How Fitness Turned This Trainer's Life Around After Years Of Addiction & Jail Time

For most people, May 5, 2008, was just an ordinary, unmemorable day. But for me, that otherwise ordinary day changed the course of my entire life. I was 20 years old, driving to make a drug deal, with a half-pound of pot in my trunk and $2,000 in my glove box.

As I was driving down the road, I noticed a police officer running radar. Because of the busted headlight I'd been meaning to fix for months, I was pulled over. My racing heart felt like it had dropped to the pit of my stomach. When the officer spotted an open container in the back seat, he subsequently searched the vehicle with my permission.

Looking back, I think part of me wanted to be caught. I had developed an addiction to opiates that was costing me upward of $300 a day and dealing weed to support the habit.

After the cop found the drugs and cash in my glove box, he put me in handcuffs. At this point, it felt like my life was over. Questions like, How did I get here, Will I get through this, and What is everyone going to think of me, were racing through my mind.

On October 21, 2008, I went to jail. I was fearful and angry, and then suddenly overcome with brutal withdrawal symptoms from my opiate addiction. I was also 50 pounds overweight and smoking a pack and half of cigarettes a day.

My cellmate, who had also struggled with drug addiction, encouraged me to begin exercising in order to replace the bad habits with the good. I was out of shape at that point in my life and had never consistently exercised, so of course, I was hesitant to take his advice.

I tried to do a pushup and couldn't even do one from my knees. I was mortified, but my cellmate helped me turn that shame into motivation. We would meet each morning to work on my fitness goal (which, at the time, was to complete one pushup from my knees). It took time, but I eventually progressed from one to a few to 10 pushups from my knees. Once I developed confidence in myself, I decided to try pushups from my feet.

I began running during my time in jail, too. There was a common area (think cafeteria setup) where I could run around. I would hold a deck of cards in one hand and each time I would run a lap, I would pass a card from my left to my right hand to keep track. I did this every day, and slowly but surely, I was able to run a few laps without huffing and puffing.

After I got out of jail, it was definitely a challenge not having my cellmate to hold me accountable. But I knew if I didn't keep going, a relapse would soon follow.

When my original workout plan became too easy, I knew it was time to add on new challenges. Doing this alone was difficult, so I began educating myself on basic weightlifting programs. Initially, I would lift weights two to three days per week, and over the course of several months progressed to lifting five days per week (similar to a traditional bodybuilding regimen).

Fitness can be the catalyst for change. It helps you improve your self-confidence, develop discipline, and create a routine. It allows you to take small steps to set and achieve goals. I felt better mentally, emotionally, and physically when I began taking control of my health.