Fitness coach who lost 8 stone launches mental health support project

Scott Ascroft knows first-hand just how much exercise can improve your mental health, and now his mission is to help others follow suit.

The 25-year-old, from Crooke, has undergone a remarkable physical and mental transformation over the past few years.

From being sectioned as a teenager and stepping on the scales at 22 stone, he has turned his life around through exercise, dropping more than eight stone, improving his mental health, and landing a dream job as a qualified strength and conditioning coach with Wigan Athletic Community Trust.

We all know the powerful benefits that exercise has on our bodies, but Scott is now promoting the psychological benefits with a new social media page, called Stronger Mind Better Resilience.

Scott said: “From the age of around 17, I went for years very mentally unwell. I lost a lot of close people in my family in a short space of time. It got so bad that I was sectioned, and everything went downhill. I was socially isolated, and I didn’t want anything to do with anyone. But I decided to change everything around.

“When I got sectioned, that was huge a huge wake up call for me. I did some soul searching and started looking at different philosophies. I started to get a bit more active and saw the benefits that this was doing for me. I saw the weight coming off and it helped my self esteem more. I got attached to it and became obsessive about finding new ways to get through difficult times.”

Through the Lose Weight Feel Great initiative, Scott shed the pounds, losing around eight stone. He even landed a job as a coach with the Latics Trust.

Over the past year, Scott has continued to progress with his mental and physical health. He has been completing 10km runs and long hikes, and has even run a half-marathon for charity.

“I’m trying to send a message that anything was possible, from where I was a few years ago to doing runs now,” he said.

“So I decided to do this page. We always encourage people to speak out about mental health, but that’s just the first stage. We need to progress and find some new techniques. People ask me how I do things, so I do videos. It’s all practical advice, nothing opinionated. It’s about being positive and trying to help people open doors and remove those barriers. By the day, there’s more people joining.”

He added: “I want to help everyone from the most introverted people to extroverts. I’ve got time for everybody.”

To find out more, visit facebook.com/betterresilience