Gym-goers, rejoice! Spring break is over or almost over if you're reading this article. The weight room and cardio machines will be more vacant for a couple of weeks because people already achieved their spring break beach bodies. The aesthetic-seeking crew will undoubtedly return once April starts to roll around to achieve their summer body, but until then, the gym will be less crowded. This article isn't necessarily written for those regular gym-goers who just seek to improve their health every day, this is for those who seek the body that looks good in a swimsuit. For those of you, my concern is kind of a combination of this: improper motivation having a negative impact on your overall health and the possibility of the establishment of an eating disorder.

When you have the improper motivation and you partake in a severely restrictive diet, you're lining yourself up for a slippery slope. I'm going to give you guys an insight on the struggle I had as an example of what I'm trying to say. When I first started working out (half-way through my senior year of high school) it was because I was very very unsatisfied with my body. I didn't look like the guys in the advertisements and I sure didn't receive any compliments like some of my friends did. Not having the knowledge of how to achieve proper weight or go about the matter, I started lifting weights and doing cardio and cutting way back on my food intake. As a confirmation that I was, at least, doing something right, I began to lose weight. When I had shed about 10 pounds or so, I started to get compliments on my weight loss, such as "Sean did you lose weight? Your face is looking better," or "Sean, you're starting to show some abs, man. Keep up the good work." By this point in time, I still didn't have a solid reason for being in the weight room and then I started to get these compliments from people who had never really noticed me before. I was hooked.

I began to spend more time in the gym and I started eating even less food. Still more compliments. I still had no reason for working out other than people noticing me. I took everything people said the wrong way. I felt that nothing I did in the gym was enough. I was also taking laxatives if I thought that I ate too much, even though my body was running on fumes. I was taking in adequate vitamins and minerals for my body to keep going. Caffeine and stimulants were what kept me going. I was addicted to seeing results and in a bad way. At my lowest point, I was 5'8" and 123 pounds. I had lost about 25 pounds within three or four month period. I was looking pretty skinny, not healthy or fit. I hovered around 130 pounds or so for the next two years as I worked for nothing but trying to be what I considered "aesthetic." I hit the gym hard, ate not enough food, tried many different diets to lose even more fat, sought other people's approval for my body and work, and hit the gym again if I felt unsatisfied (I was working out for at least 3 hours a day). I was struggling.

But I had an epiphany one day, "Who cares what other people think? Yes, compliments are nice here and there. But I just want to be healthy!" I have now been free from the chains of my eating disorder for over two years. I still work out with great intensity, I just do it smarter. I now eat a wide array of healthy foods and I don't hate myself when I have a treat every once in awhile. I receive compliments here and there. They're still nice to hear occasionally, but they don't fuel my battle to improve my health and set myself up for nothing short of a long, happy, healthy, successful and active life with my future wife and kids (and dogs).

I will leave you all with a few parting thoughts. If you want to lose weight, do it the healthy way. Start by simply replacing all of the processed foods in your life with fruits and vegetables in addition to your exercise program. Just be sure that your mind is pure when you start your program.Please do it for you. Do it to be healthier. Do it for a better tomorrow. Working out should be fun, find an activity that appeals to you. The weight loss and/or muscle gain should be a positive side effect. Don't seek compliments from anyone but yourself. Remember, you are beautiful.