I was 19 in the picture on the left, completely strung out with a bad infection in my jaw from never brushing my teeth and taking care of my overall health.

 

It's embarrassing to write but that's the truth.

 

I wasn't doing well to say the least.

 

Maybe you're wondering how I even get to this point…?

 

I started getting in trouble at a very young age and found drugs and alcohol at around 11-12 years old.

 

I was hooked on hard drugs by the time I was 14-15 years old.

 

My addiction completely took over and I found myself at the age of 20 unemployable, living out of my car, selling drugs, getting high 24/7, and stealing from everyone in my path just to keep getting high.

 

I ultimately reached a place where I just didn't care if I lived or died anymore.

 

It was a dark time in my life.

I was blessed to hit rock bottom on November 16th, 2005 and I was finally desperate enough to reach out for help.

 

One of the first things that I did when I got sober was make my health and fitness a priority.

 

I just thought that working out and being active would help me stay sober.

 

So, I joined a gym and just showed up.

 

When I started I was maybe 135-140 pounds, I was smoking a pack and half of cigarettes a day, and had no idea how to workout and eat healthy.

 

I smoked a cigarette before I went into the gym, had no idea what I was actually doing when I was in the gym, and I smoked a cigarette as soon as I left the gym.

 

Moral of the story is that I made a beginning anyways despite not having a clue what I was doing.

 

As time went on, I got into Muay Thai Kickboxing and Gracie Ju Jitsu along with going to the gym regularly.

 

Working out and martial arts had a massive impact on my mental and physical health.

 

It helped me stay sober and completely changed the course of my life.

 

About 2 years or so into my sobriety and fitness journey, I became of fitness instructor where I taught kickboxing classes a several days a week.

 

Soon after that, I became a personal trainer and started training my first client.

 

I have been a personal trainer and coach for over 17 years now and have managed to build the physique that you see in the picture on the right.

 

To be able to help people change their lives through fitness just as I did has been a major bright spot in my life and is where I found a lot of purpose.
 

No matter where you're coming from or where you're starting on your health and fitness journey, you too can get started even though your conditions are perfect.

 

If I was able to do it, so can you.

 

I don't share this with you today to get any sort of praise, recognition or attention.

 

One of the things I've learned in this life is that one of our most valuable assets is our own experience.

 

So, while I don't enjoy being this candid, I feel that it is my responsibility to share my experience as much as I can to hopefully inspire someone to change the course of their life as well.

 

Remember this…

 

Action is required to make a change.

 

Just sitting on the couch and thinking about it will get you nowhere.