NI personal trainer battling health condition is out to ‘dispel’ gym mentality: ‘I’m not a gatekeeper’

Ben Mudge will release Fitness Without Limits: Training To Break Through Obstacles, Live Without Fear, And Find A Better You on New Year’s Eve.

It will be the Co Antrim man’s first published release.

He said he used his journey with cystic fibrosis to help inspire others through a fitness guide in the book.

“I was diagnosed when I was two days old,” he said, describing how he has always lived with the illness.

“It was a shock to my parents. They had just had my older brother two years beforehand, and then they suddenly get the news that I had this thing which could potentially limit my life, and their life.”

Speaking about his book, Ben, from Newtownabbey, said he has applied the lessons he learned living with a chronic illness to help inspire people who want to get fitter and healthier.

“It’s basically taking my coaching approach and blending all the lessons and approach to health and fitness, but it layers in my life story and what it’s like living with cystic fibrosis,” he added.

“It’s designed for people completely new to the gym and new to looking at health and fitness. It’s about not over-complicating things.

“It’s so overwhelming, people don’t even take the first step. It’s about being efficient without beating yourself up.

“I’m not a gatekeeper; I want people to be able to have a fit and healthy body. It goes back to what I was told when I was growing up. I was told I’d need oxygen tanks, that I may not even make it to 20.

“All those expectations were laid on me and all I wanted was to feel normal and not like a burden. Which I feel like a lot of people want — they don’t want to be a burden. It’s about making sure people are helped.”

Ben said that while he now has a very fit and healthy appearance, he is constantly reminded of his early challenges.

“I still remember being 11 or 12 years old, and all I wanted to be was six stone,” he said.

“It is crazy to think about, but I was so underweight and it’s what I wanted to be. I was never picked for sporting events or teams, because I was so small and underweight. And that is the person I’ll always be inside, I think, despite what I look like now.

“Being the way I am now is something I dreamt about, and I just want to help people feel the same way.

“The point of the book is just to help push people. There are so many personal trainers out there whose mentality is ‘if I can do it, you can do it’, but that’s not true. This is their job, they’re in the gym for a living, 24/7 — that is why they look like that, and it’s about that being dispelled.

“Unless you’re getting paid to look a certain way, it’s not a priority. People’s jobs and families come first. What I want to do is just make sure being healthy and fit is pushed up the priority list.

“It’s stripped back and it’s simplistic; it’s what I want for people. I want to help people achieve things they never thought they would be able to do. It’s not about being perfect.”

Ben enlisted the help of a ghost writer, who guided him on the structure.

“I’m dyslexic, so the fact that I have written a book and it’s sitting in front of me feels crazy,” he said.