• Katie McDonald, 29, broke up with her ex when she was 22 and moved back in with her parents. • She joined David Lloyd, a luxury athletic club in the UK, with the money she was saving by living at home. • She said learning to love working out helped build her confidence.

This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Katie McDonald, an SEO specialist based in the UK who writes the running blog LifeOfAMissfit.com. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Three months after moving in with my ex, I was moving out.

It was 2019. I was only 22, but ending a nine-month relationship and moving back in with my parents felt like I'd failed in some way. I compared myself to my brother, who was two years younger and had already bought a house with his girlfriend. Even thoug

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