Angela Morey is 21 years old and lives in Woodbridge, Ontario. She works at a local Popeye's Supplement store. At a young age, Anglea started suffering from anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphia. Like many other males and females who struggle with eating disorders, taking steps to get better is difficult. To combat these disorders, she turned to fitness and her journey began.
COVID-19’s impact on many people has been a rollercoaster of emotions. At first, many were excited to be off work, to get time to themselves, and most of all relax. Now that we are a year into this pandemic, people feel as if there are more hardships than there were before.
A great outlet for many is going to the gym and staying physically active. But provincial orders have closed them for much of the time. As the summer weather rolls in it should be easier for people to work out. But what about those who lift weights or follow strict regimens?
Angela competes in the Women’s Bikini Division in Body Building. WNBF Canada explains that “bodybuilding is the process of developing muscle fibres through a combination of weight training, specific caloric intake, and rest.”
This requires a strict routine and a lot of sacrifices to be competition-ready. Though this was not Angela’s first intention, she was happy to get involved in this sport.
“I began working out when I was 12 years old, predominantly as a runner,” says Angela. Fitness has been a part of her lifestyle from a young age. Teens Health says that it’s recommended for teens to get 60 minutes or more of activity… helping with losing weight, aging and feeling overall healthier.
Though Angela was working out, due to bullying she developed an eating disorder. She remembers other children being really cruel to her and to combat that feeling, she decided to get more invested in fitness and nutrition.
“I wanted to feel validation for something once in my life.”
Angela is one of the many females who battle with eating disorders and or body dysmorphia. According to the International OCD Foundation, body dysmorphia is common but it often under-recognized and under-diagnosed. She also ended a five-year abusive relationship, which was another stepping stone on her fitness journey.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, Angela was forced to find other options to stay fit during the lockdown. “I trained out of public and private gyms and when everything locked down, I started working out at home,” she says. Her routine consisted of one and half hours of training, six times a week along with one hour of cardio each day.
Staying active is important but a proper diet is what is key in fitness. Mainly green, low carbohydrate fruits and natural protein powders were Angela’s diet and then shrinking to 4 tiny meals a day closer to her competition.
“It was a hard journey – especially the last time around.”
She never had a “goal weight” in mind, but she wanted to feel healthier. Angela struggled due to her body not cooperating the way she wanted it to. “It was a humbling experience, to be honest... and the support from my boyfriend and coach helped a lot,” she says.
During the current lockdown, she is forced to resort to working out at home. Though she will not see significant gain during this time, she will be able to maintain her fitness journey.
“I want people to know that women do not become bulky from lifting heavy, you don't have to be a certain weight to be happy and the number on the scale does not define your worth.”
With encouraging words, Angela hopes to continue to inspire people to get into fitness and improving their health. Building good habits and staying healthy is important to a long and happy life.
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