MUM-OF-TWO
After struggling with her mental health for years, Alanna Groom undertook a 10-week fitness class, which turned her life around
Two-and-a-halfyears ago, Alanna Groom had hit rock bottom. She’d contemplated taking her own life and had meticulously planned her own funeral. But after being encouraged to swap her junk food and boozy lifestyle for a 10-week body blitz, Alanna improved not only her physical health, but her mental state too.
Since then, Alanna, 43, from Essex, has taken her training to the next level and is now ranking highly in bodybuilding competitions, teaching boxing classes, and is soon to qualify as a personal trainer.
Mum-of-two Alanna says, “I feel emotional looking back on how far I’ve come. For years, I was checked out, but now I live for bodybuilding – it’s not only made me healthier, but happier too.”
Alanna’s mental health issues began when she was diagnosed with postnatal depression after the birth of her daughter Romilly, eight, and was put on medication. She recalls, “It hit me hard. I was scared to love my daughter and was terrified of doing something wrong.”
FLATLINE
Alanna came off antidepressants when trying for her second child, but three months after her daughter Remy, five, was born, she was back on the medication. Alanna says, “I felt flatline, like I was just trying to get through the day, and it got worse during lockdown. With nothing else to do, I was drinking daily, whether it be cocktails in the garden or a bottle of wine with dinner, then I’d wake up hungover and turn to junk food and sugar, so I put on weight. I was having terrifying suicidal thoughts regularly. Despite having a nice home, two beautiful daughters and a loving husband, Jon, I woke up dreading every day.”
By spring 2020, Alanna was feeling so low that she wanted to end it all. She admits, “I didn’t want to carry on. I told myself my family would be better off without me. I felt worthless and like I was failing as a mum. I’d planned my own funeral, including the music, what people would wear and even the food.”
It was during this time that Alanna saw adverts on Instagram for personal trainer Scott Francis’ 10-week lockdown body blitz. She was drawn to him because of his focus on mental health, and Alanna’s sister, sensing she was struggling, offered to pay for the course. Alanna recalls, “I had nothing to lose. To start the programme, I had to state how I was feeling on a form, and as I wrote it down, I realised I’d never really admitted how bad I felt before, because I didn’t want to be a burden. I poured my heart out – so much so that Scott called me and advised me to give up alcohol and sp
