Meet Christopher Willingham of WillHealth in Duluth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Willingham.

Christopher, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My own health and fitness journey started when I was a freshman in college. I was active in sports in high school but I was never into “working out”. I recall looking in the mirror and just telling myself “wow… I need to start hitting the gym. I am way too skinny…”. I was 138 pounds! So, I started hitting the gym with a good friend of mine, really enjoy it and wanted to keep learning more about fitness. The gym became a great way to cope with life and a great stress reliever. I enlisted in the Army Reserves in the midst of attending Auburn University and during most of my training, I was away from the gym but really wanted to get back to strength training. I had the opportunity during the later parts of my military training to get back in the gym and pumped up to 185 pounds! When I returned to school, I changed my major to Physical Activity and Health. Upon graduation, I earned my certification in personal training because I want to help others see the benefits of fitness as well as reach their goals.

Has it been a smooth road?
Is there such thing as a smooth road? Well, it definitely was not the smoothest of roads for me. More so with coming into my own. I didn’t truly know what I wanted to do with life, even when I enrolled at Auburn. Auburn was a huge struggle and even to this day, I will still say it was not for me even though I eventually graduated. That is what led me to enlist in the Army Reserves. Turned out to be a great decision because it became a huge stepping stone. I got a lot out of it including work and leadership experience. I have been blessed with great parents who have been here with me all the way. Most of my struggles came with trying to figure out who I am, what am I good at, and what do I want to do? To be honest, I still do not have the answer to those questions. I am starting to figure it out. I need to keep learning, progressing, and stepping out of my comfort zone.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
My business is personal training in exercise and health. I offer both an in-person and online training experience. I want to help and encourage people to be more active and reach their fitness goals. Fitness is very important and not only about looks, but for our lifestyle. Exercise helps minimize the many health risks including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. It is important to live a healthy lifestyle and I want to encourage and educate others to help them do that.

I am proud that I have motivated people to get more active. When I talk about fitness and post my workouts on social media, it is contagious and gets others to want to move. I believe what separates me from others is simply being myself. I believe being myself as well as continuing to be active will motivate others. I feel that being authentic and real will always set yourself apart from others. No one can be you better than you can be you.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Definitely! There are a lot of opportunities here and a lot of great people who want to progress and do great things. People will tell me “there are a lot of personal trainers in Atlanta” but there are even more people who need personal trainers. I think somebody starting out here would be surprised at that but there is a huge demand for personal trainers. If you are truly authentic and care about clients you will have no problem in Atlanta. Your work will speak for itself. I believe the biggest thing is to make sure you are being consistent with your own fitness, then others will gravitate towards you. I would definitely recommend coming to Atlanta!

Pricing:

• I charge $35 per session but also have different packages
• My online 6-week program starts at $95

Contact Info:

• Email: willhealth.fitness@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noigpersonaltrainerwill/

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