After years of struggling with fitness and body image, Yves sought change. He was determined to reclaim control over his health and build habits that would actually stick. After seeing his friends thrive with Freeletics, he decided to give it a shot. Freeletics not only transformed his physical appearance but also ignited a self-confidence that overflowed into all areas of his life. Here’s his story:
“Navigating body image and self-love is quite a laborious task in life itself, but it has its additional challenges being part of the queer community. With society not being fully accepting of us, mental health problems are highly prevalent in our community, and many suffer from eating disorders.
I, myself, have struggled with body dysmorphia all my life and still struggle to this day to have a healthy relationship with food. As a gay man, you are instinctively categorized and judged by others – even within our own community.”
Finding self-love through fitness
“Fitness has been a great way for me to improve confidence, self-love, and my relationship with food. The times in my life when I was consistently working out were the moments when I felt the most free and my mental health was at its best.
Learning to love ourselves is a never-ending process, and we each need our own method to accomplish it. For me, fitness has been one of the best ways.”
The challenge of sticking with it
“My biggest challenge in fitness has been consistency. I’ve had periods in life where my fitness was one of my top priorities. But whenever things start to get too busy, fitness is the first thing that I neglect. Thus, while immigrating to a new country and starting my PhD, it has been difficult to put fitness as a priority and make time for it.”
Committing to change with Freeletics
“I have had quite a few ups and downs with my fitness throughout the years, and I was tired of it. I wanted to finally stick to a plan long term and feel good about my body.
That is when I decided to sign up for a bootcamp with Freeletics. I wanted to regain control of my health and develop good life habits that would be maintainable in the long run. I had seen friends having a lot of success with Freeletics and wanted to give it a go.”
Transforming my fitness and my life
“Freeletics and their team made a crucial difference in my journey. I would not be this far in my fitness journey without their support. They have given me the tools to finally get in the physical shape that I’ve dreamt of for years.
And this transformation has impacted pretty much every aspect of my life. I feel way more confident, which in return, makes me a more positive and simply happier person. I now know better ways to cope with my feelings, and I’ve developed a routine that helps me on a day-to-day basis.”
Benefits that go beyond the physical
“Something I wasn’t expecting was that my fitness journey would help me stay positive. Whenever things in life weren’t going the best, there was at least one thing that was consistent, and I had control over – which was my fitness. This allowed me to focus my attention on something positive, and it helped me during difficult times.
And that’s not the only benefit. For years, I had a goal of completing a Spartan race, but it always felt daunting because my fitness was not up to par. However, after my fitness journey with Freeletics, I finally did it. And dare I say – after all my workouts with Freeletics, it was much easier than I thought.
I am proud that I was able to stay consistent with my fitness journey. There were times when it would have been easier to quit, but I kept going through and pushing myself.”
My advice: take the leap
“Don’t think twice about it – jump right in. It’s something that you will be eternally grateful to yourself to have accomplished. Stop waiting for the right moment, just create it.”
