I remember being around the age of eight or nine and picking up my first set of dumbbells. They were an old-fashioned blue five pound set, and they felt so heavy at the time. My very first fitness inspiration was CIndy Crawford. My mom had a workout tape of hers, and at the ripe age of eight or nine, I took those five pound dumbbells, and I worked out along with her in her video. It's funny, because at that age, I wasn't concerned with how I looked, nor did I wish to look like CIndy Crawford, I was just working out for pure enjoyment. And that is where my love of fitness was born.

From then on out, I was hooked. I consistently worked out after the age of ten. I created my own workout routines using those five pound dumbbells, and I also made it a point to create a stretching routine, something I still find to be highly important. A lot of my routines also came from Seventeen Magazine, a publication I religiously subscribed to. However, most of the workouts I did were completely original. Aside from lifting my little weights, I would run laps around my house. Keep in mind at the age of twelve and thirteen, I still wasn't too conscious about my body; I worked out because I loved it. It felt good being nice to my body.

As soon as I got my license to drive at sixteen, I got myself a gym membership. I turned to bodybuilding.com like it was my handbook. That website is where I taught myself how to build my body and how to navigate around the weight room. Even today I highly recommend it to anyone starting out at the gym who is serious and willing to do the research themselves. If not, I definitely recommend hiring a trainer. However, everything you need to know to build a solid foundation can be found on bodybuilding.com.

For almost four years now, the gym has been my lifestyle. However, until the last year or so, I was missing a piece in my puzzle: nutrition. I didn't start seeing significant results until the last year when I really made an effort to eat a clean and balanced diet. I took an interest in holistic nutrition, and I found that I felt best when I fueled my body with clean, natural foods instead of greasy, processed foods that weighed me down. Fitness is not my hobby, it's not something I do when I'm getting ready to go to the beach, and it's certainly not a "phase." I believe that the only way you will see long-lasting results and learn to love the gym is when you make it your lifestyle. I am so heavily involved in the gym that it is as normal as brushing my teeth. I look forward to that one to two hours of focusing on nothing but my training.

My encouragement to you is to find your niche in the gym, rather that be through bodybuilding, powerlifting, crossfit, running, yoga, pilates, or handstands in the air. Just do something to show appreciation to your body and soul. You're only given one, so make it count.