Don Lam, a 2008 graduate of Houston Secondary School, officially started his fitness company, DIYBODY.
Lam coaches his clients on their journey to transform themselves and their bodies, whether their goals are based in nutrition programming, body transformation, contest prep, or competition posing.
“Building an amazing body and staying in great shape was never meant to be miserable,” said Lam.
Though DIYBODY officially began this year, online personal training and fitness coaching has been a hobby of Lam’s since 2015.
In 2015, Lam competed in his first bodybuilding competition in Kelowna, B.C. in the Men’s Physique category, and placed first.
“Fitness started to become a passion of mine in Grade 12, but winning my first competition definitely was a huge milestone to help me think about the next thing I wanted to work towards,” said Lam.
Success stories from clients of DIYBODY have shown the Lam focuses on creating a healthy relationship with food and physical activity for his clients.
“It is important to establish a healthy relationship with food because if one categorizes food as ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ ‘clean’ or ‘dirty,’ this can often lead to putting restrictions on certain foods and/or food groups, which can make someone feel deprived,” said Lam.
“Deprivation doesn’t feel good especially when it isn’t necessary. Too often people try to change too much at once or go to extremes with their nutrition and physical activity. Extreme measures never last. The key is to find something that is sustainable that fits your lifestyle.”
In the early 2000s when Lam began his own training and education in fitness and nutrition, he became aware of the dichotomy that challenges people in the fitness industry between food and fitness, mental and physical.
“In my own experience, this was something that was more of a challenge earlier on in my training career I lacked knowledge about how to eat according to my health and fitness goals. Once I started reading more about nutrition and working with professional coaches, I began making consistent progress physically and mentally.
One of the major mental challenges Lam has seen his clients and other struggle with when trying to meet their goals is, “Realizing progress can sometimes be slow and letting the number on the scale dictate their self worth.”
Since graduating Houston Secondary School, Lam went to Thompson River University in Kamloops B.C. graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a double major in Human Resources and Marketing, while competing in bodybuilding competitions and working with his clients as a hobby to help them succeed in their goals.
Three months ago, Lam took the initiative to change careers and focus on his company, DIYBODY, in Kamloops B.C. where he currently resides.
“When I used to work as a human resource advisor full-time, I was not able to dedicate all my time towards improving my brand [DIYBODY.]. Since making the decision of making a career change three months ago to become a full time online coach, I have seen a significant increase in demand to the point that I have brought on another online coach to assist with the operations.”
Lam’s clientele caps at 45 people at one time.
Currently DIYBODY has two online coaches, Lam and Zac Bruce. Lam hopes to create a larger team by the end of 2018.
Lam has also worked closely with many residents of Houston to help them reach their goals in health and fitness.
“When I get to work with people I grew up with, it hits home. I love it because it’s so cool to see a change in someone that you have known forever,” said Lam.
Lam added that he is thankful for the opportunity to be able to share his story.
“My whole life, I pursued things in my life that I had no interest in because I never wanted to disappoint certain people in my life. It took me along time to realize that I am in control of my life and that no one is holding me back from going after the life I want to live. It’s okay if you do not know what you want to do after high school, university, even if your 50. The most important thing is that you are living a life you are proud of. If you have a dream, make time for it. Opportunity doesn’t knock on your door if you do not work. You need to believe in yourself, because if you don’t, why would anyone else?”
For more information on DIYBODY and the services they provide, contact Don Lam visit his website at https://www.diybody.ca/ or find him on Instagram at @doncarterlam and @diybody
