I’ve been an athlete since the age of 4. I’ve played practically every sport possible, from gymnastics and basketball to soccer and volleyball. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t spending hours at practice after school, and traveling to tournaments nearly every weekend. And I loved it. Sports meant everything to me for a significant period of my life. For a while, I even felt as though sports and exercise defined who I was. I attended practice for one sport or another (or several) every day during and/or after school, which meant that I exercised for hours on those days.

But this life about which I am speaking occurred before my injuries. In a period of about five years, I had eight leg surgeries. Two torn ACLs. An ankle that couldn’t really kick anything anymore. I was devastated. I kept playing sports, but I would never play at the level that I did before. And that seemed to hurt my mind more than my body.

I soon realized that, although I would never play sports at that level again, I didn’t have to stop being who I was. My injuries shouldn’t stop me from strengthening my body. And they shouldn’t stop me from doing what I loved to do.

Now, almost a year after my eighth leg surgery, I work out nearly every day of the week. Whether that means I go out for a run through my neighborhood or go to the 5:30 class at the gym, I try my absolute hardest to push myself each and every day. For me, exercise is so much more than part of my daily routine. It’s much more than a stress-relieving activity. And it’s definitely more than an excuse to wear comfortable clothes (but who’s complaining about that?).

For me, working out is proof that I am stronger than what I have gone through in my life. It reminds me to be thankful for the people who helped me to get healthy again (and they are truly wonderful people). It makes me remember that things could have been so much worse. And, it forces me to challenge myself and push past the limits that I thought were holding me back.

No, I’m not the most fit person on the planet, and I’ll be the first to admit that. But you’ll often see me out walking or running or headed to the gym. You can find me looking up new ways to strengthen my legs or my core or my back (thanks, Pinterest!). Or maybe I’m trying yoga and Pilates or watching new videos online in an attempt to work my body in new ways.

And I do this not because I feel obligated to exercise. Not because I want people to know that I work out. And certainly not because anyone forces me to do so.

I work out because I’ve finally realized that I’m stronger than the things in my life that would lead me to believe otherwise, and I can’t let myself forget that.