I was super shy growing up…until I saw the light.
I never thought I’d be confident enough to tell anyone this, but now’s the time…
I’m also going to preface this by saying I had an amazing childhood, and came from a family that would do anything for anyone.
Here it goes…
Growing up I witnessed my mom (who is the most loving person I know) suffer from anorexia and bulimia. At 5’2″ she weighed as little as 58 pounds and was in and out of the hospital for most of my childhood. Thankfully she’s had a full recovery and is now a registered nurse.
I ended up spending a lot of time with other family members who provided my sister and me with the support we needed. We’re all still very close.
But money was a constant worry. My family never had much. I’ll never forget a baseball coach of mine pulling me inside his office privately to say “don’t worry about paying for your hat, we know what you’re going through.”
To make a long story short, my parents ended up divorcing when I was 15.
Why am I telling you all this?
Because training was my way out of the pain. It was the biggest force multiplier that helped me overcome all this and become the person I am today.
It helped me gain more confidence to act how I wanted to…
Like myself.
I started consistently training 16 years ago at age 16 and never looked back.
Early in my training career, I never thought I was big or muscular enough…
So I gained weight on purpose, eating every 2 hours, 8+ meals a day for over 6 years. Never missing a meal or workout ever, taking tupperware containers of food everywhere (even into bathrooms), and making sure I got “the best results”.
During this time I went from 155lbs to 208lbs. I’m about 5’10″…
After this…
I finally noticed I was a lot heavier than I imagined…
So I got as lean as humanly possible, competed in a bodybuilding competition, and stepped on stage as one of the leanest people there. Going from 208lbs, back to 163lbs, but with a lot more muscle on my frame than before.
Throughout all these fitness phases of feeling “too skinny”, “too heavy”, and where I am now…
I’ve researched, experienced, and coached people from all walks of life for over 13 years, on just about every type of diet and training program you can think of.
I opened a gym, started an online training business, and continue to do both of these things with no end in sight.
Training clients in person and online has also shown me who I really love working with. Normal people who want to lose weight, gain muscle, and actually be proud of their body.
I love showing my clients how they can work out while having a life outside fitness. Eating the foods they enjoy, and spending time with loved ones and hobbies that make their life worth living.
For some reason I relate to them as they have a lot of similar interests to me.
That’s my story. What’s yours?
If any of this message resonated with you, shoot me a message, I’d love to talk with you.
My personal email is rivelli.justin@gmail.com
– Justin Rivelli