My friends refer to me as the "gym girl." I don't argue that. I embrace that label because the gym is a huge part of my life. It has been that way for a couple years now.

I started going to the gym the summer before I left for college. I had just finished my last season of sports, and I knew I wanted to keep myself active. I had been involved in sports since the age of four. Thanks to three knee surgeries, I had to give up a huge part of my life. The transition was hard, but the gym helped. My first month at the gym I was just focusing on cardio and core. I'm forever thankful to my best guy friend because he introduced me to lifting.

For those of you who don't lift, I want to describe the experience to you. To me, lifting is taking complete control of your body. Pushing it to its limits. Testing your mental and physical boundaries. The adrenaline creates strength you never thought you would have. Being able to focus on the smallest parts of your body in order to make that mind to body connection. All these things combined leave you feeling empowered.

I don't think people understand why I need to go to the gym every day. It's more than just being active. For me, the gym is my happy place. The only place where I can feel in complete control of my life, which is something I struggle with. On the outside, it may seem like I have my life together, but on the inside, I constantly question every move I make. When I'm at the gym, I know that I'll always get exactly what I put in. Working out is an individual journey. Yeah, you can workout with people, but when it comes down to it only you can make choice on how much effort you want to put in.

The gym saved my life... Before it, I lacked confidence in myself and my body. I had a fear of failure and being rejected. Don't even get me started on my trust issues. Before I started going to the gym, I was "weak." Weak in the sense of not pushing myself to my limits. Scared of bending myself until I broke. The gym has given me "strength" I never thought I had. That feeling of complete control, even if it is just for a couple hours, is enough to get me through my worst days.

Whenever people ask me why I go the gym all the time, I tell them because it makes my days better. It's one place where I am making myself better and I don't have to apologize for that.