On the 22nd of June, I’ll be climbing Mt. Maglić in Bosnia at 2386m in aid of raising money for Mental Health Muscle.

All of the money raised goes straight back into helping those in the community whether that be funding gym memberships, providing training workshops and seminars, holding local and national events, meet and eats...the list goes on.

Fitness saved my life and continues to aid in doing so. Anorexia, depression, anxiety, bipolar...I’ve been through them all. Stemming from issues whilst growing up, it all kicked off for me at the age of 15 in my last year of high school. I have fought back through relapses with several of the above to get to where I am today and although I can still struggle with it being a battle where you have to continually be proactive and focused, one thing that has always been consistent and has saved me many times is fitness, in particular for myself weight training. Firstly training for the wrong reasons, to become “skinnier”, it soon developed into my way of making myself stronger both physically and mentally. On bad days, I get myself to the gym as it means I have to regain control by putting all of my focus on it and put all of the aggression and sadness I feel into the weights. Feeling physically strong turns into mental strength and that is what we are all about.

For someone who is solely a weight trainer, this climb is going to be bloody hard but I am determined to do it for everyone who knows the struggles of mental health. Whether it is £1 or £5, any amount you can give is truly appreciated.

For more information visit www.mentalhealthmuscle.org