Sally Samuels

My entire life, I have always been interested in staying active. Whether that was through playing sports consistently or even simply just going outside to take a walk on a regular basis. Growing up from the ages 10-14, running was an essential part of my lifestyle. It was what truly made me happy and brought a sense of purpose to my life at such a young age. It made me also just simply feel good physically and gave me more energy as a kid, which I don't think was a good thing for my parents. Running races such as the Peachtree Road Race was one of several occasions that I greatly looked forward to every year.

Although at the age of 14, when I began High School, I remember begging my parents to put me into Lacrosse. None of my family members have ever joined a sport at that point, so this was unusual for my parents to hear. My freshman year of high school was spent playing Lacrosse, although after determining that I did not enjoy that sport, I switched to Volleyball. Yet, after a year of volleyball, I decided to quit that as well.

After two years of attempting to play sports, I slowly quit being active overall. By the end of high school, I had completely quit running.

What truly got me back into working out was my best friend, Ariana. She introduced me to weight training and ever since the beginning of College, weight training has become such a big part of my lifestyle. You can find me in the Ramsey Student Center at least 4 times a week in Athens, Georgia.

Going to the gym so often made me realize how much staying active feeds into a happy lifestyle and good mental health.

I am beyond grateful for being able to do what I do.