A fitness influencer from Preston has described how taking up running has “given me my spark back” and “changed my life,” leading her to trade a secure career path in healthcare for a full-time life as a digital creator.
Alysia Mcandrew, known online as “Liss” with over 500,000 followers across her social media platforms, says the transformative journey began by accident when a friend signed her up for a 5km charity run during the pandemic.
A life-changing accident
Before her rise to fame, Alysia was working on a hospital ward training to be an occupational therapist. When the UK went into lockdown, she was feeling the strain. “I just thought why not — it’s Covid and I kind of went down that route and I just really enjoyed it,” she told BBC Radio Lancashire.
She admitted she had never experienced an endorphin rush like it before, and it quickly became addictive.
“Once you know that something makes you feel good, it’d be silly to take that away from yourself,” she said.
Without a formal coach, she taught herself to run during lockdown. What began as a 5km challenge evolved into 10km runs, then half marathons, and eventually full marathons.
“It just built up from there,” she said, describing the habit as a “very healthy” addiction.
Mental clarity and community
For Alysia, the benefits of running extend far beyond physical fitness. She credits the activity with helping her manage her mental health during a period of uncertainty.
“The sort of noise in my head just slowed down, so I stuck at it,” she explained.
“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”.
She acknowledges that motivation isn’t always easy, especially during the dark and cold winter months. “Sometimes I have to dig deep,” she admitted, but she always reminds herself of how good she will feel afterward.
Quitting the ward for a new career
As her “RunwithLiss” following snowballed, a manager reached out to help her become a full-time influencer. At the time, she was about to enter her second year of university to become a therapist — a secure, stable career path.
“I was scared to make that jump,” she said, noting that influencing was not as established as it is now.
Ultimately, she took the leap. Her tutors supported the decision, encouraging her to pursue the opportunity while she was young, with the reassurance that university would always be there if she wanted to return.
Honouring her roots
Alysia is fiercely proud of her working-class Northern roots. While many influencers hail from London, she is determined to put her hometown on the map.
“I just want to put Preston on the map properly and show it off because it’s great,” she said.
She has learned to tune out the inevitable negativity that comes with a public platform. “I don’t feed into that,” she said, adding that she feels “very lucky to be in a position where I have such a gorgeous community of followers”.
A broader fitness revolution
Alysia is part of a growing wave of creators who are changing how people view exercise. According to experts, running in India is shifting from being just a sport to a “mindset and a movement,” driven by people who use digital storytelling to inspire discipline and endurance.
Similarly, Shark Tank India judge Vineeta Singh has publicly credited running as her primary stress-coping mechanism, sharing that “the harder life gets, the more I run” to disconnect from devices and manage the pressures of entrepreneurship.
For Alysia, what started as a fluke 5km jog has become a source of mental clarity, purpose, and career fulfillment — proving that the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other can sometimes lead you exactly where you are meant to go.
