Hi babes, it’s Katinka here — the founder of Getupgurl. I wanted to sit down and tell you my real story about mental health, fitness, and all the messy in-betweens. Because let’s be honest: the journey is never a straight line.
Life After School: The Dark Hole
When I left school, I knew nothing about nutrition. All I was taught was that “protein and salad” = healthy. That was it. Then came university and early adulthood — late nights, parties, cheap junk food because that’s all you can afford. You convince yourself that starving for two days and then smashing a pizza will keep you skinny. Spoiler: it doesn’t.
Your body goes into survival mode, and everything you eat gets stored as fat. Add in all those party drinks, and my system was wrecked. I gained about 10kgs after school, hated working out, and jogged just to “lose weight.” Bla bla bla. Nothing worked. No diet worked.Because obviously nothing I was doing was fun or sustainable.
The Lockdown Shift That changed it all.
Then came lockdown. Life slowed down, and for the first time, I had space to breathe. Thanks to the internet, I discovered proper nutrition: calories, fibre, protein, carbs — the actual building blocks of health.
A friend once told me, “Katinka, you’re just bad at planning.” And wow, she was right. Planning is EVERYTHING. Once I started eating enough and prepping in advance, I lost 12kgs in 5–6 months — and this time it was sustainable.
But let me be honest: even though I was at my “skinniest,” I wasn’t truly healthy. I still had that toxic “skinny mindset” where exercise was only about weight.
But I had the foundation laid down and I could make more mindfull
Finding My Strength
When I moved to Cape Town, everything changed. I fell in love with weight training.
I went to f45!
Building muscle lit me up — I had literally never looked better in my life. More importantly, I was learning BALANCE. And I have never ever felt so strong.
Food, alcohol, workouts… it was no longer about punishment, but about living. Showing up for the Getupgurl community and our challenges kept me accountable and proud. From 2021 to the end of 2024, I had such a beautiful balance with my body, mind, and lifestyle.
When Life Fell Apart
Then came one of the hardest chapters: my divorce. Suddenly, I had to pick myself up alone. I crumbled. My weight crept up by 8kgs, my cortisol skyrocketed, I had panic attacks, my skin flared, and my nervous system was fried. I felt like a failure.
I wasn’t chasing “skinny” anymore, but I didn’t feel like me. Depression took over, and there were days I couldn’t even get out of bed to work out.
Healing, Love & Curveballs
Eventually, I started finding joy again. I met someone new, and like all fresh relationships, we ate out, drank wine, and had the best time. But when I tried to restart with a 75 Hard challenge in January… three weeks in, I found out I was pregnant.
Excuse me, what?!
And here I am, writing this at 37 weeks pregnant, waiting for our baby boy to arrive.
What This Journey Taught Me
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life WILL throw curveballs. Some chapters you’ll feel unstoppable, and other times you’ll be flat on the floor. That’s just being human.
Pregnancy has been humbling — your body changes in ways you can’t control. It can tear you down if you let it. But at the end of the day, you are literally growing a HUMAN. And that’s powerful beyond words.
My Promise to You 🤍
I don’t know yet what postpartum will bring. But I do know this: no matter how many times life knocks you down, you can always GET BACK UP, GURL. That’s what this community is about. Supporting each other. Reminding ourselves that strength isn’t just in muscles, it’s in resilience.
I want to feel strong again after birth. I want to feel good in my skin — stretch marks and all. And I know I will, because I have all of you walking this journey with me.
Together, we rise. Every. Single. Time.
Love,
Katinka ✨💖