At 22-years-old, Liney Bezuidenhout is using exercise to inspire thousands to live a healthy lifestyle. With over 7 million TikTok views and almost 10 000 Instagram followers, her content is far-reaching. What many don’t know is that her passion for exercise is rooted in a struggle with eating disorders. Surviving this shaped her affinity for functional weight training.
Liney Bezuidenhout, personal trainer, fitness influencer, and university student considered studying dietetics before pursuing psychology at Varsity College. PHOTO: Talia Kincaid
TRIGGER WARNING: EATING DISORDERS
The barbell drops to the floor with a heavy thud. Liney Bezuidenhout’s breathing is hard but measured. It was a tough set, she says.
“I have good days and bad days,” says Liney, the South African-born but internationally raised personal trainer, fitness educator, and Varsity College student. “Nowadays I have better days with my body dysmorphia, but coming out of my eating disorder, I couldn’t see myself for how I truly looked.”
Perpetual motion
Liney’s relationship with her body is shaped by the complexities of a childhood marked by instability.
“At a very young age we moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo because of my dad’s job. I was there for a [while], before moving to Nigeria for two or three years. We also had a stint in [Mbombela],” she says.
Thereafter, she completed most of her schooling in Oman, before moving to Cape Town in 2018.
“It was hard making long-lasting friends,” says Liney. While she clarifies that experiencing an array of cultures and people was a “real blessing”, she does not deny the loneliness that came with it.
“At the same time, [moving] makes you have a very thick skin,” she says. “In the international schools, this new kid comes and makes friends with you. The next thing you know, their dad gets a new job and within a week they’re ripped from your life.”
Liney Bezuidenhout’s close relationship with her father has pushed her to work with others to improve themselves, she says. “My dad’s always been the one that people fall back on if they [need] support – and he never says no. But no one ever gives back to him,” says Liney. She hopes to one day be in a position where she can thank him for this. PHOTO: Talia Kincaid
Family dynamics
When Liney was much younger, her older brother was a professional swimmer, and she recalls her parents often prioritising his needs in favour of his swimming career.
“I was kind of in the background,” says Liney. “We actually moved to Cape Town because of [my brother].”
Her brother’s competitive career ended abruptly after he sustained a groin injury, explains Liney. “His entire childhood was dedicated to pursuing the Olympics and in one stroke it was taken from him.”
Her brother currently studies in the Netherlands, and according to Liney the two of them enjoy a strong relationship.
Harsh truths
“I started my fitness journey because I wanted to be skinny,” she says. “When I was fifteen, I spiralled into a binge-eating disorder.”
“I would starve myself for the whole day, but when I’d come home from school, I’d eat everything,” says Liney. This cycle continued for over two years. The guilt she experienced was relentless.
Grade 11 marked a significant shift in Liney’s disordered eating. She developed anorexia.
“[Binging] wasn’t working for me, so I decided I might as well stop eating,” says Liney. She paired this with endless hours of cardio.
“I dropped out [of school]. My disorder had gotten so bad that eventually I called my mom and said I can’t go on. I’m tired. I need help,” says Liney.
Liney received a month of inpatient treatment at Akeso, a psychiatric hospital in Milnerton, Cape Town.
After this treatment she slowly started dipping her toes back into strength training, and working with her body instead of against it, she says.
Liney Bezuidenhout, fitness influencer and Cape Town-based personal trainer, only found her love for strength training after she matriculated. She was always a musical theatre, choir and band kind of person, she says. PHOTO: Talia Kincaid
An addiction
“I’ve shifted my focus from aesthetics to performance. I like to see what I can do and how much I can lift,” says Liney. She shares her progress with her social media followers, encouraging them to maintain a healthy lifestyle in the way that suits them best.
“[Progress] is non-linear and people need to understand that,” she says. Health is a precarious term balanced on the edge of obsession, guilt and pleasure, she says. This is a relationship to be nurtured.
“When people get into fitness, it’s at first really hard to go three times a week. Eventually it’s five days a week,” says Liney. “But this switches from having to drag yourself to the gym to having to force yourself to take days off.”
“At one point, I couldn’t take a day off without feeling extreme anxiety, as though my work would be lost,” she says.
During lockdown, Liney Bezuidenhout – a Cape Town-based personal trainer and college student – used exercise as a form of release, but also as a conduit for addictive behaviour. “I would do two hours of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) every day without fail. That’s so much strain on your body,” she says. PHOTO: Talia Kincaid
Fighting back
“I’m capable of achieving great things. I don’t want to sell myself short,” says Liney. She fears she may not reach her potential.
“[Liney] works hard for what she wants and the way she overcomes things with her mind and body is incredible,” says Jayde Scagell, a Cape Town-based videographer, and personal trainer.
The two have been friends since 2020, but their friendship has recently grown stronger, Scagell says.
“I’m most proud of Liney’s independence,” says Stella Bezuidenhout, Liney’s mother. “She’s always taken responsibility for her decisions.”
Stella marvels at her daughter’s headstrong nature. “She sets herself goals and achieves them all,” she says. “Liney is one of the strongest people I know; both in her gentleness and her fierceness. If there was one word to describe her, it would be strong.”
Liney attributes this to her father’s influence. “I have a great relationship with [him]. He’s probably the best man I’ve ever met in my life,” she says. “I don’t want to let [him] down because he’s done so much and sacrificed so much for our family. I’m working hard to one day repay him for everything.”
“One thing people might not know about [Liney Bezuidenhout] is that she practically lives on Reddit,” says Jayde Scagell (left), a personal trainer and content creator who has known Liney (right) for three years. PHOTO: Supplied/Jayde Scagell
Day-to-day
Liney is in her third year of communications and psychology at Varsity College. “I’ll typically go to the gym during the week, but my life is [consumed by] varsity work, and training clients,” she says.
Liney explains that there is a psychosocial part to training others. “We’re people’s therapists to a large extent. Your clients confide in you, ask for advice – emotional support. Professionals aren’t licensed for that, so having knowledge of psychology is beneficial.”
She is “currently having practical courses on every other Saturday”, to complete her international personal training certification to be qualified to work in Canada next year. This certification is separate to her university studies.
Introspection
“I feel like a different person. I’ll see [old] pictures of myself that I don’t recognise,” says Liney. “Even my mom, if they pop up on her [Facebook] memories, she’ll say: ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you looked like that.’ ”
“I thought it was normal. I didn’t see something was going on,” says Liney.
Liney admits that her past efforts to sabotage her relationship with food and exercise still bring her shame but has since realised that she can use her social media platforms to shed light on these issues for others.
“We know no one wants to talk about it. I get that,” she says, referring to people’s relationship with food. “You don’t want to give people ideas. There’s a fine line between being honest and sharing your journey versus giving people ammunition to fuel their disorders.”
Her friends believe that Liney has found a way to highlight these difficult topics and set an example for others.
“[Liney] inspires me to have a balanced and strong life,” says Scagell. “She’s the type that every girl needs as their best friend.”
To receive help for an eating disorder or suspected eating disorder, search for Eating Disorders South Africa, or contact their helpline at (+27) 73 593 2722 GRAPHIC: Talia Kincaid