Over the years, I’ve tracked a variety of metrics throughout my fitness journey. Bone density, water intake, and muscle mass became some of the ways I measured my progress in the gym. While the scale sometimes showed a number higher than what I considered my “ideal weight,” the deeper metrics often told a very different story. Those numbers became a reassuring reminder that progress isn’t always reflected in pounds alone.

Throughout my fitness journey, I’ve had to navigate plenty of obstacles. Even when I was in a great groove and fully committed, life had a way of throwing something in the path. Sometimes it was an injury. Other times it was chaos at work or things happening in my personal life.

Growing up, I was not exactly the kid getting picked first for sports. My athletic résumé was… let’s call it “minimalist.” But around age 13, I discovered something that stuck with me: the gym.