Member-only story

Lifting Weights Can Be Very Effective For Your Mental Health

Iain Fraser
In Fitness And In Health
4 min readMar 3, 2021

The last time I lifted weights, in a gym, was Christmas Day!

Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash

It’s almost a year since the UK began working from home and going in and out of lockdowns due to Covid-19.

As I write, I haven’t set foot inside a gym since Christmas Day. Yes, on Christmas Day I was lifting weights for the last time due to new lockdown restrictions placed upon the UK.

What didn’t actually surprise me was the number of other people who had the same idea, training on Christmas Day, as the gym was busy (socially distanced & sanitizing equipment etc).

It’s now over 9 weeks since I’ve had a real workout in-terms of lifting weights and following my routine. I’ve done what I can with bodyweight training and plenty of walking.

But this is no substitute for weight-training.

Sadly, it could be 26th April before I undertake my near daily routine of going to the gym and ‘getting it done’. That’s when restrictions are to be lifted and gyms will be allowed to re-open.

So at the moment, I can go to McDonalds for a drive through or order as much takeaway as I want, but I can’t go to the gym and keep fit. This is deeply frustrating and has adversely effected my mental health.

--

--

In Fitness And In Health
In Fitness And In Health

Published in In Fitness And In Health

Medium’s largest collection of science-based and experience-backed insights for a fitter, healthier, and happier you.

Iain Fraser
Iain Fraser

Written by Iain Fraser

Interests: mindfulness, fitness/wellbeing, leadership and productivity. https://www.linkedin.com/in/iain-fraser1 iain.fraser@gmail.com

Responses (1)