So where do i begin...? I suppose the insight about this project that i have been so passionate about for many years but never actually got round to doing has stemmed from my background story.
My name is Dan and i am 30 years old from the UK, Since i was 9 years old gaming became a real passion of mine and once i experienced online gaming/competing at the age of 15 i felt and still feel it is the best thing in the world. Going through some bullying in school for being different and not being into the things the "popular" kids were into i secluded myself in my circle of gaming friends and basically lived online, I had every competitors dream of becoming a professional gamer which in that time was Counter Strike Source, I remember just gaming all day neglecting fitness & food and just living on junk i could snack on quickly before the next game started. As a teen i was 6ft4 (194cm) and weighed around 10 stone (63kg / 140lbs) I had zero confidence, i would walk with a cap on outside if i had to go out so i didn't have to look at people, i was socially awkward i had no people skills as i was only used to talking to my teammates over a headset, I experienced anxiety mild panic attacks at times from over thinking while in public.
One day i was just browsing youtube and come across a guy who was into fitness and was shredded to the bone, i watched all of his videos and come to realise he was a WOW player and a gamer just like myself but his confidence was sky high, in that moment something switched in my brain and i wanted to look like this guy and have that confidence he possessed and within 1 hour of watching his videos i found myself in my bedroom doing pushups and situps, Bare in mind i couldn't do many i still made sure i did as many as i could each day while re-watching the same videos for motivation, I then found myself collecting pieces of equipment and using them in the garage as i still didnt have the confidence to go to a gym, As far as nutrition went back then i was clueless i didnt understand what food did what so i just ate everything and anything as i was giving myself more of an appetite through training.
After training from home for over a year i found the equipment i was using in the garage wasnt serving a purpose anymore as i felt it was to light and i needed to be able to do more exercises, Which followed by me actually signing up to a gym for the first time in my life with zero knowledge... i remember walking into the main gym room and all these huge guys were throwing dumbells around heavier than me with all these machines i had no clue how to use, One guy turned around and could see i was lost and asked me to join in with their workout which i did and asking me if i would like to i can meet them there tomorrow and train with them again which i did, All these small steps which of course felt like HUGE steps at the time without me realising were helping my confidence grow, talking to people... releasing those bad endorphins in my body which improved my gameplay, to then noticing a visible difference in my appearance and growing in confidence constantly although maintaining a humble mindset.
I trained for years transforming my body that much people from school didnt recognise me, I then got asked if i would like to do a personal training course with a job in the gym i trained at which was perfect for me, i took this offer up and did this for a few years before moving onto other things.
Now my goal and passion is to help people who need it, I will not charge extortionate prices for my knowledge which i will guarantee you that if you follow rule for rule step for step you will reach your fitness goal, Whether its losing weight or gaining muscle, Whether you are a beginner or have been training for some time but struggling to get where you need to be i will help you, What i want from this more than anything is those of you who suffer with anxiety/depression and want to make a change in your life i can assure you fitness can be one of the things that brings you to the surface and gives you that confidence to go where you need to be

Thank you for reading, If anyone has any questions they want to ask please feel free to DM me its time to Level Up IRL

Dan