Look, I started a blog!

Finally!  I've started a blog.  The difficulty now is knowing where to begin my story.  Let's start with how I first got into this thing called "Exercise."  

In High School I was not on any sports teams and I didn't have a ton of friends.  I did, however, enjoy music.  I had always been in choir and started to become interested in Show Choir.   The only down side for me was that this involved a ton of dancing and intense practices each week.  At this point in my life I was extremely out of shape.  Fast food was my best friend and I also took part in some terrible habits without thinking of the effects on my body.  

I realized around junior year that I could not continue being two different people.  I had to choose an unhealthy lifestyle or make a change so I could continue doing something I loved.  So, I chose change.

I completely changed my eating habits.  No more fast food - NONE!  I also quit a terrible habit that I had been doing for many of my teenage years - smoking.  I went from a pack a day to quitting cold turkey and I have never looked back.  To replace the addiction, I began running, well... gradually.  I didn't know much about exercise but I did know that I wanted to be in the front row when I performed in the show choir during my senior year.  And I wanted to be able to breathe well enough while moving that I could actually sing.  I didn't want to smell like an ashtray anymore and I wanted to make it through a musical number and feel energized instead of exhausted.  

I turned to God during this time and I am so thankful for the strength He provided for me to reach my goals.  On the left is a photo of me at some point during my Sophomore year of High School.  On the right is a photo of me during my Senior year of High School.  The difference is not just somewhere around 45 pounds.  It is so, so much more.

This was the beginning of my journey.  This is where I decided to go to school to be "a personal trainer."  Five years later I can say I am not just a "personal trainer."  There is absolutely no reason to stop there.  I want to change lives and stop disease and disability.  I want to help people function and enjoy things they never could.  I want to change the community, the state, the US, the world.  Why not?  Anything is possible.  :)