- The 30-year-old says a fitness app helped her finish second and gain strength
- At her lowest weight, doctors did not know how her heart was still beating
A woman warned by doctors that her heart could 'stop at any moment' due to an eating disorder claims a fitness app saved her life.
Julie Levens, from Huyton near Liverpool, struggled with anorexia and excessive exercise during Covid.
The 30-year-old's condition spiraled 'out of control' during the lockdowns.
At her lowest weight of just under 6st, charity worker Mrs Levens was admitted to hospital with protruding collarbones, tube-fed and told medics she was 'lucky to be alive'.
But she claimed that shifting her 'mindset towards food and fitness' helped her boost her road to recovery and take second place.
Julie Levens, from Huyton, Liverpool, was warned by doctors that her heart could 'stop at any moment' as anorexia was damaging her health. Here she is pictured in hospital and weighs only 6
The 30-year-old, now aged 8, says she has shifted her thoughts to healthy eating and fitness and away from disordered habits, and can enjoy breakfast again, partly thanks to a fitness app
“When I went to the hospital, they didn't know how my heart was still beating,” Ms. Levens said.
'When I went to hospital and was fed through tubes, one of the consultants told me my heart could stop beating at any moment.'
During her hospital stay, she was so severely underweight and malnourished that doctors would not allow her to walk to the toilet alone.
About 1.3 million people in Britain and 28.8 million in the US have an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia.
Many patients have control over what they eat, skip meals, over-exercise and struggle to admit that their weight loss is serious, according to the NHS.
The charity worker said her eating disorder was caused by disordered habits that 'spun out of control' during lockdown
At her lowest weight of less than 6 years, she was admitted to hospital, where she was tube-fed and the doctors told her she was 'lucky to be alive'. But now she has achieved 2nd place and continues her journey to recovery
Mrs Levens sought help from the NHS when she realized she needed a drastic change to improve her health.
But she felt NHS services did not provide enough support and felt like 'a naughty child' because she was 'a bit underweight'.
“What I needed was more personalized and supportive care,” Ms Levens said.
She came across the fitness app POW8R on a walk after leaving hospital and now credits it with her recovery.
Ms Levens said POW8R's live high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions became a lifeline and provided her with crucial structure and motivation to get healthier.
After two years of using the app for fitness and health advice, she came 2nd and now feels stronger than ever.
“When I first started training I was using 4kg kettlebells and my upper body was so weak I couldn't even lift them properly,” Ms Levens said.
After two years of using the fitness and health advice app, Ms Levens came 2nd and now feels stronger than ever
Mrs Levens sought help from the NHS when she realized she needed a drastic change to improve her health
'Now I use 16kg kettlebells and do the live workouts up to four times a week.'
She added that changing her approach to eating was key to her recovery from anorexia, and that POW8R co-founder Holly Braithwaite, 36, had helped her avoid calorie counting and obsessive behaviour.
Although she is not a professional expert on eating disorders, Ms Levens said Ms Braithwaite reached out to offer emotional support and guidance.
“She took the focus off weight and made it about getting strong and healthy to fuel my workouts and get the right amount of vitamins and protein,” she said.
'Breakfast used to be the most difficult meal of the day for me.
“Now I enjoy all my meals and especially enjoy preparing my post-workout breakfast with Greek yogurt, protein powder and berries to replenish my muscles and get stronger.”