My fitness journey - the ups and the downs - so far. (Linked below is the video version of this I made last September.)
My journey all started with a goal. A weight-loss goal. A goal to figure out how to change my body into something I loved, instead of something I spent day after day trying to hide.
On May 28th, 2015, I created a Twitter account to document my fitness progress. I took my first “official” progress pictures, and that summer, I spent every day taking different classes at my gym, trying to find what type of workout I didn’t dread doing.
I tried everything. Pilates. Kickboxing. Zumba. Yoga. Running. I’d run two half marathons, and while completing them was fun, running without a finish line to cross during training didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t until I found Youtube, and people like Nikki Blackketter, that I realized girls lifted weights.
From the moment I picked up a dumbbell in the gym, I fell in love with bodybuilding. I started with the help of personal trainers and workouts I found on bodybuilding.com. One of the personal trainers taught me about IIFYM, and I remember the first time I had to adjust my belt buckle one tighter than the creased, heavily-used notch I’d always known.
I became addicted to fitness. The gym was my haven. In high school I was quiet, smart, and a little shy. At the gym I was talkative, I felt strong, I had a lot of friends. It was my Clark Kent / Superman life.
After high school graduation, I went to Europe and quite literally ate my way through it. That summer I spent partying, making late-night runs to Steak ‘n Shake with friends, and just putting my diet on the back-burner. College started, and I fell off the wayside for a couple months.
But I eventually found my way back.
In the summer of 2017, I prepped for my first bikini competition. It was without a doubt one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I only got 5th in Novice, but the fact that I was able to apply so much dedication showed me I was capable of just about anything.
However, things flipped for me fast. My sophomore year of college was rough. A number of people I was close to left my life. I found myself living alone my second semester. I didn’t have a routine or an end goal like prep, and then I was out of the gym for a month with mono, only to tear my ACL for the second time two months later.
I fell into a deep hole. I couldn’t get myself out of bed. I skipped class and almost dropped the semester. I skipped the gym and binge ate, leading me to gain 37 pounds since my show in August. I was all-around miserable.
In mid-March, I stepped on the scale for the first time in months. When I saw the number staring back at me, I got angry. And sad. Because this was not me. This was not who I ever saw myself becoming. On that day, I decided it was time to force myself, in any way possible, to get back on track.
Fast - forward 4 months. I’m down 13 of those pounds. My mental health is in a much better place. As far as fitness goals go, I’m focusing on living my life as a college student this year while getting back to a weight I’m comfortable with.
Hope you guys stay tuned - the next two years, if I do them right, are going to be a ride. I’d love to have you come along. :)
Xx - Allison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SY2-SBbBRE&t=54s