I've always loved being active. I've been struggling with a debilitating injury for the past 6 years that has caused many up and downs in my routine. After seeking physical therapy and being told NOT to go to the gym, I didn't know what to do with myself. I did basic exercises to try and ease pain in my hip but it wasn't working. I was told I needed a hip replacement and turned down by multiple doctors when I started seeking alternative methods to fix my torn cartilage and various other ailments in my hip. After being told I could cycle and that was it, I decided to listen to my body. My muscles in my right hip had atrophied and that's where a lot of my pain had come from, I set a new goal and am continuously working on this goal, building muscle. Follow the routine, follow the diet. Through this routine I've had less pain than previously experienced and I can walk longer distances. I've been hiking more, I've competed and I've learned I can't be stopped. I can be slowed down but I won't be brought down.

I love working out because this is my empowerment. Working out has become my key to freedom, to be able to walk and control my pain without medication and surgery. I am farther now than I ever thought possible and I have so much improvement left. My doctors said I couldn't and I proved them wrong. Working out is my means to an end, and it's a wonderful one at that.