How Perspective Changes

This is me in 1998. On this particular day, I competed in the Texas State Bodybuilding Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. I won. I won the lightweight division (I weighed 112 lbs. at this show) and scored a really cool sculpture trophy. However, this was a whole different life that I could not even entertain the thought of right now. This was my life back then:

I was a certified personal trainer at Q -The Sports Club. This was my first 'real' job after I completed my master's degree in Kinesiology. I lived less than a mile from the club I worked at. I lived in some really nice, new apartments that had an exercise facility with 24 hour access. I would go do my hour of cardio at 3:30 a.m. Come back to my apartment, get ready to go to work at 5am. (Not much primping for that early client). I would train clients until noon. Then I would head over to UT Arlington and teach 1-2 classes, depending on which day it was. Then I would head back to my apartment to shower, clean up, nap if I had time and get back to the club to start training again at 4 and work until 9 or 10pm. One night a week I taught a boot camp class (in full fatigues) after finishing all my clients for the day. I worked out 3-4 hours a day and worked at least 10-12 hours a day. This was my life. For 4 years, I worked out 7 days a week, most of the time twice a day. I didn't really date much and I worked 70-80 hours a week. I wore Nikes to work everyday and my co-workers were my best friends. It was a great job for when you are in your early 20's! (And making lots of $$ having so much fun!)

Now? I am lucky to get an hour, maybe an hour and a half of working out, 6 days a week. But you know what? I am OK with that. I am OK with a lot of things that I definitely could not have been back then. I can eat things (like queso or french fries) and not feel like I need to tackle the closest stairmaster for 2 hours. I can actually think about ordering dessert at a restaurant without trying to figure out how I am going to squeeze in an 8 mile run before I go to bed. I can miss a day of the gym, knowing that I am not going to gain 7 lbs. because of it. I am a different person with different priorities, in a different season of my life. I think I am a little more balanced right now. I know that I will never be where I was in that picture, but you know what? I do not care. I am finally OK with what I look like and who I have become...