Wrexham resident says fitness scheme saved his mental health

Tomos Stirrup, 27, is embarking on a challenge of 16 hours of continuous walking on a stair machine for Head Outside Awards, a mental health charity that focuses on the outdoors.

It will take place on Saturday, July 29 at the Powerzone Gym, Wrexham.

After struggling for most of his life with mental health, fitness and severe depression as a result of suffering a serious shoulder injury, Tom wanted to start a journey of becoming a better version of himself.

He reached out to Alex Rowlands to start a fitness journey and has lost over 5 stone since September 2022.

Running half marathons and aiming for full marathons, the programme has completely changed Tom's mindset.

Taking on the 16-hour continuous walking challenge to raise awareness for mental health was a no brainer for Tom after everything he has endured. 

Tom before and after his weight loss (Image: UGC)

He said: "Mental health is massively important to me because I've suffered with it the majority of my life, but being on Alex Rowland's program called 'Win from Within' has changed my life.

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"I've lost over 70lbs and I've managed to come off anti-depressants all through the gym, fitness and being in the outdoors.

"I just want everyone to know you're not alone when it comes to mental health and there's plenty of help out there."

Tom will start the challenge at 5am on Saturday and finish at around 9pm on the same day with no breaks, no rest, only toilet breaks.