I have always battled with going to the gym. In the beginning it was just to stay in about the same shape as I was. I had this on again off again relationship with working out. I would end up gaining enough weight that I could not fit into my size 8-9 pants anymore and then tell myself that it was cheaper and better for me to go to the gym than buy a new wardrobe. So I would go for about 3-6 months, fit back into my 8-9 size clothes and then quit. Then in 2012 I decided that I had enough of just barely being healthy. I got in the gym and started teaching and going to classes there. I just wasn't seeing the results I wanted though. The strong to the COR challenge really opened my eyes to eating right and weightlifting. I was in the best shape after it but got pregnant very quickly and relapsed. During my pregnancy I ate nothing but junk and didn't workout. After nine months of this it definitely showed too. I started working out 2 months postpartum and have been hooked ever since.

I used to hate working out. I thought it was a mindless chore to get on the treadmill and I was very intimidated to go into the weight room in the beginning. Since January of 2013 however I have become addicted to exercising. I have to say a big part of the change was just believing I was worth it and my change in diet. Eating good unprocessed, healthy food has made exercising go from a chore in which I feel like I am exhausted and sick afterwards to fun place I can hang out with my friends and get a better body. With the change in my nutrition came a change in my energy and passion for the gym. I am in the best shape of my life, yet I still feel like this is a new starting point in which I can gain even more strength. Instead of feeling intimidated by the gym, I now feel like it is a fun hangout spot that I go to every day to feel and look better.