Yup this is me at age 10 and again at age 13. You can get a better look in the Before and After gallery.
I thought of these times in my life today when I was meeting with my video production team. We are planning to put up a new video that “reflects my personality” a little better than the current video. I agree; that first video is rather dull and instructional. I mean what can you really say about a squat that’s so exciting…and this is coming from a girl who loves them! I even admit, my on screen presence comes off a little dry and flat, so it is my hope to make this one a little more about what Fitness Gear 101 are all about, and I guess what I'm about – because really we are one and the same.
As we were brainstorming about the new video concept I started to get a little choked up when talking about what Fitness Gear 101 was all about back when I first created it. You see, for me finding fitness was like redemption. I was an incredibly shy and awkward child and my self esteem…well I basically didn’t have any. Being an overweight child in the early 1980s was a complete nightmare. I was the only “fat” kid in my very low income elementary school, and the other kids were ruthless. My family doctor had put me on a diet when I was 10 years old, and although I lost some of my supposed “baby fat” when I hit puberty, I struggled with my weight and body image well into my 20s.
When I look at the photos of me back then, I hardly recognize myself. I truly believe I only found myself once I took control of my life and did something about my unhappiness. So getting on a healthy diet and a fitness plan was, for me, my salvation. I know that sounds hokey, but when I think about how much I devalued myself as a person by treating my body like a garbage can…basically I think I’ve come a long way.
When I first put Fitness Gear 101 together I wanted to build a community that was welcoming and supportive for other people experiencing similar struggles as I did. It was only after I started taking care of myself that I realized that I didn’t want to look like this week’s hot celebrity or even next week’s for that matter. I was finally happy with myself, and I knew that if I slipped, and there was a time when I was unhappy with myself again, that I would have the tools to get back to the best me that I could possibly be.
That is what Fitness Gear 101 is all about, and that’s the message that I hope to portray in this next video. So keep an eye out for it in the next couple of weeks. I’d love to hear your feedback – good and bad.
