Young Gymnast Overcomes Anorexia With The Help Of Aerial Arts

Kayla Dyches had a very rough start: As a gymnast in her teens to early 20s, she suffered from anorexia.

At her lowest point, she weighed an unhealthy 90 pounds and struggled to do daily activities. She claims to have played games with herself during her sickness—such as "How long can I go without eating?"—that kept her in a weakened state, constantly questioning what was the matter with her.

She wore extremely baggy clothes to hide herself from the public, thinking that extra material might just fix what was going on inside of her. Kayla's struggle is reminiscent of that of Marie's harrowing story of overcoming bulimia.

Realizing that this sickness was affecting her athletic performance, she realized that something needed to change. It wasn't until she found both aerial and circus performance that the answer made itself very clear.

Kayla's health improved with her motivation to propel herself into the air. This motivation led to her eating more in order for her to gain muscle mass to be able to do aerial poses and keep up with the rest of her classmates. Kayla's goal to do better in her aerial performance essentially led to saving her own life. She had no idea upon attending her first class that aerial acrobatics would end up being her main profession.

Scroll down for a closer look into Kayla's inspiring transformation.

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Facebook/ RiotCircusArts

This is Kayla Dyches. Before being the unstoppable gymnast and aerialist that she is now, she weighed close to ninety pounds and ate very few calories. She wasn't aware that she had a disorder, but she was aware of all the compliments she'd receive on her tiny frame.

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Instagram/ RiotCircusArts

It took Kayla a good amount of time before she was able to gain weight and become healthy. She was told that to be able to train properly and consistently she'd have to eat. By doing her research and slowly but surely committing to a training routine and a goal-oriented mindset, Kayla was able to transform her pain into motivation for aerial greatness.

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Tumblr/ RiotCircusArts

Kayla says that it took her about three or four years to recover from her disorder. Thinking about how to feed her athletic body motivated her to care more about her meals and the nutrition she was or wasn't getting.

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Facebook/ RiotCircusArts

Having started a lifestyle in which she eats properly and on a more regular basis, she started to see solid results in both her physical appearance and her training. It was definitely a step up from her previous experiences of not being able to do 10 to 15 minutes of a solid workout without feeling too tired to continue.

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Instagram/ RiotCircusArts

Ever since she fell in love with aerial and circus performance Kayla has become accomplished at silks, hand-balancing, and rope. Her love of circus performance enabled her to become a healthier and stronger version of herself that she never could have imagined.

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Instagram/ RiotCircusArts

Kayla is truly an inspiration to those with or without a disorder. She now teaches aerial performance professionally and has appeared in numerous corporate events for a variety of clients. Now that Kayla has embraced the unstoppable woman that she is, she has welcomed in a new life full of possibilities and excitement.

Take a look at the video below for some mesmerizing acrobatics, and please SHARE this brave woman's story with your friends and family!