When I was younger I was skinny. A twig is a good comparison. Going through grade school and middle school I didn't notice because pretty much everyone was lanky and awkward. But then high school hit.
If I could have had a dollar for every comment that was made about my size or how unproportional I was I would be a rich man. Going through high school having people say things about my 145-150 pounds, 6-foot frame sparked a flame in me.
At the time I acted out and was angry at myself for being that way. BUT then I found the gym. I got to college and had access to the recreation complex. As soon as I got in there it was love at first site. I had no idea what I was doing so the first year was a huge learning process. But as I gained knowledge on fitness and nutrition my workouts continued to improve.
I have a shirt that I wore freshman year in college that was loose on me then. I use that as a motivator to see how far I've come and to keep striving to be better.
I started off hitting the gym 3-4 times per week. Getting used to the soreness and creating muscle memory for my lifts took me some time. I messed around in the gym for a couple years but then about a year and half ago I stopped the college partying, stopped eating fast food, and hit the gym religiously 6 days per week. It changed my life completely.
I did research on nutrition and started writing down everything I ate throughout the day. Keeping track of my calories, protein, sodium and carbs really helped me to gain knowledge on the foods that were around me. I set up a new program for my workouts and have kept pushing myself week after week.
Juggling two jobs, classes, and the gym kept me busy but every time I see the improvement it's not only a great feeling but extremely addictive.
It has changed my life. I feel like a whole new person and continue to feel better the more in shape and bigger I become. It makes you sleep better, feel better emotionally, you get such a rush getting a good workout in at the gym, and above all you are improving your standard of living by getting in the best shape of your life. Those hours you are in the gym it is just you and the weights, nobody else. That is a great feeling.