms in England were given the green light to reopen in the summer, Chris was desperately unhappy with his weight, which had risen to nearly 16 stone.\u00a0After attending a consultation appointment for his upcoming operation, he was\u00a0told he was morbidly obese and desperately wanted to make a change.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we were coming out of lockdown, I realised I needed to do something about my weight,\u201d says Chris.\u00a0\u201cI needed to lose weight before the operation and was really disappointed at how I\u2019d let unhealthy habits take over my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, his life was to take another dramatic turn. He woke up one morning\u00a0mid-August\u00a0with a tightness in his chest,\u00a0shoulder\u00a0and jaw, with regular bouts of pain in\u00a015-minute\u00a0intervals.\u00a0Being a\u00a0carer,\u00a0he\u00a0put others first,\u00a0ensuring his patients were looked after\u00a0before he then\u00a0visited the hospital.<\/p>\n
After an initial check-up yielded no obvious issues, an ECG scan then showed that Chris had shockingly had\u00a0a mild heart attack\u00a0and\u00a0after undergoing an echogram,\u00a0was diagnosed with two blocked arteries\u00a0which required\u00a0major surgery\u00a0to insert two stents.<\/p>\n
Chris was required to be awake for the operation and a procedure that was meant to take an hour,\u00a0actually took\u00a0two-and-a-half hours.\u00a0A time which Chris can vividly\u00a0recall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat time during the operation was a total life-changer,\u201d he says. \u201cI had so much going on in my\u00a0head\u00a0but the main thing was\u00a0that\u00a0I felt that I\u2019d been given a second chance at life. I was incredibly grateful for this and was determined to take advantage of it and make the most of life going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs part of my recovery, I couldn\u2019t go to the gym for six weeks. My body was in a state of shock and in the days after the operation, I couldn\u2019t walk\u00a0100 yards without getting out of breath.\u201d<\/p>\n
After six weeks, Chris returned to Anytime Fitness Welwyn Garden City,\u00a0determined to take his\u00a0second chance with both hands. Needing to keep his heart rate below 120bpm, he had to adapt his training\u00a0but\u00a0has already achieved fantastic results.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first two months back at the gym, I\u2019ve lost two stone. I feel fitter than I have in a long time and\u00a0overhauled my diet which has changed everything.\u00a0There are\u00a0things I\u00a0know I\u00a0can\u2019t do\u00a0any more,\u00a0like\u00a0functional training with\u00a0the punchbag, and I need to keep a close eye on my heart rate,\u00a0but I\u2019m really enjoying it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese days,\u00a0I do a mixture of steady cardio, like the treadmill and rowing machine, as well as lifting weights too.\u00a0I\u2019ve also seen other physical and mental benefits following my new training regime, for example, while I still need my shoulder operation, the pain is much less when I\u2019m keeping active.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chris initially felt trepidation about joining\u00a0the gym,\u00a0but having been\u00a0convinced by his older brother, who is also a member,\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0see himself anywhere else now.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0so friendly and everyone is so respectful of their surroundings,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u201cI\u00a0go\u00a0up to four times a week and the staff remember your name too, which is a really nice personal touch.\u201d<\/p>\n
His goal is to\u00a0lose another two stone\u00a0to\u00a0reach his target of 12-and-a-half stone ahead of his shoulder operation.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve always been a tomorrow man,\u00a0but it\u2019s now a habit to go to the gym and it\u2019s completely changed my life,\u201d he says. \u201cMy brother is an inspiration to me \u2013 he\u2019s\u00a010 years older and always been really active. The thing about him is that he never seems stressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I went back to the gym it was like I could feel more oxygen flowing around my body and\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0cheerful again instead of being full of self-doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n