08/30/2026
It’s been a rough year. Over the past several months, relational turmoil took a very real toll on my mental, physical, emotional, & spiritual health. I lost my appetite, energy, strength, & motivation to train... eventually losing 12 lbs in just 22 days, including ~8 lbs of muscle. After an arduous 4 mos, I found myself at my lowest lean body mass since Jan 2020. A brutal reality for a hard-gainer to face.
So, I began rebuilding. I ate by the clock when I wasn’t hungry. I forced myself to push through depression, fatigue, & emotional triggers to train anyway. And I leaned heavily on some amazing fitness partners, family, & friends when determination alone wasn’t enough. At my most recent body comp check, I'd regained 6 lbs of lean body mass with only a 1% increase in body fat. Progress.
Maya Angelou wrote: "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
I’m still rebuilding. Strength isn’t measured only by what we can lift. Sometimes it’s measured by the grit to keep showing up & doing the work when simply showing up is the work.
