I wanted to write something a little more personal on my blog today. I have hinted that I’m a college student and if you didn’t know already I study Exercise Science. It’s a little self-explanatory, but it mainly discusses how the body responds to exercise and the benefits of physical activity. It’s something I’m absolutely passionate about because physical activity has so many health benefits. I haven’t always been physically active, but I changed my ways and started including exercise into my routine about four years ago, so here’s my story behind how exercise really changed my life.

Growing up, I was a figure skater. I didn’t participate in any sports as I didn’t find something that I was passionate about. In middle school, I remember being embarrassed about having to run the mile. Running is an activity in that I have a love/hate relationship as a result. As I moved into high school, I didn’t pay much attention to what I ate. My friends would ask me to go to the gym and I declined. More than likely it was due to intimidation as I can definitely say at that age, my friends were more physically active than I was.

As I was coming to college, I did not want to gain the freshman 15. This is extremely vain and just typing this out makes me cringe. I was dedicated to exercise and I even used some of my graduation money to buy workout clothes.

I started by going to some of the fitness classes my college had to offer. They were fun! I would be sore for three days and it would be hard to walk. It probably wasn’t the best way to get started, but it worked. I started going to classes and my favorite was Turbo Kick. Kickboxing is such a fun workout and I recommend trying it. It was so fun that even though I was tired, I still enjoyed it. At first, I couldn’t get through the entire class. I had to stop and take breaks and wait for my heart rate to come down. Eventually, I was able to go through the entire class and I felt really proud of myself.

I pretty much did only cardio for about two years. In 2014, I decided to lift weights. I wanted to get stronger and once I got more into my major, I learned different techniques. This was slow and steady progress, but I can say that I definitely have gotten stronger not only in my arms but my back and chest. I have also been able to use the bench press something I would not have dreamed of when I entered school.

Exercise changed my life. Ever since adding exercise, I have felt more secure with my own body. I feel sexy, strong, and powerful. Besides that, my stress has been lower. It’s easier to walk up a flight of stairs or even to be on my feet running errands all day. I can carry groceries up to my apartment without my arms burning.

Anyway, to wrap up this post, I just want to say that it’s never too late to start becoming physically active. Physical activity really has a lot of health benefits and it doesn’t have to be done at the gym! It can be a simple walk/bike ride or doing an activity in the comfort of your own home. I really am not trying to over exaggerate but Exercise was life-changing for me.