Fitness guru Greg Newlands’ new life after ‘heartbreak’ of watching Redcar gym close for good

A Teesside health guru has gone from the “heartbreak” of watching his new Redcar gymnasium shut for good – to a brand new life, working on-line in sun-drenched places.

Greg Newlands was within the depths of despair when the well being and health group he’d constructed over years folded due to covid. The 31-year-old had moved his thriving enterprise – Greg Newlands Fitness – into the old Redcar Post Office in January 2020.

Developers had given the Queen Street building a six-figure revamp and it was an ideal new “house” for his 400 shoppers. But he may by no means have predicted that, only a few weeks later, a worldwide pandemic would hit.

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Lockdown after lockdown battered the enterprise till there was nothing left – and the gymnasium needed to shut perpetually. “I misplaced tens of hundreds of kilos,” Greg says.

“It was nightmare. For six years, I’d constructed the enterprise working each single day placing blood, sweat and tears into it. We had an extremely hardworking workforce, 400 members. By the time we had been capable of reopen correctly, a number of members had left.

“They’d been affected financially, some had been nonetheless scared to return again, some had simply acquired out of the routine. I’d spent a lot effort and time and I misplaced hundreds.

“We’ve already constructed a group, shifting into the gymnasium was even higher as a result of we had our personal place, our own residence. It was disturbing. But like something, it’s a must to work by means of issues preserve going preserve doing the work.”

Greg “did not do something for 3 months” as soon as the gymnasium closed for good. “It was only a s*** time,” he says, “it was my first enterprise and I felt like a failure.”

“I used to be offended that the lockdown went on for therefore lengthy, it felt prefer it was out of everybody’s management. That was essentially the most irritating factor, it wasn’t me doing something flawed.

“When you’ve got put that a lot into one thing and it is your child, it was virtually like I misplaced my household, all of the workers you like, it is heart-breaking.”

Switching Greg Newlands Fitness to an internet service did not work. “Lots of members wished the face-to-face lessons, that is what they had been used to,” he says. “Some went on Zoom however it wasn’t their favorite factor on this planet.

“I used to be making an attempt to maintain busy, I used to be recovering. I posted some recommendation on Facebook in the future when somebody messaged me and stated ‘I’ve by no means labored with you in individual however your posts through the years have actually modified my life’.

“That was a set off second. I believed ‘I would like to begin serving to folks once more, that is what I’m good at’.

“Failures occur, you may have challenges – everybody does. You need to be keen to choose your self up and get again up once more, determine new plan of action. And ask for assist.”

Greg acquired a enterprise mentor, who “has constructed firms on-line” and began The Empowered Man, his on-line well being and health enterprise. “Because I’m on-line, I can run it wherever so I select to go someplace sunny,” he says “it gave me a possibility to do this.

“I keep primarily in Mexico, Portugal and England – I’m in Portugal on the minute, in a month I’ll be again for my brother’s marriage ceremony. I work Monday to Friday and nonetheless do 60 hours per week.

“But I could be within the solar, in a fantastic place. I’m grateful.”

Greg additionally met his companion Eunice whereas he was residing in Mexico. The new enterprise is “particularly for males”, he provides.

“We assist them get into the perfect form each mentally and bodily – as a result of psychological well being is a large a part of it. In relationships, their job, household life, they’re displaying up as a greater individual as a result of they’re more healthy and fitter. And it is empowering.

“The majority of shoppers are from Teesside however in addition they come from everywhere in the UK. Empowered Man is predominantly guys that go to the gymnasium anyway however they’re caught as a result of they do not know what they’re doing

“They work onerous and try their finest however not seeing any change, what they’re missing is the suitable plan. Most males work onerous however they have households busy jobs, they’re sacrificing time away from the youngsters to place into the gymnasium and so they do not see any change.

“The key issues we do is figure out a plan that may match into their lives, accountability and help, we’re continually speaking to them by means of the app to verify they get outcomes and preserve them.”

He says he nonetheless misses the ambiance of the gymnasium “to at the present time”. Turning as much as lessons, having fun and joking, that group, that household is not there,” he says. “I’m so grateful I had these experiences.”

“But now I really feel actually good that I’m doing what I like and serving to lots of people.”

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