"My #fitness journey began seriously four years ago. I had recently moved back home from Oregon to my hometown in Pennsylvania and went from being on my feet all day working as a server and being active to staying home a lot and being sedentary. I wasn’t working for several months and I stayed home a lot and ate a lot of junk food. The weight crept up and I hated how I looked in the mirror. I remember feeling depressed and I kept making excuses why I couldn’t go to the gym by myself.
One day I got fed up with myself and decided I wasn’t going to keep letting my negative thoughts and self-double hold me back. I got a #gym membership and started lifting at the Titusville YMCA. It took me a bit to learn everything, each exercise and its purpose, however, my gym time began to be my highlight of the day. I stuck with it and have never quit since then.
I’ve seen my body change from overweight with no muscle tone, to lean muscles and a toned physique. I’m so proud of my progress and it’s truly been one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. I’m thankful for Instagram to be able to share my lifestyle and to help motivate and inspire others, and thankful that 1Up Nutrition gave me a shot in working with them. I used to look up to girls before I started my fitness journey who were sponsored by 1Up and I would never have thought I’d be able to work with such a great company. A tip for new beginners would be, I remember being extremely nervous in the beginning, being in the weight room and feeling confident in what I was doing. I started by getting up at 4 am to go lift when the gym was still dead with not a lot of people around. This helped me gain confidence and now I feel at home and comfortable training at any time of the day. “
