Exercise did so much more for Kelsey Wells than just transform her body.
In a lengthy Instagram post, the social media influencer and trainer revealed two bikini photos of herself – one taken four years earlier on a day she visited a doctor while struggling with postpartum depression, and the other, showing Wells looking happy and more toned, taken recently.
It was during that office visit, Wells explained, that the doctor suggested exercise to help with her postpartum depression.
“So it was four years ago this very week that my fitness journey began, out of desperation,” she wrote. “Desperation to help myself cope mentally and desperation to again recognize my body in the mirror. I did not have a healthy mindset then. There was nothing wrong with my body but everything wrong with how I viewed it and treated it.”
Fitness proved to heal Wells in a way she had needed.
“I stopped and started many times before finally committing to prioritizing daily exercise NO MATTER WHAT, and the ways my life began to change were nothing short of incredible,” she wrote. “FAR before I saw any physical changes in the mirror, I started to FEEL them. I slowly began to gain confidence and appreciation for my body and manage my anxiety in a holistic and healthy way. Simply, the more I cared for my body, the more I began to love myself and believe it was worth caring for.”
Through exercise, Wells said she felt empowered and discovered her “greatest passion.”
“I now only look back at the girl on the left with gratitude, because those small consistent efforts to exercise and eat well were SO HARD back then. I ‘failed’ a lot. But I never gave up and the longer I pressed forward the easier it became,” said Wells, who regularly posts her workouts on Instagram.
She added: “I had NO idea where life would take me or where my efforts would lead. But four years of hard work, consistency, and finally believing in and being true to myself later, I am who I am and where I today. I am immensely grateful for my struggles and every part of my journey and YOU SHOULD BE TOO.”