KEITH BENNETT 
I was severely overweight in my mid-20s and lived in a vicious cycle of not working out and not making healthy lifestyle choices. Eventually the scale tipped over 250 lbs and I couldn’t take how I looked and felt anymore, I needed to make a change for myself as I realized I wasn’t going to be getting any younger. I put on a pair of running shoes and plodded along for a miserable 1 mile run, I still remember how I felt like I was going to throw up right there on the side of the road. But I kept at it, day after day I kept running and as the weight started coming off I felt it get easier which kept a positive cycle of momentum building until I entered and ran my first 5k race. It was miserable, I think I finished in about 40 minutes, but I finished, and I realized right then that I was hooked. I kept training, I kept improving my diet, and I set a new goal running a half marathon at the end of the next year. I trained for that half marathon for several months and found myself uncovering new depths within myself for discipline and toughness as I ran further and longer than I ever had before. I finished that race in about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Far from a blazing time, but still a far cry from where I was at my worst.
I continued to train, finding more motivation to push myself in fitness and in life. Fitness literally changed my life as I found new confidence and discipline skills that led to me landing my career dream path job, which has only blossomed since then.
Over the next couple of years, I started running faster and more often, I hit a 20 minute 5k, a 1 hour 45 min half marathon, and many more personal bests along the way. Eventually I decided I wanted to focus on strength and found a new passion in weight lifting. I spent a while learning the ins and outs of weight training, but since I’ve moved to my new house and installed a home gym, I have been able to take my training to the next level. Now, I never miss a workout, I never have to worry about waiting for a rack or a bench, and never have to try and change my workout on the fly due to crowded gyms. That, plus working from home as super-charged my fitness journey. I’ve been able to take my discipline and consistency to the next level and have begun to hit all new lifting records along with new physique standards I’ve never seen personally before.
Now, I want to inspire others who are needing inspiration to get started on their journey. I want to help others realize this takes years of dedication, lots of trial and error, and many setbacks along the way. I want to help people realize they can do it too, all they need to do is find the courage to start, and never give up.
