Why I Started Working Out And How It Affected My Mental Health


My weight loss and fitness journey didn’t begin until the 8th October 2018. I’d always been the bigger person in my friendship groups and in school whether that be my height or how much I weighed.  I kind of got used to the size I was and just accepted it.


I started my journey after a few rubbish months. At the end of June, I finished college leaving with a photography diploma. I had plans to start University in September. Photography has been something I am really passionate about and really enjoy doing. On the 4th of July I was getting ready to go out and was getting a drink when I fell, and the stem of the glass went into my hand.  After having the glass removed and my hand being stitched up, I was referred to a specialist as I couldn’t feel my little or ring finger. This is when I had to have major surgery as I had severed the main nerves in my hand causing significant restrictions with what I could do. After the surgery I struggled to get dressed and do basic tasks like eating or doing my hair. I also couldn’t drive.  Throughout the summer holidays I was in and out of hospital attending appointments and also seeing my Nan who around this time we found out she was terminally ill.

At the end of august I had to make the decision to defer my place at university where I was going to study photography. I still couldn’t write, drive or barely hold a camera and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my Nan.  This was one of the best decisions I made. About 11 – 12 weeks after my accident I started driving again. At this point I had weekly physio appointments and also meetings with my surgeon to see how my hand was recovering.  This also meant I could see my Nan everyday at the hospice where I spent a lot of my time.

Fast forward to the 8th October where I joined the gym. My Nan had come home but was then taken back into the hospice and I needed something to take my mind off of things. Throughout summer I put on a bit of weight as I wasn’t eating great and not as active. As well as going to the gym I started watching what I was eating and tracking everything using my fitness pal. My goal was to go 3-5 times a week which I kept to. If anyone knew me from school knew I was the least sportiest person but after giving the gym a go I felt a lot better within myself. At the end of October my Nan passed away. I felt lost after I spent a lot of my time at the hospice with her. This is when I threw myself into eating healthy and going to the gym. I went pretty much every day to take my mind off of everything that was going on and to just escape from what was happening.

In January one of my goals was to continue working out every day and carry on with my weight loss journey. I signed up to February Fitness an event which raises money for Cancer Research a cause very close to my heart. This gave me more motivation to continue working out. If I hadn’t started working out and eating healthy, I really don’t know what I would have done. It has improved not only my physically health but my mental health by allowing me to have something I can take control over. I might not have been able to control what happened to my Nan and my recovery process from my accident, but I can have control over my health and fitness journey.



Beth 
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