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Have you ever looked at a picture of your self and thought, "that can't be me..." ? I have. This is one of those pictures. It was taken at the beach this past summer. The year I graduated high school I suffered from crippling depression. I vowed to never let myself get to that point again. When the doctor diagnosed me, he did not want to give me medication, I didn't want that for myself either, he said a healthy active life paired with a healthy social life would help me out of my slump. My best and closest friend being in college a thousand miles away did not inspire social outings. And I had no will power to force my self to exercise at home, where my family was. So I wasted away. In August I saw a picture of a friend I hadn't seen since my Sophomore year of high school. When I knew her she was a big girl, but this picture of her showed that she had lost a lot of weight. I asked her how she did it. She said she changed her life. We talked and I joked about her becoming my personal trainer, she told me she would love to train me. About two weeks before we talked I decided I wanted to turn my life around, I got a hold of my friend Davis and asked him to turn my hair blond. Step one: change outer appearance. Step two: work on spiritual wealth. Step three: work on inner appearance. Step four: exercise to work on physical appearance. Final step: emerge as a newly formed human being.
I decided to keep my plan to myself, only telling my sister and my trainer about the changes I wished to make. I wanted to do this for myself and by myself.
After a few months I told my family and friends about my new life decision, I was- as I expected- completely supported.
They say it takes four weeks for you to see changes in your body, Six weeks for friends and family to notice, and twelve weeks for the rest of the world to notice. I's say that's about right.
I was looking through my pictures on my phone, and looked at a few where I was wearing the same outfit, only I looked different in them. That was when I noticed I was changing.
Then more in comparison with my gym pictures
the top was about six weeks in to the three days a week gym movement, the bottom was about a month and a half after that. Small difference, but a huge accomplishment.
I'm still seeing changes everyday, I am proud of every pound lost, though I did not change my life for the glory of a few pounds lost. I changed because I wanted to be healthy, and because my habits were slowly killing me. Now, when I miss a day at the gym it feels as if I have missed a whole month. JP (My trainer) and I hate not seeing each other we feel so thrown off, and being there for one another and keeping each other held accountable keeps us on track, and it's a lot of fun. Now I practically live at the gym, I'm so much stronger than before. In every meaning of the word.
