Isla

‘Doing more walking feels like self care for my mind as well my body’

As a child I was always active. I was lucky enough to spend my childhood playing outside and to have supportive parents who encouraged me to participate in extracurricular activities. At the age of around 10 I started figure skating and it soon became my main focus, requiring a lot of time and dedication. I would train most days, sometimes twice a day, and I was lucky enough to compete abroad with my synchronised skating team. However, in my teenage years, and after suffering from an injury, I fell out of love with it, and found the pressure too much alongside school exams and wanting to do other things with my spare time. When I quit skating, I didn’t know what to do with myself and the disengagement I had experienced for competitive sport spilled over into my feelings for other forms of exercise. Today, exercise is a massive part of my life. Now, I exercise for myself and for how it makes me feel, without the pressure of competition or a strict schedule. I attend local gym classes that make exercising fun and allow me to set my own goals. I love getting outside and going for walks whether it’s with friends, my dog or on my own. Exercise helps me maintain a positive frame of mind and generally makes me feel motivated for all aspects of life. I would recommend that everyone finds something that works for them and tell them that you don’t need to be an athlete to feel the benefits of movement and a healthy lifestyle.