Benefits of a healthy lifestyle by Rachel Collins
I want to share the benefits healthy eating and exercise can have on the mind and body.
BENEFITS OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE BY RACHEL COLLINS
WHO AM I & WHY AM I WRITING THIS?
I’m Rachel Collins, I’m 22 and I’m from Newhaven near Brighton. I suffer with severe depression and severe anxiety as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have struggled my entire adult life with mental health problems and have always felt disgusted upon seeing myself in the mirror. In May 2014 I decided to make a big change to my unhappy and unhealthy lifestyle. I had tried so many different ways in the past but had always failed and given up within two to three months.
This time I was determined to break that pattern, no matter how long it may take or how hard it may be. I promised myself I would never give up. I knew there would be times when I would slip and have bad weigh-ins, as everyone does, but I promised myself I wouldn’t quit the second it became hard to keep up with. To this day, over a year on, I have kept my promise to myself and I am still on my journey. Yes, I have had slips, but I never gave up. By sharing my mental health and fitness story in this book, I am hoping to encourage other young people who may be struggling to start their own fitness journeys. I want to share the benefits healthy eating and exercise can have on the mind and body. At some of the hardest times in my life exercise has become my ‘crutch’.
I knew in order for me to lose weight and get fit I would have to face my fears and begin taking part in some exercise.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF MY CURRENT
MONDAY: Z-energy Dance* TUESDAY: 1 hour Personal Training WEDNESDAY: Zumba THURSDAY: 1 hour Personal Training
Before starting my fitness journey I would never have set foot in a gym. I always believed I was ‘too big’ and worried that other people would stare at me. My anxieties about exercise made it impossible for me to even try to give it a go. I knew in order for me to lose weight and get fit I would have to face my fears and begin taking part in some exercise. That is where I enlisted the help of my personal trainer and friend, Zuzana Strbakova. I have known Zuzana for around six years and I have always been inspired by her energy and enthusiasm. I began training with Zuzana twice a week and - anxiously at first- attending her exercise classes. As well as being a professional personal trainer Zuzana is also a nutritionist. She introduced me to healthy foods as well as an exercise regime.
FRIDAY: REST DAY SATURDAY: Zumba SUNDAY: REST DAY
HERE ARE SOME OF MY FAVOURITE EXERCISES:
S IT UP S
A simple exercise to increase core strength
L IG H T R U NNI NG
A simple cardio exercise which raises the heart rate and burns fat
1 - 1 B OXI NG
An exercise which is cardio, burns fat and uses the core. This also allows me to release a lot of negativity from my body and always boosts my mood.
* Z-energy Dance is a cardio based group exercise
class which incorporate a variety of Dance moves into each session.
Rachel knows that this is all a “work in progress� and she still has a lot to learn, but I personally think that she is on the right track and she WILL NEVER give up, no matter how hard or bumpy the road gets.
Zuzana was one of the first people to believe in me and hasn’t given up on me since she started working with me. This has played a big part in me getting as far as I have. “Rachel wasn’t in a very “good place” when she approached me re: Personal Training. She was struggling with her weight, her bad and almost addictive, food habits, anxiety and depression she was crying out for help... “Rachel is a new young woman these days. She has learnt about the positive benefits exercise has on one’s life, the joy and the happiness and a real sense of achievement it brings us and just how much it helps to make us feel more confident and happy and better about ourselves. “Rachel has realised that exercise isn’t a quick fix to lose weight. However, she has managed to lose 2.5st over the last 2 years. Exercise is a “way of life” and in combination with healthy diet can truly empower us and make us feel great. “Rachel still struggles from time to time, “life” hasn’t stopped happening just because she started working out... But situations and events which may have baffled her in the past have now become manageable and she feels
much more grounded and relaxed. When she has a bad day she knows that a PT session or a good exercise class will make it better and at least for an hour or so she’ll be able to escape and forget about everything. “Rachel knows that this is all a “work in progress” and she still has a lot to learn, but I personally think that she is on the right track and she WILL NEVER give up, no matter how hard or bumpy the road gets. “So if you are where Rachel was two years ago I encourage you to make that first step of finding a PT, or an exercise class in your area and find out for yourself just how life-changing exercise can be!” Zuzana Strbakova – friend and personal trainer
from THIS
TO THIS
I have always struggled with food and it has had a huge impact on my mental health. I used food as a comfort and would often ‘binge eat’ when struggling to cope. This, in turn caused me to gain weight and made my mental health considerably worse. I was never interested in healthy eating before I started this journey, I assumed I would have to eat a lot of foods I didn’t particularly like and would also have to spend a lot of time preparing meals.
