Leeds health and fitness therapist sees 50% client increase

A Leeds health and fitness therapist has seen a 50% increase in its number of clients during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fitness Fusion has not only seen an increase in clients from Yorkshire but has also treated people across the UK via Zoom.

The company said that uncertainty, redundancies, fear of becoming ill, and the grief of losing loved ones have caused an increase in mental health issues during the pandemic, with that number predicted to increase if lockdowns are reimposed.

Anna Ferguson from Fitness Fusion uses a technique known as brain working recursive theory (BWRT), a method of psychotherapy which is rooted in neuroscience, with the aim of helping people to reduce binge eating triggered by the anxiety of the pandemic.

Anna commented: “With all the uncertainty around coronavirus and the impact it’s having on our day to day lives, I’m seeing an increase in the number of people coming to me because their ‘emotional eating monster’ has taken over their lives and is making them miserable.”

BWRT® was created by UK author and psychotherapist Terence Watts, who said: “The therapy works on the hindbrain that controls the fight or flight response we experience when exposed to danger.”

“If it recognises a pattern that triggers anxiety, it automatically prompts the release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can trigger our need to snack, amongst other things.”