I am a fitness junkie. For four or five days a week I punish myself for one and a half to two hours. But I don't just train to 'look good.' I never set out to be someone who has a muscular frame but cannot back it up. I'm not exactly the reincarnation of Adonis but I am physically strong and I do have great stamina. I'm also proud to say that I did it all by myself, without the help of a trainer. I simply did some research and devised my own training program based on what I learned.
I'm sure many of you are asking 'What motivates you?' The answer is a picture frame hanging on my bedroom wall. For my eighteenth birthday my Mother gave me a giant picture frame with a collage of photos from my childhood. In most of them, I was quite chubby. Every time I look at that frame I relive what it was like to be a nerdy, video game-addicted kid packing a few extra kilos and feeling insecure at school when I was around my slimmer, athletic friends.
If I remember correctly, I started putting on weight at around ten years old. I was playing too many video games, watching too much TV, eating a lot and not playing outside like all the other boys. I was kind of a recluse. My friends on the other hand spent most of their weekends shooting hoops and playing sport and so not all of them blew up into a jiggly beast like me. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the only fat kid at school, but the difference is that I looked quite normal with clothes on, therefore people wouldn't have guessed that I was chunky underneath.
When I was eleven, it all came out. I'd blown up to the point of developing a gut and the man boobs that usually come with it. I felt horrible looking at the mirror but I didn't really give it much thought - until swimming lessons came about. My elementary school made swimming lessons mandatory for all grades and so every November for two weeks all students had to go to the local swimming pool for lessons. Needless to say, I dreaded this. While I was a pretty good swimmer, immature schoolkids will only remember you as a fat kid withy man boobs who had no business squeezing his wobbly bits into budgie smugglers.
Day one finally rolled in and there I was, shaking in the men's room while my fellow students changed into their gear. I still dressed and wondering how the hell I was supposed to blend into this crowd of mostly slim and athletic kids. Well, I coun't dwell on the thought much longer as a teacher suddenly knocked on the door and shouted 'Come on, guys let's go!' So I quickly changed and reluctantly joined my fellow students. Not many girls took notice of me but I heard it loud and clear from the other guys.
'Damn, man! I thought you were slim!'
'Nice tits, mate!'
'Dude! You don't look fat when you got clothes on!'
Nice huh? Way to boost my ego.
It's pretty funny now that I look back on it, and I knew my mates were just clowning around, but deep down it was pretty embarrasing, especially since I only had myself to blame. Anyway, the bantering died down a few days later and my friends and I spent the remainder of those two weeks swapping swimming tips and bragging about how proficient we were at certain strokes. But the damage was done. I was exposed as a fat kid with man boobs. Sure, there were other guys who were bigger than me but at least they weren't hiding it. People expected them to have a rolly-poly physique. Whenever I got into an argument with a friend, they'd have the perfect comeback to shut me up.
Well, that was a long time ago and trust me, I've well and truly left that chubby kid behind. I started working out when I was sixteen and never looked back. The energy I used to burn playing video games is now spent on torturous hours in the gym and I can now walk around the beach shirtless. But I'll always have a special place for that kid. Subconsciously, I think he's the one that motivates me to do good every day. That kid was picked on and didn't think highly of himself. That's all the motivation I need to ensure that people don't look down on me like that again.
Well, he certainly motivates me while I'm training. When I get up in the morning and see that picture frame on my wall, the first thought is 'Ok, mate. Time to train. Fat kid is no more!' But above all, that kid was who I used to be and so I should be proud of the fact that I made a change in that part of my life all by myself.
I'm sure many of you are asking 'What motivates you?' The answer is a picture frame hanging on my bedroom wall. For my eighteenth birthday my Mother gave me a giant picture frame with a collage of photos from my childhood. In most of them, I was quite chubby. Every time I look at that frame I relive what it was like to be a nerdy, video game-addicted kid packing a few extra kilos and feeling insecure at school when I was around my slimmer, athletic friends.
If I remember correctly, I started putting on weight at around ten years old. I was playing too many video games, watching too much TV, eating a lot and not playing outside like all the other boys. I was kind of a recluse. My friends on the other hand spent most of their weekends shooting hoops and playing sport and so not all of them blew up into a jiggly beast like me. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't the only fat kid at school, but the difference is that I looked quite normal with clothes on, therefore people wouldn't have guessed that I was chunky underneath.
When I was eleven, it all came out. I'd blown up to the point of developing a gut and the man boobs that usually come with it. I felt horrible looking at the mirror but I didn't really give it much thought - until swimming lessons came about. My elementary school made swimming lessons mandatory for all grades and so every November for two weeks all students had to go to the local swimming pool for lessons. Needless to say, I dreaded this. While I was a pretty good swimmer, immature schoolkids will only remember you as a fat kid withy man boobs who had no business squeezing his wobbly bits into budgie smugglers.
Day one finally rolled in and there I was, shaking in the men's room while my fellow students changed into their gear. I still dressed and wondering how the hell I was supposed to blend into this crowd of mostly slim and athletic kids. Well, I coun't dwell on the thought much longer as a teacher suddenly knocked on the door and shouted 'Come on, guys let's go!' So I quickly changed and reluctantly joined my fellow students. Not many girls took notice of me but I heard it loud and clear from the other guys.
'Damn, man! I thought you were slim!'
'Nice tits, mate!'
'Dude! You don't look fat when you got clothes on!'
Nice huh? Way to boost my ego.
It's pretty funny now that I look back on it, and I knew my mates were just clowning around, but deep down it was pretty embarrasing, especially since I only had myself to blame. Anyway, the bantering died down a few days later and my friends and I spent the remainder of those two weeks swapping swimming tips and bragging about how proficient we were at certain strokes. But the damage was done. I was exposed as a fat kid with man boobs. Sure, there were other guys who were bigger than me but at least they weren't hiding it. People expected them to have a rolly-poly physique. Whenever I got into an argument with a friend, they'd have the perfect comeback to shut me up.
Well, that was a long time ago and trust me, I've well and truly left that chubby kid behind. I started working out when I was sixteen and never looked back. The energy I used to burn playing video games is now spent on torturous hours in the gym and I can now walk around the beach shirtless. But I'll always have a special place for that kid. Subconsciously, I think he's the one that motivates me to do good every day. That kid was picked on and didn't think highly of himself. That's all the motivation I need to ensure that people don't look down on me like that again.
Well, he certainly motivates me while I'm training. When I get up in the morning and see that picture frame on my wall, the first thought is 'Ok, mate. Time to train. Fat kid is no more!' But above all, that kid was who I used to be and so I should be proud of the fact that I made a change in that part of my life all by myself.
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