My Journey With Health And Fitness – Mental Health

Ok, I have just done 2 super workout days in a row. That means a 1 hour bootcamp class followed by 4 hours of walking (of course not all at the same time). This week I actually put in 4 days of at least 20km walked in a day. Yes, I put in a lot of effort this week and I am hoping I can sustain that again next week.

I follow this fellow on X. He is in the UK and is a young guy and is on the bigger side. In May he ran everyday to raise awareness around mental health. I have been encouraging him ever since he popped up on my feed and think about how similar our journeys are. Right now he has decided to train for a marathon and it gladdens my heart every time I read about his successful run as I have been there and know what a feeling of accomplishment it is to add even 1 more km to what you did on your last run.

Thursday I read his post and it broke my heart. 2 years ago he was in such a bad place that he actually attempted suicide. Here is a young man with so much to look forward to in life but felt so down that he wanted to let it all go. I am so proud of him now that he is talking about his mental health and trying to get others to be aware of those around them and what struggles they are going through. I also love the fact he is doing this in such a positive way but getting himself healthier. I truly believe that is what will make him succeed.

I have previously talk about my own issues. When I left my job I was beaten to the point that I didn’t think I could ever recover. What helped me do so was twofold. First, I got some contracts with organizations that respected me. The first one was with a union whose leadership told me at every turn how awesome I was. I have to say, when I worked with them last fall and saw how they implemented so many of my recommendations and that had helped them completely turn around. The 2nd one was a awesome nonprofit who literally referred to me as a financial superhero in getting all of their books that hadn’t been done in 5 years up to date. The last is another nonprofit who just wanted to make sure everything was being done right. I love working for all of these organization as all of them are positive and encouraging. It so helped me turn my mental health around.

But honestly it was 4 years ago when I decided to change my physical health that really put me on the path to recovery. I spend numerous hours everyday walking and that always allows me to clear the negativity out of my head and focus on the important things. I admit, whole different story these past 3 weeks but even today while walking I had an awesome conversation in my head with the little bro’ and it was cathartic.

I ask all of you who read this to remember that mental health is just as important as physical health. I also ask that if you see someone who you think is struggling that you reach out to them and try to find the help that they need.