Where I grew up in Jamaica, if you see someone tall, you call them “Beanpole.” If they have one tooth, you call them “Gummington.” And if they’re fat, you call them ‘Fluffy’.
And no one is offended. If you accept who you are and love yourself, why would you do it?
In Britain today, the story is completely different. We have to be very careful with what we say so as not to offend. But when it comes to weight, what effect does our silence have on the health of the nation?
There is an obesity and diabetes crisis in Britain and, although this upsets some, someone has to report it.
I once trained a man who weighed 50 pounds. He didn’t get into shape by burying his head in the sand and believing everything was fine.
We must all take responsibility for our health and wellbeing, otherwise we will become a burden on our NHS, says Motivator.
We must all take responsibility for our health and well-being; Otherwise we will become a burden on our National Health Service. And exercise is a great way to combat both obesity and diabetes.
When I started my career as a fitness instructor in the UK in 1983, it was perfectly fine to poke someone in the belly and tell them to lose a little weight. You would never dare to do that today.
Not only have waistlines exploded in the last 30 years, but our attitude towards obesity has also changed.
Sixty-three percent of adults in the UK are overweight. But call someone fat or suggest they try to lose weight and suddenly you’re accused of “body shaming” and “fat phobia.”
I made this point on Radio 4’s Loose Ends podcast last week. But when I woke up the morning after it aired, the barrage of calls and texts I received left me in no doubt that I had struck a chord.
But had what I said been even remotely controversial? Obesity costs the NHS around £6 billion a year and by 2050 it will be closer to £10 billion.
And the incidence of diabetes is also approaching epidemic proportions: there are just under four million people living with type 2 diabetes in Britain, and a further 850,000 live with it undiagnosed.
He began his career as a fitness instructor in the United Kingdom in 1983.
Mr Motivator’s wife, Sandra, was seriously overweight due to menopause.
So why can’t we tell people when they’re getting a little chubby?
And it’s not just about food. Britain has abandoned the exercise. Currently, four London hospitals refer pre-operative cancer patients to my classes. Because? Because being fit and healthy helps you recover from surgery much more quickly and makes you less likely to suffer from another serious condition. My mantra has always been: movement is medicine.
In the 1980s, fitness wasn’t about gym memberships, 5K run times, or how much you could bench press. It was about having fun.
At the time, the fitness industry was in full swing with the wave of movies like Footloose, Flashdance and Jane Fonda’s Workout. The best-selling album of the 80s was Physical by Olivia Newton-John.
In other words, the fitness was great. Fitness was sexy.
So when I started appearing on GMTV in the 1990s working out on breakfast TV, of course I decided to wear psychedelic jumpsuits paired with neon fanny packs and wristbands. We weren’t taking ourselves too seriously, we were having fun and it turned out to be good for the health of the nation.
It was such a success that celebrities lined up to participate. Supermodels Cindy Crawford and Elle Macpherson shook their hips on live television. Singers Sir Cliff Richard and Luther Vandross got to work. Even the late Meat Loaf, a bigger guy who wasn’t known for his agility, got into action.
But the training was not without controversy. I remember a singer named Kim Menzel participated in a routine and suffered a wardrobe malfunction that, to put it politely, required my help to “poop.” them again in’.
You wouldn’t see a sight like that now. Today, exercise is too often something people do alone, in private, on treadmills in underground gyms. But fitness isn’t about that, it’s about being with people and sharing the joy of movement.
Part of the reason I have this positive mindset is because of what I had to overcome to be where I am today. Growing up in Jamaica, my adoptive father, a police officer, beat me with a leather belt when I misbehaved. Sometimes he even hit me. before I misbehaved. Even after I moved to England as a child, fame didn’t find me right away. At 21 I was a single father living in a rat-infested council flat, with a single bed and no mattress.
I know what it feels like to not be loved. That’s why I make sure I don’t make anyone else feel that way, whether it’s my clients or my own children.
I received the nickname ‘Mr Motivator’ because I encouraged Britain to get going, even if it required some home truths. Sure, I’ll help people if they need to lose weight – it’s often the boost they need.
My beloved wife Sandra was seriously overweight as a result of menopause. For 20 years, she struggled to lose weight, despite exercising with me every morning. I remember one night she got dressed to go out but, when she got to the front door, she had to go back upstairs and change because she had sweated up to the top. Her confidence was at rock bottom.
One day last year he turned to me and said, ‘Derrick, I can’t remember the last time someone besides you said something nice about my appearance.’ I saw the tears in his eyes. And I had tears in mine too.
Motivator, photographed in the 1990s, says he now only eats half of what’s on his plate.
But last year everything changed. She went alone to Thailand and it changed both her perspective and her attitude. Instead of feeling self-conscious, she learned to love herself. She continued the exercise and, equipped with this new mindset, her weight began to drop.
In one year I had lost 66 pounds. Now his confidence has returned and all He is running to congratulate her. She is standing tall again and I have the woman I married back.
Of course, some people are predisposed to being bigger than others, but everyone can and should take responsibility for themselves. It’s not the government’s responsibility to keep you healthy, it’s yours.
I am now 71 years old and my metabolism is not what it used to be. So I have decided to eat only half of what is on my plate. Even when it’s my favorite apple crumble, I always make sure to leave half and someone else can enjoy it.
People tell me all the time to stop dressing like it’s the 1980s and to stop moving like I have the body of a man half my age. I tell them, ‘I love myself and you should love yourself too.’ Because that’s where weight loss begins, as my wife can attest.
Movement is medicine, and this great nation needs it now more than ever.
For more information, upcoming events and classes, please contact pa@mrmotivator.com