There was a stretch of time during COVID when everything slowed down - and not in a good way. Gyms closed. Routines vanished. Motivation slipped away quietly, replaced by stress, uncertainty, and too many nights spent "taking it easy." I told myself it was temporary, that I'd bounce right back. But the truth? I drifted. My discipline eroded, my training fell apart, and the off-grid lifestyle I built my identity around started to fade into something softer, weaker.

I stopped living like an Ass Kicker.

The Wake-Up Call

Somewhere along the way - maybe it was seeing old pictures of myself covered in trail dust at 10,000 feet, or maybe it was the quiet realization that my body didn't feel like mine anymore - I decided enough was enough.

It wasn't one big moment. It was a series of small ones:

• Choosing to wake up early again
• Lacing up the boots
• Saying no to excuses
• Remembering that the world doesn't hand you strength - you earn it every damn day

Back in the Fight

Now I'm training six days a week. Not to prove anything to anyone — but to reclaim the fire I lost. The soreness feels like home again. The meals are cleaner, sharper. The discipline is back.

But I've learned something this time around: coming back isn't about chasing instant results. This isn't a sprint. This is a marathon - a long, brutal, beautiful road that rewards consistency, not perfection.

The Marathon Mindset

Getting back in shape after a fall takes more than willpower. It takes patience. It takes showing up on the days when motivation doesn't. It takes forgiving yourself for the detours but refusing to stay off the path.

Every rep, every step, every meal - it's another mile in the marathon of becoming who I'm meant to be.

And I'm not done. I'm just getting started again.

Join Me

If you fell off too, you're not alone. Pick a day and start again.

Because this community, Ass Kickers United, isn't about never falling. It's about falling, getting back up again. And again. And again.

Monday, October 27 2025