Everyone's heard that exercise is good for your mental health. But not everyone KNOWS it. A few years ago, I was depressed, socially anxious, and suffered from anorexia and orthorexia. No one knew - not even my family. I'd cut myself off from everyone because I didn't want to burden anyone with what I was dealing with. Everything changed when I started powerlifting. My eating disorder recovery sped up when I finally understood that food was not the enemy; my self-esteem shot up when I started focusing on what my body could do rather than how it looked; I made new friends within the powerlifting community who helped me come out of my shell; and consistently training for competitions filled me with purpose. To me, powerlifting is more than just getting strong. And it's not just me. In this podcast, I talk with people who powerlift for their mental health in addition to their physical health. We talk about their mental health and powerlifting journeys, about how powerlifting specifically helps their mental health, and we talk about the brutal reality of what it's like recovering from or living with a wide range of mental illnesses, disorders and conditions. Through this podcast, I hope that you will feel less alone in your own mental health struggles and if you're not (yet) a powerlifter, perhaps we can convince you to give it a try! My name is Karen Ballesteros, I'm an open, -63 kg class Canadian powerlifter, and this is No Restrictions Podcast. Talk it out, rep it out.