My Fitness Journey

With both humble beginnings and tough endings, fitness has brought me down many varying avenues.


Prior to my bigger endeavors in fitness I started my journey
Right now, I can't see my days without fitness, but there was a time when I couldn't stand a day with it. 

As a child, I was always a tomboy. In elementary school I would play freely with the boys during recess and when my day was done, I would practice my athleticism at the Boys and Girls Club until the very moment my mom came to pick me up. There wasn't a day during my childhood I didn't play actively; running or sporting. Often I reflect on my childhood as "me" in the most purest and honest of forms; it was as though I had already had a sense of who I was before I even actually had the sense to understand it. 
         As my teenage years progressed, that part of me got lost and overshadowed. I lost all sight of my personal strengths and capabilities due to fear. Every brave idea I mustered was followed by the ever-present worry of “But what if?” Fear hindered just about every component of my life – anything from eating, making decisions, and work ethic. Fear drove me to send my farewells to fitness (assuming it was the final goodbye.)  
         It wasn’t until my birthday where I recognized that I had hit a low in my health; I knew something had to change. I needed to stop being afraid.  My thought process became clear and I learned this quote: "when you repeatedly do something that damages you, it is then that you realize you should no longer repeat. It is when you repeatedly do something where you continue to prevail, that is when you should persist.”  In my mind, this simply meant, “Do more good, Do less bad.” 
 

So I bought my first pair of Nikes and got to work – and I didn’t stop. Somewhere in the mix of it all, that child came back. All it took was to get started, get her running, set her free on the playground (although it was a grown-up gym) and my perspective had flipped: Fitness wasn't a punishment, but a reward that I gave to myself with vigor after years of putting myself down.
     
In fitness, I found what environments, activities, friends, and mindset I needed to enjoy myself. I constantly welcomed new challenges, and I strived to achieve more. Opportunities I never imagined began to unravel right before my eyes.  Don’t get me wrong – there were wins as well as losses. There were late nights forearm-deep in a Tostitos bag; there were sloppy two a.m.'s with forkfuls of poutine, and there were bottomless breadsticks and anxious thoughts.  Time and time again I failed and struggled. But my intentions were always focused on one direction: forward. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
A successful journey isn’t an easy one.  Where’s the fun in that?!
         

Fast forward to today, and I can confidently say I found my passion. Fitness is wellness, is happiness, and is confidence. I know I'm a goal-getter and I find new goals to get every day.