{"id":38743,"date":"2017-10-16T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T14:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/?p=38743"},"modified":"2017-11-11T16:54:19","modified_gmt":"2017-11-11T23:54:19","slug":"fitness-bodybuilding-the-key-to-overcoming-depression-for-city-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/2017\/10\/16\/fitness-bodybuilding-the-key-to-overcoming-depression-for-city-man\/","title":{"rendered":"Fitness, bodybuilding the key to overcoming depression for city man"},"content":{"rendered":"

S<\/span>truggling with depression and suicidial thoughts, Felipe Soto Torres, 32, took a hard look at his life, and decided to change things through fitness.<\/p>\n

T<\/span>orres, an amateur bodybuilder, a personal trainer and a blogger on bodybuilding, remembers that he was in a \u201cblack hole\u201d three years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost my job, I broke up with my girlfriend, and I had to seek a psychiatrist,\u201d said Torres.<\/p>\n

Because of his mental illness, Torres took medication to calm himself down. However, it made him became neglect his school work.<\/p>\n

He ended up nearly facing loss of his status as an international student, which might have resulted in him having to leave Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause if I weren’t a student, they would report me to the immigration officer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torres said everything was getting worse, so he bought a bottle of sleeping pills and decided to end his life.<\/p>\n

Then a strange thing happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was sleeping, a really clear voice said to me that I could not end my life like this,\u201d said Torres.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dreamed of my mother, my niece, and my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torres said that he did not know where the voice came from. However, all his suicidal thoughts were gone, and he decided to do something to make his life better.<\/p>\n

He started training seriously with a proper eating plan.<\/p>\n

According to Torres, fitness not only changed his physical appearance, it transformed his mindset.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fighting Depression: <\/strong>Felipe Soto Torres, 32, an amateur bodybuilder, a personal trainer and a blogger of bodybuilding, poses at a gym centre, in Calgary on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. He had struggled with depression and suicide thoughts three years ago. (Photo by Minh Do\/The Press)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kay Wayne, Torres\u2019s trainer, said that Torres trained six days a week, combined with a strict diet and daily supplement intake.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he told me he wanted to do something different, I knew he was determined enough to take a huge step outside of his comfort zone,\u201d said Wayne.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was hard at first, because he has to mentally, physically and financially prepare for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad that he\u2019s on the right track.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cedric Bryant<\/a>, chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, says in a study that exercise relieves symptoms of depression, which triggers the release of chemicals in the brain: Serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins, dopamine, that dull pain, lighten the mood and relieve stress.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day, I stand in front of the mirror and reassure myself that I am more than loved by myself,\u201d said Torres.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause when I love myself, I know that I deserve better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt changes my point of view about life and boosts my confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torres said his most significant motivation was to become a better person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine myself as a good role model for my nephews, nieces, and motivation for someone who needs as I needed before.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I can change or save one’s life with what I\u2019m doing, that motivates me too.”<\/p>\n

Torres is now training for the local building competition in November, 2017.<\/p>\n

He wants to pursue his career as a professional bodybuilder and compete in international competitions in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While struggling with depression and suicide thoughts, Felipe Soto Torres, 32, took a hard look at his life, and decided to lead a healthy lifestyle through fitness. [ READ MORE ]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":39091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_ef_editorial_meta_text_assignment-slug":"S2 Overcoming Depression through Self-Motivation","footnotes":""},"categories":[1109],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-38743","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-image","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"post_format-post-format-image"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/432"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38743"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40190,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38743\/revisions\/40190"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saitjournalism.ca\/thepress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}