Growing up I pretty much would have been in the running for the title of 'Least Athletic Person Alive'. I never played any sports whatsoever, was always the last person picked in PE, smallest in my class, etc. I was a whopping 113 pounds when I graduated high school. During my last year of college a buddy of mine (also out of shape) talked me into going to the school's weight room with him. The two of us fumbled around not having a clue what we were doing. He dropped out after a few weeks and I stuck with it. When I graduated I moved to another town, but I began using the exercise equipment provided by my apartment complex. When I look back now I see I was pretty much doing everything wrong. I wasn't lifting enough weight, wasn't doing it often enough, was doing the same exercises over and over again, wasn't eating enough, and didn't get enough sleep. Other than that I was golden! :-)

I wanted to join a gym but I fell back into a mindset of fear where I just couldn't do it. I thought a scrawny, clueless punk like me would stick out like a sore thumb and be a laughingstock. For way too many years I just kept myself on a cycle of maintaining the modest gains I had made on my own. I wasn't getting overweight like many of my friends did over the years, but I also certainly wasn't gaining any muscle.

Finally I decided that I wasn't getting any younger and I needed to face my fears. I forced myself to join a local gym and hired a personal trainer to teach me what the heck I should be doing. I'm starting this way later than most people but I'm really happy with the progress I've made so far (even though I've got a long, long way to go).

I love that it's hard. I love that I'm able to do it. I love how it makes me feel and makes me look. I love no longer wondering what it would be like to be in shape. I love not feeling mad at myself for not trying to get in shape. I love feeling better than I did when I was in my twenties. I love no longer having the baggage that comes with being unhappy with a skinny body. Should I go on? :)

Once you reach a certain level of fitness O-M-G the pumps you get just feel amazing. Seriously. It's something that the majority of people will never experience and they're really missing out.