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My Story...

Growing up with my mother, father, and older brother, I’ve always had a great support system. I was in private school until I reached the fifth grade. When I think of private school, I picture a cage. I was caged from all of the bad things in the world. Switching to public school for the first year of middle school is what opened the cage for me to expose the negativity of the real world. I dreaded every morning when my mother would wake me up and get me off to middle school. Day after day, I got picked on. Being made fun of turned into bullying. Every ounce of confidence I had as a child was being stripped away from me. “Twiggy, anorexic, ugly face, big nose…” the list could go on and on. I remember going to the bathroom during and after each class period and caking my face with makeup. No one should ever have to feel like they have to cover their face with makeup as a mask to what you really look like and its not like the makeup could change my physical features anywho. I live in Florida, the Sunshine State, where the heat is unbearable at times! I started to wear long sleeves and jeans every day to school because I was insecure about my body shape. I let constant bashing and negative words take a toll on my life. The next year I decided to go back to private school and get away from the bullies. Oh how things got worse! Everywhere I went, I found myself in a position where I was being put down whether it was for my looks, personality, or actions. I could never win. As middle school finally came to an end, it was time to move onto bigger and better things. HIGH SCHOOL. My brother was very involved in the high school we went to and I wasn’t worried about making friends or fitting in. I automatically followed in his footsteps and decided to run for class vice- president as well as get involved in multiple clubs and sports. I was known to be a fairly out-going and 

modest Christian girl. It didn’t take long until I was introduced to alcohol and partying. I got involved in the wrong crowd and lost who I was and the reputation I had taken so long to build. I made many mistakes and lost many friends along the way. Eventually I got my head back on straight and focused on school, lacrosse, and my high school boyfriend. Life was going great! A few months into my sophomore/junior year of high school, I began to feel a dark cloud above me. No matter what I did, who I spent time with, or how many times I laughed, nothing made that dark cloud go away. The worst part about it was that I had no idea how serious it was. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college at Florida Atlantic University that I realized the severity of it. One night, the dark cloud also known as depression had taken over me. I saw no hope, no future, and no point in living. One night I had tried to take my life. It’s crazy how someone can seem like they have their whole life together and are so content but in reality they are empty and alone and depressed. Luckily I talked to a friend that night and she changed my whole mindset on my situation. She helped me realize that I am worth something and that I’m not alone. So fast forward to now. I withdrew from college to focus on myself and my future career I had always dreamt of pursuing. It all started with that one small thought of “I can do this. I can and I will” to get me going. Fitness to me started as an after school routine to take up some time and walk it out on the treadmill and now it has changed my whole life. Working out and fitness has become an outlet. It has become a place where I can prove to MYSELF what I am capable of doing. Fitness has opened up my eyes to show me my worth and helped me realize that I do have a purpose in life. It became a “you vs you” mentality where I started to better myself every day and become physically and mentally strong. After my struggles as a young teenager, I told myself I wanted to use my story to inspire and help others. Nothing makes me happier than helping others see their worth and help them reach their goals. No matter what you’ve gone through or are currently facing, the weights are always there to get your mind off of things. Let fitness be your outlet! Let me push you and coach your way to success. You can do anything you set your mind to.

-Alyssa Shifrel
 

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