As a kid, I was always overweight. Most, if not all of my family was overweight, so it never seemed like a big deal. Of course, I had my yearly physical and continually my pediatrician told me that I needed to lose weight so I wouldn't develop a variety of health conditions attributed to being overweight. Being a kid, these things never seemed to mean anything to me since I was young. Those people who had heart attacks and Type 2 Diabetes were older.

When I got to high school, reality had set in on how much weight I had gained over my childhood. I was tired all of the time, the school stairs seemed daunting, and physical education was my personal hell. Dating wasn't a thing for me, I didn't even think about sports, and the day I finished my physical education requirements was the happiest day of my life.

My junior year, I had my yearly physical. I pushed off the part of getting on the scale because I wasn't in the mood for the routine speech my pediatrician came prepared with. After pushing it off, I had to finally do it. 268. At 17, I weighed 268 pounds. To make matters worse, I was a borderline diabetic. I had to make a change.

Two years and 92 pounds later (you can do the math if you're so inclined), I've fallen in love with the gym.

Many people ask me to this day why I workout and if I did it for the physical benefits. Of course. But there's so much more to falling in love with the gym.

Falling in love with the gym quite literally saved my life. Not only have I become a healthier weight, I've gained body confidence and have learned to finally love the skin I am in.

As someone who struggles with depression, working out has given me a healthy outlet for when I have my bad days. It has given me an outlet to deal with anger, stress, and anxiety. Working out not only has physical benefits, but it has given me a safe haven for all of my problems in life.

Working out has challenged me to push myself to limits I never thought I could reach. I went from an 18-minute mile to a solid 9:43 mile. I went from barely being able to lift 5 pounds to benching over 75 pounds. I've gone from being frustrated to lose a pound to nearly losing 100.

It's made me learn the value of hard work, discipline, and goal setting.

Working out has allowed me to find a place to shut out the world's problems even if it is just for an hour a day.

As a college student who struggles to deal with school, work, and finances, I come with my own set of stress (but trust me, it's more than enough). I can't urge you enough to find a love for exercise. Of course, working out is my exercise of choice, but activities such as swimming, running, or biking are just as applicable. Working out helped me become a better person- not just physically, but (especially) emotionally healthy.