Prior to the age of 21, I lived a fairly sedentary lifestyle. I was in no way athletic and my life involved little to no physical activity of any sort. But not until I attempted to actually achieve certain specific goals with my life was I actually confronted with the truth regarding my physical condition. Needless to say, I looked in the mirror and I was not pleased with what I saw. I knew I had to make changes and I needed to make them yesterday.
Thanks to good genetics, I was blessed with a high metabolism and a naturally skinny body. Unfortunately, this also meant that achieving my fitness goals would be that much harder. There is no need for me to mention the physical challenges; what was most difficult in the early days was the mental challenges. Going to the gym and working out amongst all the big and buff guys while being the lone scrawny guy was incredibly intimidating. But it was the first step towards breaking out of my comfort zone and learning to confront my problems instead of running away from them. It made me learn to put my head down and focus on the problems at hand instead of worrying about things that were out of my control (i.e., irrelevant), such as what others would think of me.
Up until recently, physical fitness and I have had a somewhat of an on-and-off relationship. One revelation that I have come to as of late is that you cannot do physical fitness "your way." Bodybuilding/working out can lead to incredible gains and opportunities, but it all comes at a price and if one is not willing to pay that price, those gains and opportunities will never come. As a result, I am further resolving myself to make any sacrifice that is asked of me in order to achieve my goals.
My journey from physical unfitness to physical fitness has been a long and difficult one. But I have never wavered from that goal and my hope is that joining Bodybuilding.com and following the many incredible fitness plans available on this site will be the start of me truly realizing what I am made of.
Everything before was preparation. From here on out is the real stuff.
Bodybuilding/working out is the one thing in life that depends entirely on what you put into it. Your gains and losses are entirely your own doing. And whether you gain or lose, either outcome only motivates you to do more or to make adjustments and changes in order to achieve your goals.
Finally, most importantly, it contributes to your health and well-being. What could be better than that?