Before and after. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

By Liana Jacob

MEET the inspirational bipolar woman who has alleviated her mental health symptoms by adding weight lifting to her fitness routine and has gained a stone in muscle in 12-months.

Design and drafting representative, Kinsey Nicole George (21), from New York, USA, was misdiagnosed with depression in 2009, prescribed with Prozac for a year before she was sent to a mental health professional when she was accurately diagnosed with bipolar in 2010.

Before. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

Since then she had been taking a mood stabiliser but since she moved to New York with her fiancĂ© and left her family, friends and life in her hometown, Kansas, her emotions plummeted and she fell into a depressed state. During this time, Kinsey didn’t exercise and comforted herself with home cooked meals.

During this time, she yo-yo dieted, where she went down to 9st 4lbs.

Once she discovered her love of weight lifting, she built up her body into a curvy 10st 8Ibs.

Before and after. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

“Eating was my vice, I made delicious home meals that reminded me of home and I would eat a lot of servings, to put it short,” she said.

“It didn’t help that I was completely inactive. I would sit and play video games the entire day while my fiancĂ© was at work.

“I was going through a pretty rough period of depression after leaving everything I had known and was just doing what I thought would help.

Before. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

“Eventually I found the light and started fitness and ever since then it’s just been an up slope of battling emotional demons and food fears.

“In late 2016, I had already lost about one-stone six pounds and was ready for the next move. I kept seeing more of my peers on Instagram begin to lift weights and I thought it was the logical next step. I was finally ready to start building muscle and change my look.

“Before weight lifting and fitness, I loved video games. But when I lived in Kansas, I had a lot of friends I would spend time with. In New York, I didn’t have friends to keep me busy.

Kinsey now. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

“I was happy in Kansas, so it wasn’t too big on my mind. But when I moved, my time wasn’t being spent well and I was going to a really dark place mentally.

“Weight lifting has helped so much. If I’m having a bad day at work, or if school is stressing me out, or if I’m just in a whirlwind of emotions, I can go to the gym and focus on strength training and count reps.

“I can put some music in my ears and just lift. It’s almost like meditation; it takes your mind off everything else and makes you focus on what you’re doing. Once I leave, I have more clarity.

Now. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

“In January 2016, I noticed I was no longer developing muscle mass and switched to weight lifting. At that point, I started eating more food in hopes of gaining more muscle and lifting weights.

“At this point, it’s more for mental stability, working on self-care and self-love, progressing as a person and being the strongest I can be.

“I’m not afraid to speak my mind like I used to be. Before I was very meek and shy, no one knew what I was thinking or how I felt. I am now proud to be me.

Kinsey in the gym. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

“I feel pretty damn powerful. I feel like at this point I can achieve anything I want. I have battled the inner demons, I have gained confidence and freedom to eat what I want.”

Bipolar disorder is a condition that affects a person’s moods, which can swing from one extreme of happiness to the other extreme.

While there are no guaranteed treatments for bipolar, one approach that aims to reduce the severity is; lifestyle advice, which includes incorporating regular exercise and improving diet.

Now. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

Kinsey says that while once she couldn’t handle negative comments on her Instagram profile, she has found a new mental strength that helped her deal with them.

“I think honestly, the bullies on Instagram was the hardest part of my journey. I used to get a lot of hate messages; people telling me I’m too skinny, too strong, I look like a man or I ‘looked better before’, Kinsey said.

“It was really hard hearing some of that stuff but in the end, it gave me a thick shell. I remember shaking on my bed nearly in tears hearing some of the comments. But now I’m strong. And that’s all that matters.

Kinsey with her fiance Chris. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

“A lot of people in my real life are just proud of me for sticking with it and inspiring other people. It’s been a chill journey; just each day working on me, not really worried about anyone else.

“My fiancĂ© says I’m the strongest he’s ever seen me, and my mom says she thinks I’m cute.

“My advice would be to get started. Just pick a date, create the Instagram profile, making a fitness Instagram was a huge push in keeping up with myself.

“It’s seriously a lifestyle change but if you can manage the first eight weeks, you can manage the next eight years. I think what kept me going was slowly altering it over time, because it is a lifestyle switch.”

Now. Kinsey Nicole George / mediadrumworld.com

For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/kins3.0/