My fitness journey has always been something I've struggled with. I've learned to shop around for the perfect gym rather than sit at home and avoid the treadmill. I've changed my diet, which improved my skin and helped my sleep routine. There are many benefits to working out and eating healthy, but the key is to do it right.

I did it all wrong.

When you are a beginner in the gym, you need to take it slow. Pace yourself and give your body time to rest. I went to the gym every day for two weeks in a row. I believed that if I was there, I would develop the habit of going there and in turn, I would feel better — I did.

The downside was that I pulled a muscle in my back that could've turned into a bad shoulder injury. You're probably thinking I was lifting weights that were above my limits, but that's not the case. I was on the treadmill for those two weeks and I pulled this muscle because instead of walking and working my way into a heavy run, I went into a full-on sprint and ran five miles in less than 30 minutes.

My body didn't know whether to go into fight or flight mode, so with all of the adrenaline pumping, my body went into fight mode, but as soon as I got home, it went into flight mode and I had to take a step back. I had to take two weeks off of the gym because not only did the small injury hurt me physically, it almost ruined me mentally. I was so focused on losing the weight that I gained my freshman year of college that I didn't think about how I would be affected in other aspects.

I began to think, "If I do all of my work and type an article to have ready to go, then I can go exercise for an hour and a half." Exercising for an hour and a half is not recommended to beginners — the maximum time is an hour or even just a quick 30-minute session.

I haven't been back to the gym because I am scared that I will injure myself worse than pulling a muscle and being out of commission. I've suffered injuries before and I know how detrimental those can be to someone's health, mentally and physically. You'll feel helpless and like you can't work out because you're a liability in the gym, but that's not the case.

These two weeks off have been very reflective and I am somewhat thankful that I was able to see the error in my ways of trying to achieve an unrealistic goal in a short amount of time.

Like all things, exercise should be a labor of love, not a labor of self-loathing.