When I was a kid, physical critiques were not an issue other than the occasional “You are looking too skinny” yelled at me while Mom prepared meals. My adolescent insecurities did not stem from body image or wanting to “look” a certain way. I struggled with fitting in and constantly worried about “acting” a certain way in order to be liked. As you can probably guess, despite my struggles for acceptance, rejection followed me everywhere. I wanted to be the cool kid, but discovered I was destined to be the “weird” one. Suffering from ADHD and constantly getting overly excited made keeping my enthusiasm and energy in check nearly impossible.

Almost eight years ago, I lost something that had been with me from my early 20s and had defined me. Like many other people, I was addicted and couldn’t go a day without it. It felt strange to give it up and trade it in for something new. However, I gained something more valuable as I let go of what I had held on to for far too long. Here is how it all went down. On a fairly typical day, I placed my water bottle and towel on my favorite piece of cardio equipment. I was determined to spend another mundane hour of healthy indoor living while staring at