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Ben Gotting Life Lessons in Fitness - Foundry Personal Training Gyms

Movement Changed My Life

By Ben Gotting, Foundry Co-Founder

It’s so refreshing that mental health is now something we can talk about openly – as a man, you’re no longer considered weak for expressing emotion. But it hasn’t always been that way.

I used to play for London Wasps. Back then, I felt like a valued person with a solid future. But in 2006, I had a knee operation that would sideline me for over a year — and eventually end my life as a professional rugby player.

The transition out of sport hit me harder than I expected.

I don’t use the word “depression” lightly, but that was the lowest point I’ve ever experienced.

I felt completely alone. I still had people around me – colleagues, friends, my amazing wife Laura – but I didn’t know how to show them how broken I felt inside.

I let myself go. I was drinking every day, barely moving, and sitting behind a desk. I ballooned to nearly 19 stone.

That’s when I had a medical with Chris Walton (now our Ops Director at Foundry). He definitely had his work cut out.

Chris made some big changes to my diet, got me moving daily, and helped me reconnect with an environment I loved. Over the following weeks and months, I started to feel like myself again.

With Chris’s encouragement, I used my degree in Sports Science to retrain as a personal trainer – and that’s when everything changed.

I can hand-on-heart say that movement saved me. It made the darkest days feel manageable.

And it makes sense: exercise increases dopamine and serotonin, both of which are key to improving mood and function.

Fast forward 12 years: from the end of my playing career, to building a PT business, to opening Foundry Vauxhall, to merging with W10. It’s been a ride. And while it hasn’t always been easy, I’ve kept moving. That consistency has kept the dark days at bay.

In 2023, I was diagnosed with ADD and ADHD and honestly, it explained a lot. The lack of focus, zoning out in conversations (sorry, Laura), and terrible information retention finally made sense.

Since starting medication about 14 months ago, things have levelled out.

I’ve realised that for people like me – and for many in the fitness industry – movement isn’t just about fitness. It’s about regulation.

Training naturally boosts dopamine and serotonin. It gives you balance.

I always wondered why I could focus better after PE, or why I felt more switched on after break times at school. Now I understand: the jittery restlessness during double periods? That was low dopamine. The reason people often find dieting easier when they train? That’s serotonin (it helps regulate appetite, too).

So if exercise helps regulate mood in someone with ADHD… imagine what it does for someone with “normal” dopamine and serotonin levels. You’ll feel supercharged.

My takeaway if you’ve read this far is simple:

Exercise is one of the most powerful tools we have for our mental health.

Everyone feels off now and again. That’s normal. But when you’re low – stuck, overwhelmed, flat – movement can help.

Stick on some headphones. Go for a walk. Book a session. Sometimes all it takes is a high-five from your coach at the end of a Foundry PT to shift your day.

And if you ever need to talk, I’m here.

Big love,
Gotts

 

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