Bodybuilder’s personal win
Battles her own mental health issues
A Menstrie woman has overcome mental health issues and grief by turning to bodybuilding.
Mum-of-four Samantha Brander struggled with borderline personality disorder and anxiety and at one stage tried to take her own life.
In January her grandfather died causing heartache for the family.
But she put all of her struggles behind her last week when she took part in one of Scotland’s top bodybuilding events.
A year ago she was an unfit, unhealthy bakery worker at Bayne’s in Alva. Now, she is employed as an instructor at the MXP gym in Stirling and trains seven days a week to gain the physique required for bodybuilding shows.
Samantha, who also has type 1 diabetes, admits that before getting involved in bodybuilding she would binge on takeaways, sweets and crisps but she changed her lifestyle and slimmed down from more than 13 stone at her heaviest to just eight stone.
After taking to the stage at the BNBF bodybuilding event in Perth earlier this month, she said: “After suffering for years, last year I decided to take on the challenge to try conquer my demons and train to take part in a bodybuilding competition on a stage in front of a hall full of people.
“I spent years hiding my mental health. In 2014 I tried to take my own life, which not many know. I was at a point that I felt I couldn’t carry on and I’ve worked hard to try get on top of my mental health but I always got dragged back under.
“Then I found that exercise helped my moods, it lifted me up when I felt down. There were days when I couldn’t face it and wouldn’t go or times I went and had to leave.”
In March, 2018 she signed up with Gregg Thompson at GPT Personal Training, after marvelling at the progress made by a friend who sought help from him.
“I wanted to lose body fat and find myself,” she added.
“We went through ways to lose the fat and I started to feel great most days but still found it hard going but then I decided to set myself the challenge to push my mind and body to places it had never been before.” continued with the regime despite the death of her grandfather
She added: “That fire was in me to keep going, so I battled on. It was first time I really understood what it felt like to lose someone and said to myself I was doing this for my papa.
“Preparation for competition is not easy at all. There’s so much training and reduced calories. The further in to prep, the harder it got.
“The last two weeks were very tough. I had contemplated giving up so close to the end but I battled on as it really did come down to how much I wanted this.”
At the competition at Perth Concert Hall on Sunday, June 2, Samantha failed to make the podium, but she said just stepping on stage in front of the hundreds in attendance was her own little victory.
She was supported by her husband Campbell and children Owen (11), Calvin (9), Lexi (7) and Poppy (4). She added: “When I came off the stage I was so happy. I had not won a trophy, but achieved my own goal. I battled my mental health and went out of my comfort zone.”
I had not won a trophy but achieved my own goal. I battled my mental health and went out of my comfort zone