A father who served time for gang-related offences has revealed how he became a personal trainer after discovering exercise when he came out of prison.
Mike Purvis, 31, of Bicester, Oxfordshire, spent just over a year in prison before being released to a hostel in Oxford, where he turned to the gym to stay out of trouble.
‘Living in that hostel… it would have been so easy for me to fall back into that lifestyle,’ he said in an interview with FEMAIL. ‘I had to keep myself busy so I joined a gym and absolutely fell in love with it.’
In the decade since Mike has become a personal trainer, a position that he is uniquely suited to because he understands what it takes to overcome adversity, and because he weighed almost 19st growing up.
Mike Purvis, 31, pictured, who lives in Bicester, revealed how spending time in prison for violent gang crimes, inspired him to overhaul his life with a career in fitness
Mike has become a personal trainer, a position that he is uniquely suited to because he understands what it takes to overcome adversity, and because he weighed almost 19st growing up. Pictured, Mike as a young man
He said: ‘I believe I can reach a lot of people because not only am I an ex convict who turned his life around but I’m also an ex fat person who changed it around, so I know what it takes from both aspects.’
Mike, who is also a fighter out of Paladin Boxing, told how he was ‘always getting into trouble’ growing up.
‘I was drinking in the street, doing drugs, fighting, getting arrested so it was kind of inevitable,’ Mike told FEMAIL.
‘When I left school I just had no idea what to do. I didn’t get the grades to do any sort of further education so I just thought “what the hell” I started going to parties and drinking a lot which led me to that lifestyle.’
Mike appeared at Oxford Crown Court in 2008 when he was sentenced to a total of four years and four months for two offences, to run concurrently. He was released after serving half the two-and-a-half years.
Mike Purvis, 31, pictured in the gym, spent just over a year in prison before being released to a hostel in Oxford, where he turned to the gym to stay out of trouble
The father-of-one (pictured training a client) began to change his mindset while in prison, fearing that he would spend the rest of his life serving time for committing crimes
Speaking about his sentencing, he said: ‘My mum cried which was kind of a hard thing to watch. Obviously it was quite a lot to deal with for my family as one day everything was normal, then the police knocked on the door and took me away.
‘I’m gone for over a year – but we all dealt with it the best we could. How else can you deal with anything besides get on with it.’
Mike, who spent time in solitary confinement for fighting, used his time in prison to reflect on his life and vowed to make a change when he was released.
‘I just knew that when I was finally released, if I didn’t change the way I lived my life then this will be it for me,’ he continued. ‘I would have been in and out of prison my whole life.
‘I also knew how hard it was going to be, as it’s not the easiest of tasks trying to get a job as an ex-convict. But my whole mindset and attitude towards life changed while I was in prison, I was more positive and determined to take on anything.
‘I took advantage of the rehabilitation services that were offered to me that I had previously declined.
Mike who got Maths and English qualifications while in prison, found a job working in a factory after leaving, which gave him the opportunity to save up to pay for a level two fitness course
Mike (pictured) worked five years as a bricklayer before a friend who was a promoter for a boxing club asked him to step in for a match
‘I took my English and Maths exams again, as I knew a lot of jobs on the outside require a basic level of Maths and English to even apply.
‘I took an entry level fitness course which is pretty much an induction into the fitness industry and also received support from the probation services regarding housing.
‘When I left prison I was banned from my home town of Banbury for the remainder of my licence which was 14 months, and so was moved to a hostel in Oxford.
‘It was just as hard as I thought it would be trying to get a job, nobody wanted to know, so I had to sign on to job seekers allowance.
‘Living in that hostel, without a job, in a town where I knew not a single soul with about ten other housemates who were all still getting in trouble, drinking and partying, it would have been so easy for me to fall back into that lifestyle. I had to keep myself busy so I joined a gym and absolutely fell in love with it.’
Mike, who is father to five-year-old Darae, eventually got a job in a factory to save enough money to study for a gym instructor qualification.
Mike (pictured training a class) who once weighed over 18st, saved up for his level three qualification to become a personal trainer
He continued: ‘To gain my level two I applied for a course online that was being held in Birmingham. It cost over £1,100 so I had to save up and after I completed the course I got a part time job as a fitness instructor at a local gym in Banbury called Fighting Fit.’
When the gym closed Mike spent five years working as a bricklayer before returning to the world of exercise when a friend needed help at a boxing club.
He saved up for his level three PT qualification and now works as a self-employed trainer.
He continued: ‘I’ve met all kinds of people from all aspects of life and I have to deal with every client differently. What might work with one client might not work with another.
‘I’m a spin instructor and I also plan to start a fitness class for people who are in similar situations as I was.’
He also shared a warning for people who found themselves caught up in criminal activity: ‘If you do the crime then prepare to do the time. This lifestyle will eventually catch up with you and stay with you for the rest of your life.’