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It's funny what the body can do when you truly start to listen to it.

Before I begin, please note that I am not a physical therapist, nor a licensed fitness instructor or even a psychiatrist. I'm simply a guy who has been through a lot and is taking his life back, "one day at a time."

There's a feeling of failure each time you fall out of shape. It's natural and it happens to almost everyone. When you feel as though you've peaked and you're not who you use to be, that's when the self-esteem begins to work against you. It's cruel, but it's all part of life.

In my case, I grew weak from being hospitalized and put on bed rest for quite some time. When the doctor gave me the OK to start moving again, I felt as though I was 16 years old again, lifting my first weights for the very first time. It crushed my soul and I felt incomplete.

When you start to sink within, that's when depression plays a hand and it only gets worse from there. It's a bottomless hole and you're continuing to fall deeper, faster. I get it, trust me, I was halfway down that hole 16 days ago and I began to lose sight of reality.

My social media became my platform to reach out for advice or any type of help to help lift my spirits because I felt knocked down and needed a helping hand. That's when I came across the saying "one day at a time." From there on out, I was determined to take each day slowly and at my pace, not anyone else's.

Sure, it started with just going for a walk, but you know what? That one to two-mile walk was a small goal that I knew I could crush and at least it was something. I chose to take that walk as a simple yet highly effective way to jumpstart my new fitness journey. From there on out, I removed gluten from my diet and slowly started picking up the pace. Not too slow, but a little faster than the previous day. All because I was taking life, my life, "one day at a time."

Tonight I deadlifted 405 pounds at CrossFit Dartmouth, a weight I was at before my incident, and it felt incredible. Was it perfect? Absolutely not, but it was a start and a small goal to check off in the achievement box. It was my goal and even if I didn't meet it, I would have worked at it until the desired goal was met. I'm proud to say that wasn't the case this time and I'm going to use that as motivation for the next time I work out.

I'm happy, I'm healthier and I'm a different man today, all because I believed in one saying. A saying that helped prove myself wrong and showed me that perseverance will eventually lead to accomplishments.

Tune out the bad, focus on the good, and try to take life "one day at a time." It just might help you more than you know.

#OneDayAtATime

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