Fitness coach Jessica Cooke on the moment that

Kickstarted her fitness journey… By Keeley Ryan

An Irish woman has opened up about how she had a “complete breakdown”in her 20s — and it led down a path to discover her passion for fitness. Jessica Cooke is a Galway fitness coach who aims to help women over the age of 40 get fit and find their inner peace — and she told Chic about what inspired her to kickstart her fitness journey.

She said,“i had a complete breakdown in my 20s, which left me with huge panic attacks and an overwhelming feeling of stress and anxiety. I didn’t know how to take care of myself; I was super unhealthy and I was drinking too much.

“I didn’t know how to take care of myself and I didn’t really put myself anywhere as a thought in my life — and it was that that led to my breakdown.

“I discovered fitness and I developed, grew and got better from fitness. Just with that act of exercising three times per week, everything changed for me.

“I started to make better food choices, I started to sleep better and I just started to slowly feel more calm. I was able to think more clearly, too.

“It was from that space, from getting better to really understanding what health meant, that I studied to become a fitness coach. I am hugely passionate about helping women over 40 get fit and feel great — and, most importantly or if not as important, to find their inner sense of calm.

“I feel sometimes for women especially, as it can be so busy and they can have so many life changes, that it’s important to feel like you have a sense of peace and calm.”

Jessica recalled how she began reading up on lifting weights after she felt an “overwhelming feeling that I need to start moving my body”— and how “every aspect of my life changed for the better”after she began working out. She said,“i hadn’t really been working out at all, the most I would ever do would be to walk.

“I just read up a little bit on lifting weights and I had this overwhelming feeling of needing to get fit. I started