Warning: Distressing Images
A teenager who needed an hour to climb five flights of stairs due to her battle with anorexia has overcome the disorder to become a successful fitness instructor.
Vera Schulz, from the city of Stavropol in Russia, battled with anorexia and in 2014, had dropped to a critical weight of just 33kg, the equivalent of five stone.
The 18-year-old said she ‘constantly fainted’ due to a lack of energy and was struggling with her school work.
Vera has now overcome her anorexia and is a successful personal trainer – her weight is now around a healthy 60kg, 9.44 stone.
Vera spoke about her experience of living with anorexia, saying:
I was suffering from a lack of air, I was regularly fainting.
Back in the day, I lived on the fifth floor, and I needed about an hour to get up there, as there was no lift.
Vera revealed her family didn’t know she was so dramatically underweight, which meant she was allowed to continue starving herself.
However, everything changed a few years ago when Vera discovered her love for using the gym – here she began building muscle and learned to accept and love her body.
Nowadays she is a successful fitness trainer and has developed a successful nutrition programme.
In addition to this, Vera says she is capable of supporting her clients from a psychological point of view too, as ‘unlike many others, she knows what it feels like to struggle’.
If you, or someone you know is suffering from issues raised in this article, contact Beat on 0808 801 0677.
