Sometimes, life gets the better of you and things don't go how you may have planned. It's easy to say that you want things out of your life, but reality typically looks a lot different. For me, life knocked me down over and over for a few years and I found myself in a depressive, miserable state.
During this time I felt alone, and I was battling an injury that led to a lot of weight gain.
According to The National Library of Medicine, there is a direct link between depression and weight gain, specifically in women. (Sutin, et. al., 2012)
I found it really hard to lose weight and feel happy in my own body during this time and it made the depression worse. I didn't want to get out of the house, I didn't enjoy any of the things I once enjoyed and overall I just wanted to be alone and sleep most of the time.
One of the ways I began to combat this depression was exercise. Medical News Today states that "An expansive analysis of existing research concludes that physical activity should be viewed as a first-choice treatment for people living with mental health issues." (Berman, 2023) I was tired of being tired and lonely and decided randomly one day to take a leap of faith and join a gym. I was really intimidated at first but I quickly found that I loved group fitness, and I really enjoyed the people I met there. It was a struggle to make myself go in the beginning, but as I met new friends, and saw small changes in my body I got more and more motivated to show up and put in the work for myself.
As I began to move my body more, I saw benefits not only in my physical appearance but also in my mental state as well. BMC Public Health suggests that a higher amount of physical activity improved anxiety, symptoms of depression, and overall well-being. (Marconcin, et. al., 2022) I was finally able to enjoy life some and get out of the house. I started doing more with my kids like taking them out again, and I even started going out with friends on occasion.
I worked really hard to overcome the ideals that I'd begun to think about myself and my body, and I put in a lot of effort to reach my goals over time. There have been days I didn't want to put in the work, and other days I didn't want to but forced myself. It took me three years to get to this point but I feel stronger than ever, and while I sometimes still struggle with body image, I like who I see in the mirror.
It took a lot of determination and grit to make it to this place. Without a change in mindset early on in this journey I would never have made it as far as I have. It certainly wasn't always easy but the goal was worth the pain.
Sutin, A. R., & Zonderman, A. B. (2012). Depressive symptoms are associated with weight gain among women. Psychological medicine, 42(11), 2351–2360. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291712000566
Berman, R. (2023, March 3). Exercise 1.5 times more effective than drugs for depression, anxiety. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/is-exercise-more-effective-than-medication-for-depression-and-anxiety
Marconcin, P., Werneck, A.O., Peralta, M. et al. The association between physical activity and mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. BMC Public Health 22, 209 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-12590-6
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