The power of exercise: Beth's story

Beth Greenaway is a 51-year-old triathlete and coach who has dedicated much of her life to helping others get active. But growing up she didn’t believe exercise was for her.

She was born with a hole in her heart called an atrial septal defect, and pulmonary valve stenosis, which is when the valve letting out blood from your heart to your lungs is too narrow.

Nowadays we know most people with heart conditions benefit from physical activity. But when Beth was a child doctors often advised people with a congenital heart condition (‘congenital’ meaning born with it) not to exercise.

Beth recalls: “I was expected to sit on the sidelines and watch the other children play, especially when I was nine and had my first heart surgery. I hated feeling singled out.”

Discovering the joy of moving

Beth fell in love with running when she was a university student. She was, in her words, “getting a little round around the middle”, so she put on her trainers to do something about it.

At first, she got very breathless and was unsure whether it was because of her heart condition or being unfit. To make sure she did not push herself too far, she would run between a pair of lampposts, then walk between the next set. Over several months those short runs became longer ones.

The human body is miraculous: if you challenge it a little and regularly enough, it adapts

“It gave me an amazing sense of satisfaction. I went from labelling myself as not capable to someone who was actually quite sporty,” she says, adding: “The human body is miraculous: if you challenge it a little and regularly enough, it adapts.”

After university Beth moved to Fort Lauderdale, in the United States, where she found a community of people who loved getting active. She says: “They didn’t know anything about my heart history. I was able to reinvent myself as Beth the athlete.” She began cycling and swimming as well as running competitively and she became a personal trainer. “I’d been an introverted young person, but in Florida I grew in confidence. For me, many of the benefits of exercise are mental. You work on your inner strength, discipline, and consistency as you exercise – all skills you can take back into everyday life.”

Motivating others

After a decade in Florida, Beth moved back to her native Cornwall to be near her mother when her father died. Around that time, she started having palpitations – feelings that her heart was racing. Tests revealed she needed her pulmonary heart valve replaced.

While recovering from the open-heart surgery in 2005, she had time to reflect: “I realised I’d been distancing myself from my heart issues. I needed to accept it was a part of my identity that I couldn’t make disappear.”

People with health problems often have the most to gain from exercise

She decided to requalify as a fitness specialist for people with long-term health conditions. “Physical activity has been so transformative for me – I wanted everyone to feel the benefits,” says Beth. “People with health problems often have the most to gain from exercise but a high street gym might not feel very welcoming for them.”

Beth set up a studio, offering classes for people with health issues including heart or lung problems and cancer. She created a friendly environment where people who had never exercised before wouldn’t feel intimidated. They might arrive with an oxygen tank, or in a suit because they didn’t own sports kit. Worries and jokes were shared, and friendships formed as people moved in pairs between different exercise stations, chatting as they went. “I got such a buzz seeing other people regain confidence in their body,” says Beth.

Adapting to greater challenges

In the last decade, Beth has continually rebuilt herself as obstacles kept coming. In 2016, she lost most of the sight in her right eye following a stroke. “I’ve had to adjust my expectations and sometimes say no to things that might not be safe, like doing a night run,” she explains.

Just as she adapted exercises for students with mobility issues in her class, she has found ways to adapt her own exercise. She now uses an online technology that allows her to bike and run inside, with other people virtually online: “I can cycle safely, with a community, not having to worry about missing potholes because of my eyesight.”

On bad days, it helped to look back in the diary and see how far I’d come

In 2017 Beth contracted endocarditis, where the inner lining of the heart becomes infected. She needed emergency open-heart surgery and was in hospital for two months.

She started walking loops of the ward, then around the building, and eventually around a nearby nature reserve. She kept a diary to track her progress: “On bad days when I was in pain or very tired, it helped to look back in the diary and see how far I’d come.”

While in hospital, Beth wrote a book about overcoming medical adversity. She says: “I wanted something good to come out of this difficult experience. Helping others is what makes me feel like I’m contributing in life.”

Making the most of it

Once out of hospital, the hard work of building back her life and fitness continued: “Endocarditis took the wind out of my sails. It took me 18 months to feel human again. Even afterwards I wasn’t physically back to what I was.”

In 2021, she had another valve replacement, this time through a minimally invasive procedure using a tube inserted into the groin, instead of open-heart surgery.

With the support of my cardiologist, I’m competing in triathlons, which I never thought I'd be able to do

“I’m not problem-free but it’s given me back much of the capabilities I’d lost. I have more energy and I’m less breathless when exercising,” says Beth. “With the support of my cardiologist, I’ve gone back to competing in triathlons, which I never thought I’d be able to do. I know this could be taken away from me again tomorrow, so I’m going to make the most of it while I can.”

Beth also knows keeping active helps look after her health: “Whether you were born with a heart condition like me, or developed one later in life, it’s particularly important to exercise. “Even low-to-moderate levels of physical activity help lower your risk of illnesses such as stroke, heart disease and some cancers. That’s another big motivator for me to try to stay fit.”

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