I have put my body through the ringer for as long as I can remember.
I started playing ice hockey at the age of 6 all the way up to my freshman year of college and retired at 19.
First, I will start off by saying that hockey was my first love and the amount of blood, sweat, and tears I sacrificed for the game is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Looking back on my hockey career now that I am a grown man has shown me just how much of an impact that sport played on my life in shaping me into the man that I am today.
First, hockey players are some of the toughest athletes in the world.
Have you ever honestly met a hockey player that hasn't gotten the shit beat out of him in some way, shape, or form? I didn't think so...
Hockey is an extremely competitive sport, fast paced, and very physical.
In my career, I sustained many injuries - some of which I played through, and some that left me out of commission for weeks at a time.
I played through a few injuries that were a couple of broken hands and feet, as well as 2 concussions that I can recall.
Looking back on it, putting my health and body at risk was a childish mentality - but at the same time, I genuinely felt like I couldn't not play and let my team down.
The only one that knew about 2 of my 3 concussions was me. The only one that knew about my broken foot was me - I didn't even find out my foot was broken until years later when I broke my ankle on the same leg and saw the bone in my foot had healed itself on the x-ray.
I genuinely hated the idea of not being able to play, regardless if my body felt like it was failing me.
After a couple of ankle injuries and 2 dislocated knee caps in my last 3 seasons, I decided it was time to hang up the skates and shift my focus into something that started to captivate my attention - that was bodybuilding.
I first got into the gym at the age of 17, going into my senior year of high school. I had a couple of teammates getting into the gym who began to lift, get bigger, and get stronger.
I knew with college right around the corner, I had to get some strength and size if I was going to compete with grown men in their 20's.
My first summer weight training, I put on 25lbs and I began to take interest in bodybuilding.
Once I hung up my hockey skates, I took a full interest in bodybuilding to keep my mind occupied.
I set goals for myself in the gym and worked every single day to achieve those goals - which is something I still do to this day when I step foot in the gym.
Over the course of my time spent in the gym over the last 11 years, I have continued to push myself to new boundaries that I didn't even know existed both mentally and physically.
I have discovered that there are no limits as to what the human body can achieve, as long as you have your mind in the right place.
Now that I am 28 years old and have put my body under constant stress over the last 22 years, I am physically starting to feel it.
I have plantar fasciitis in both of my feet, patellar tendonitis in both of my knees, tennis elbow in both of my elbows, and I am starting to experience carpal tunnel in my left wrist.
While my body has seen better days, my mind is now stronger than it has ever been!
I wake up everyday in physical pain but it never has and never will be an excuse for me to miss going to the gym to get my workout in. This is how I have programmed my brain over the years. It is who I am...
In fact, being sore and being tight gives me an extra edge when I am in the gym. I know that my body feels like shit, but I continue to push myself through it and continue to push my own limits.
I find pleasure on the other side of pain.
There is a reward of accomplishment when I push myself through some form of pain.
I don't allow myself to cheat on my diet until I have completed 1 full week of workouts and have stuck to my daily meal plan. Once I hit leg day at the end of the week, I then have earned myself a cheat meal because I did what had to be done.
I will state for the record that my leg days have always been and always will be the most grueling workouts. Even with tendonitis in my feet and knees, I continue to push myself to new limits on the squat bar.
I look forward to feeling the pain of my labor the 2-3 days following my leg day. To me, there is no greater satisfaction than actually feeling the pain and knowing in my mind that I pushed myself - otherwise, I wouldn't feel like I can barely walk.
I believe that what truly makes a man good at being a man is his ability to push through pain and come out stronger on the other side.
I have felt pain in all realms of life whether it be physical, mental, or emotional - I believe that it is all just a part of the human experience. But one thing that I know deep in my soul is that I will NEVER let pain get the best of me.
I work every single day to become the strongest and best possible version of myself.
I purposely put myself through pain so that I can reinforce myself for when genuine hardship arises and life decides to throw me a curve ball.
Iron sharpens iron and the only way to get stronger is by throwing myself back into the fire and forge myself into a weapon that cannot be destroyed.
My purpose in life is to become the best possible version of myself so that everyone that relies on me can continue to rely on me and live out the human experience to its fullest potential.
Whether it be my animals or my future family, it is my duty to lead them and provide them with the best life possible.