Running has changed my life, says TikTok star

A fitness influencer has described how taking up running when a friend signed her up to a 5km (3.1 mile) run has "given me my spark back" and "changed my life".

Preston's Alysia Mcandrew, who is known as Liss, has more than 500,000 followers across her social media platforms.

She was working on a hospital ward training to be an occupational therapist during the Covid pandemic when she did the first 5km run before moving on to a 10km, a half marathon then marathons.

She said her new found hobby soon became an addiction but a "very healthy one", while her Instagram and TikTok posts saw her quickly build up a huge online following leading to her quitting university to become a fitness influencer.

It all started by chance, though, thanks to her friend signing her up for the Run for the NHS 5k in 2020.

"I just thought why not - it's Covid and I kind of went down that route and I just really enjoyed it," Alysia told BBC Radio Lancashire.

She said she had never had an endorphin rush like it before and it became addictive.

The 27-year-old said it gave her her spark back and "really helped with the sort of headspace I was in at the time".

"The sort of noise in my head just slowed down so I stuck at it," she said.

"I'm a very busy girl, I can't sit still and I feel like when I'm running all this sort of noise distraction in my head space just calmed down and I could start my day off properly.

"Once you know that something makes you feel good, it'd be silly to take that away from yourself. "

Alysia did not have a coach but taught herself how to run throughout lockdown.

"I just stuck at it and eventually pushed myself to a 10km, then a half marathon.

"It just built up from there."

She said it was like an addiction - albeit "a very healthy" one.

She admits she does not always enjoy running and she has "to dig deep sometimes", especially in the winter when she doesn't have as much motivation.

"But I always tell myself how good I feel after my run," she said.

She was working on the wards training to be an occupational therapist and about to go into her second year at university when her RunwithLiss following on social media snowballed.

Alysia was about to go into her second year at university and had been set on being a therapist.

"I genuinely don't know how it happened. It's crazy.

"I've just fallen into it showing my real life off."

Her now manager reached out to her and offered to help her to become a full-time influencer.

She said she was "scared to make that jump" as influencing was not as big then.

"It was just the unknown, especially because I was going into such a secure job on the wards to then quit everything."

But she did and her tutors supported her decision.

She said they all told her she was young and to take every opportunity she could, and that university was always going to be there.

She said she was so glad she followed her dreams.

She is fiercely proud of her home city and being a northern influencer when many hail from London.

"I just want to put Preston on the map properly and show it off because it's great," she said.

Alysia said she has learnt to ignore "negativity" on social media.

"I don't feed into that."

She said she gets amazing support from her followers.

"I'm very lucky to be in a position where I have such a such a gorgeous community of followers," she added.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.