If you were to tell me that I would someday enjoy running and genuinely enjoy working out, I wouldn't have believed you. Fast forward a couple years later, here I am, itching to hit the gym every morning. Working out has so many health benefits. Everyone knows that, but it benefits you more than just your physical health. It hits all the other aspects too: your mental and social health.

I started my fitness journey this past summer at the end of May. The reason I started working out is because I knew that I was unfit, unfit for so many things. While I was hiking with a group of friends I found myself to be the "weakest link". I was scared I would slow down the team but I promised I would make an effort to keep up. Half way through the hike, I was heaving and my face turned pink. It became obvious that I was the weakest out of the group, and I felt embarrassed.

See, the thing is, I don't want my physical health to prevent me from doing fun things. I don't want to worry about not being able to keep up. I don't want to have to think that I'm too 'unfit' to do a certain activity. So, I decided to workout and to better myself.

It's been about 5 months since I started working out and I have seen so many changes. My body is in better shape, my confidence has boosted and I feel happier with myself and the way my life is going. I've become a more open-minded individual, eager to try new things, for example, yoga, kayaking, hiking, and etc. I've met so many great people who are on their own journey. I've found a new community dedicated to helping one another to better each other and to motivate each other to thrive.

All I have to say is, you don't have to be great to start but you do have to start to be great. It takes a lot of effort to start eating right and to live a healthier lifestyle, but it is so worth it. We all start working out to change our body appearance but somewhere along the line we start doing it for ourselves. We do it because it gives us a better outlook on life and it makes us feel confident and beautiful.

I guess what I'm saying is, give it a try. If you gave it a try and it didn't work out, don't fret. I made working out my new year's resolution for 5 years straight and didn't manage to stick with it. You just have to surround yourself with the right people and go into it with the right intentions. It's an amazing, life changing event and you don't even have to start by doing all the extreme stuff. Even light jogs every other day will instantly make you feel better.