A step inside

Exercise wasn't always my thing.  I was honestly a sort of "fat" kid during my middle school years and I think that those scars are still there decades later.  I look into a mirror and often do not like what I see, even if others disagree with me on that one. 

I wasn't always this way.  When I was much younger, I did Tae Kwon Do and was honestly somewhat fit at the time I was doing it.  It was a move from New York to Pennsylvania that honestly changed me.  As with most kids upon a fairly large move, it was hard to deal with emotionally.  I turned to isolation and eating and it spiraled out of control.  I look back at it now and I see that I would've been considered depressed and likely "medicated" if it were now. 

What originally started the whole thing was the Marine Corps.  I set my sights on that early on and it translated into many of my decisions that I made from that point forward.  I started out in the band (yes...band geek) and this is where I first really saw the weight begin to fall off.  Largely because I was marching around a field for several hours a day 5-7 days per week with a 20(ish)lbs instrument held up near my face.  I also began playing ice hockey during the winter, which allowed for more activity to take place.  The band, at least the motivation as I remember it, was to develop the skills for marching, as Marines do. 

Either my sophomore year or junior year of high school, I began to lift weights and run.  Again, with the Marine Corps as my motivation.  I was pursuing an officer route, which in the end I didn't get, but it drove me hard.  This motivation was more evident my senior year of high school, which I had enlisted a week or so prior.  I spent more time running and lifting, especially working on my pull ups, than before.  My skill set wasn't too high at that point, but I made up for it in enthusiasm and motivation. 

I'll continue my exercise journey next week with the time I spent in the Corps and how it pointed me more on the path that I'm on today.