Exercising has had such a large impact on my life, both physically and mentally. However, this wasn't always the case. If someone told me at the beginning of my freshman year that I would exercise on a daily basis and actually enjoy it, I would have laughed in their face. While I was growing up, I always avoided exercise because I believed I never needed it. No matter what I ate, healthy or unhealthy food, it never affected the shape of my body.

It wasn't until the end of my freshman year that I put on the freshman 15. When I came home for summer break a year ago, I took a hard look at myself in the mirror an realized I was wrong. For the first time in my life, I was unhappy with the way I looked. and knew that the only person who could change that was me. That is when I made the decision to change my lifestyle.

I began to eat healthier, look at nutrition labels and got a gym membership to exercise with the goal of going at least three days per week. I'm not going to lie, prior to a year ago I had never actually exercised in a gym a day in my life. Going to the gym by myself was incredibly intimidating, especially when it seemed like everyone knew what they were doing except for me and nobody was there to guide me. After I finally established a routine for myself, exercising became the new normal. As weeks went by, I could see the progression I was making and that my hard work was paying off.

Although my initial goal of exercising was to get the body that I wanted again, my goal expanded to also incorporate having a healthy mental state. With exercising as my outlet to de-stress and focus on myself, it's given me a positive state of mind. Additionally, it has boosted my confidence and increased my energy regardless of how tired I may be. Remember, exercise is what you put into it. Every person's journey is different, but I am happy to say that exercising will continue to leave a positive impact in my life.