My family isn't big on fitness or nutrition. Most people in my family are obese and don't really care about what they put in their body and live a very sedentary life. I grew up thinking that was okay. I wasn't taught anything about fitness or health, I had to learn the hard way. At the age of 14, the name calling at school became more frequent and the names I was called were even worse. I looked in the mirror and didn't see what these kids were talking about... until I stepped on the scale. I was in compete shock and in denial of what I saw that I had to step off and make sure that the dial was on 0. After readjusting a little, I stepped back on only to see the number was the same. I started to cry. I couldn't believe it. 220 pounds at the age of 14, and I wasn't even 5 feet tall yet! I went in my room and just broke down. After I calmed down, I finally got my head and straight and realized that if I didn't change what I was doing, I wasn't going to be on this earth much longer. The very next day, I eliminated soda from my diet, ate more fruits and vegetables, and started exercising daily. I started with the basics: jumping jacks, walking, jogging, crunches, jump rope, etc. After a few months, I lost about 40 pounds before I hit a plateau. I maintained that for about a year until one day I turned on this infomercial for a program called Insanity. I watched it for only a few seconds and I was hooked! I begged my mom to order it for me and it didn't take her too long to cave in. Once I received it in the mail, I started right away! I felt like my heart had beaten its way out of my chest by the end my heart rate was so high! By the time I had completed the whole program I had lost the remaining 60 pounds. I lost 100 pounds and over the years, I've put on 25 pounds of muscle.

I love to workout because it's my time to just get all of the frustration of the day out, especially my MMA workouts. It also reminds me why I started my career as a Personal Trainer. It keeps me sane and keels me from going back to where I was 5 years ago. It helps me to become a better person both physically and mentally. I would never trade my training routine for anything!