My junior year of high school, i became interested in weight lifting after training all summer with the varsity coaches for my fall season of soccer. After my interest had begun I became addicted, but I had little knowledge about what I should have been focusing on. My senior year of high school, I was on the fast track to joining the Air Force so I started working with a trainer to gain some strength to prep me for boot-camp, but unfortunately due to medical complications that I was unaware of, I was not accepted into the force. I was a nervous wreck for weeks because I never thought I would have to change my course of action so fast, but eventually I applied to college and got in. Once my new path of post-high school plans were settled, I used working out to fill up my time before graduation. I was working out 5-6 days a week with heavy lifting, 30-45 minutes of cardio daily, and followed an extremely strict diet. I worked three jobs so my life basically consisted of school, work, and my work outs so I never had time to go out with friends and feel pressured to eat bad food and fall off my diet plan. This all changed when in August of 2014 when I went to college. As a freshman my goals were to make a decent friend group, do well in school and try new opportunities, and this is when I found rugby. The sport was perfect and I immediately became friends with my teammates. It all seemed perfect for the first two weeks of school when all I had to worry about was school, rugby and my work outs, but eventually my classes became more demanding, I broke up with my high school boyfriend, I got a part time job and I started going out and drinking. I avoided thinking about my diet, practically dropping by mid semester, only hit the gym 3/4 days a week at most, and the alcohol left me draggy and bloated. It was not until Christmas break when I went home that I realized how much weight I had gained, over 20lbs! Yes, some of it was due to an increase in my upper body from playing rugby, but most was from the muffin top that was formed from partying and horrible eating. My goal for the spring semester was to cut back on the partying, watch what I eat and hit the gym. Well all seemed doable until I actually got back to school and realized dieting on dining hall food left me hunger, cranky, and unsatisfied. So I tried my best to diet and I did lay back off the partying, but because I knew i wasn't getting the correct nutrition, my workouts were half-ass and it showed in my results. I ended up maintaining weight versus dropping weight. Finally after that semester enough was enough, I moved into a school apartment where I can buy my own food and really focus on my health. And now I am here, to stay motivated and to lose the 20lbs and get back to a healthy way of living.

I love working out because it gives me a way to relieve stress, to stay motivated, and to clear my head to give me a better focus on school and rugby. It also gives me great self-confidence when I notice how my effort pays off and how much natural energy I have when I am fit and motivated!