Why I started my fitness journey

Health is not valued until sickness comes. 

It wasn’t until I lost my grandma did I really consider health and wellness. My grandma was a huge part of my upbringing. She helped raise me as my parents were teenage parents. 

Growing up I spent a lot of time with my grandma. This is where I developed my love for peanut butter and Walker Texas Ranger. She used to call me “Sweet Cheeks” (hence the blog) and sing a song to me that she had made up. My grandma was my, “partner in crime”, as we used to tell my mom.

As she matured, her health slowly declined. I remember her smoking cigarettes when the doctor had advised her to stop. You would catch her hiding in the small bathroom with the vent on. My grandma had also become diabetic over the course of many years of eating unhealthy. But that didn’t stop her from enjoying a good pie or two or THREE! Opening her fridge and you would find multiple Village Inn pies. She stopped caring about her health and would say, “If I’m going to die, I’m going to die happy”.  

As I approached my teenage years, I stopped visiting my grandma as much and was off prowling the new world of driving. I quit sports and started doing the teenage kid “stuff”- the drinking, the partying. I will never forget the last week of her life. She had asked me to come over one day to clean her house. At the time she had asked, I remember rolling my eyes on the phone and telling her yes I could come clean her house. My grandma always paid me to clean her house and I had a party to head to that night, I needed the cash. I showed up and rushed through cleaning her house. I told her I loved her and left, little did I know this would be the last time I would see her. 

Later that evening, I got a call from my mom telling me that grandma was headed to the hospital. The party was about to start, so I told my mom to keep me updated. My grandma was in and out of the hospital a lot at this point. My first thought was, “she will get out here in a few hours like she always does”. I decided to go about the party and not give it any more thought. 

It was the early wee hours of the morning and I was passed out on my friend's couch. I heard my phone ring, I answered it. It was my mom. My mom was crying. She told me to come home. I knew I couldn’t drive, so I told her I would come home in a few hours once I had slept more, but she insisted I come home now. I remember at this point thinking something was wrong. I asked my mom, “what was wrong?” She went on barely able to speak and said, “your grandma has passed”. If nothing sobers you up, hearing those words right there will do the job. I fell to my knees and cried. I regretted everything instantly!

Time had passed and the funeral was over. I came to my mom and told her I needed help. I was in a downward spiral. I needed to clean up my act and grow up. I had watched my grandma bury herself with unhealthy habits. I was headed down the same path of unhealthy habits. I didn’t want that to be my ending chapter. 

I decided my first step towards becoming healthy would be a daily run after school. Running helped clear my head and detox my body. I found that running was a way for me to get away from reality. It was a healthy outlet. This is when my fitness journey started.

I would be lying if I told you that regret doesn’t live with me daily. I learned a life lesson. Family comes first and people make mistakes.

Everyone’s fitness journey starts differently. But there is always a drive behind the why. Making the choice to become better is the best choice you’ll ever make!