Zuzana was the first person to introduce me to healthy foods and share with me the benefits they would have not only for my body but also for my mind. Zuzana explained to me that a ‘healthy body gives a healthy mind’. By eating good clean foods and giving my body the nutrients it needs it would also improve my mental health.
I also realised the suggested foods were in fact foods I enjoyed to eat, for example chicken and fish based dishes. Not only were they foods I liked, but they were also dishes that were easy to prepare and I was able to prepare meals at least four days in advance which then meant I didn’t have to worry about what I was going to have each day. There are a number of things I have learnt since working with Zuzana especially about food. I believed that in order to lose weight and be healthy anything I ate would have to be 0% fat and that all I would be allowed to eat was salads. This assumption was completely wrong, Zuzana explained to me that there are good fats and bad fats and it is in fact unhealthy to completely cut fat out of your diet. Our bodies do need fats. I now cook using coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil, these are good fats.
HERE IS WHAT
IN A DAY
BREAKFAST 30g porridge oats with skimmed milk and a portion of fruit
SNACK celery sticks, cucumber sticks and carrot sticks with humus
LUNCH As well as Zuzana’s help with food, my friend Charleigh - whom I met through Zuzana - also enjoys good, clean, healthy food and often shares her recipes with me. It was these meals that also supported the fact that not all healthy meals have to be a salad. One of my favourite meals before starting this journey was ‘fish and chips’. Charleigh introduced me to a much healthier version which included sweet potato chips cooked with extra virgin olive oil and salmon with mixed vegetables. Not only did this taste better but it also made me feel much better. “It amazes me how many people think that being healthy or losing weight, involves munching on lettuce all day and having a boring diet. NO!! Through my own weight loss journey I have realised that there are so many fresh, healthy and tasty ingredients to experiment with to make your meals nutritious and enjoyable. I love to share my recipes to help people like Rachel who are focused on their goals and want to take control of their health. I have witnessed Rachel become a happier and more confident lady through her fitness journey and it is so inspiring to watch. GO RACHEL!!” Charleigh Mears – friend
Grilled chicken with Cajun and salad
SNACK
Rice cake with cottage cheese
DINNER Poached salmon with quinoa and mixed vegetables
As long as my meals are protein based and of a healthy portion size I know I will not be hungry and I will lose weight. There is a saying that says “Abs are made in the kitchen”. No matter how hard you work in the gym, if your meals aren’t healthy and clean your workout will have been wasted.
This journey has not been easy but it has been worth it.
Before starting this journey I struggled every day with my mental health. I was very unhappy, my moods were at a constant low and I didn’t have a social life. I hadn’t found anything which improved my mood. I had the same routine every day. I went to work, came home, watched television and then went to bed. I had huge anxieties about social situations so I avoided going out and because of this, I lost friends which then made me feel even lower. I spent a lot of time thinking and putting myself down, I only ever saw the negatives in my life and had hit a huge low. I used food as a comfort and it was getting out of control. Since starting my journey and taking part in Zuzana’s Z-energy exercise classes my mood has lifted and I have made many new friends including Charleigh. I am now out of the house more than I ever have been. As well as a much improved
social life I am getting out and enjoying exercise. The exercise has become my crutch, I know no matter what mood I am in that after exercise I will feel better and my mood will be lifted. This journey has not been easy but it has been worth it. I have gone off track and lost hope with this journey a number of times. I still get points of severe low moods and sometimes give in to the temptation of food for comfort. I am only human after all. The main thing is I keep going and I have stuck to what I promised myself. Never ever give up. I still have a long way to go on this journey. I am still battling my mental health conditions and I have had to overcome many obstacles since starting.
Every day is a battle for me but it is a battle I am determined to win. Follow my fitness journey on facebook.com/R.c.happyfitness
For help or information on trying to live a healthy and active life have a look at the following websites: www.nhs.uk/change4life www.nutrition.org.uk www.mind.org.uk These are the experience of a young person, and should not be relied on or substitute for formal medical advice.
Fixers is a campaign that helps young people ‘use their past to fix the future’ and is part-funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.