Kat, aged 48 years, lives in West London and was diagnosed with adenomyosis, a form of endometriosis, 7 years ago
I think the ‘Stronger my way’ campaign is brilliant because it will help people get rid of any preconceived ideas they have about strength training and show that everyone can do it no matter where they are in terms of fitness and what condition they have.
Being healthy, fit and active is something that has always been important to me. However after years of suffering from extreme pain, I was diagnosed with adenomyosis which is when strengthening became even more important to me.
My condition, at its worst, causes me to vomit whilst menstruating, which leads to weight loss, as well as excess blood loss and excruciating pain, all of which can leave me feeling exhausted and drained.
After my diagnosis I went on a mission to find out what things could help me manage my symptoms; I joined a number of online adenomyosis groups and did a lot of research and kept reading about all the benefits of strength training.
It was then that I decided to seriously incorporate strength training into my fitness routine. It was also something I could safely do in the comfort of my own living room, which felt perfect for me.
I felt the benefits very quickly; it was little things I noticed at first like being able to open a jar of sauce, move furniture about and carrying bags of shopping home but over time I found that it was helping me to recover more quickly after bouts of illness.
It helped me to manage and feel better about all the physical symptoms that come with my condition, and made me feel good about my body when it felt like it had given up on me for a long time.
In that sense it has helped to me to build my confidence and trust back up with myself and I am still amazed and surprised at how strong I’ve become.
A massive bonus for me is that it also allows me to be on very strong medication for my condition, that can affect bone density; I go for regular tests to monitor this and make sure I can still be on it but so far it hasn’t affected me because I am incorporating regular strengthening programmes into my week.
I am now passionate about helping others become fitter and stronger and trained to become a PT and group fitness instructor in 2015. I have always liked working out and being active, but over the pandemic I got into a really great routine of doing strength based exercises in the comfort of my own home. I now strength train at least 3 times a week.
A lot of people think I take it really seriously and they couldn’t be more wrong; strength training can be a lot of fun, especially flinging a kettlebell around and it feels great to push my body in this way.
I have run a weekly online strength training class for all ages since the beginning of the pandemic and get such a buzz when I see people improving and feeling better about themselves. The advancement in some of my regulars is quite astonishing.
I have done many different forms of exercises over the years including long distance running, but hands down, strength training has benefited my body the most.
I wish more health professionals spoke about the benefits strength training can have to their patients as people often need that reassurance to get started.
I think the ‘Stronger my way’ campaign is brilliant because it will help people get rid of any preconceived ideas they have about strength training and show that everyone can do it no matter where they are in terms of fitness and what condition they have.
