When I first got my degree, I had a ton of student loans to pay back.
I was struggling to make my car payment and cover the cost of insurance. I needed to live on a tight budget. There was no extra money to go out to eat or for a gym membership. I lived in a tiny, rundown apartment located in a rather unsafe section of the city. I didn’t trust the lock on my apartment door and used to shove a chair in front of it at night. The electric wires were so old that I couldn’t run a box fan at the same time as the microwave. There was very little water pressure or hot water and the faucets dripped. The air conditioner didn’t work and the heater was so inefficient that I set the thermostat as low as I could tolerate it. I’d bundle up in layers of sweaters and wrap in a blanket to keep warm. I struggled to find effective ways to workout. Now and then, I’d go for a run around the neighborhood. I always carried a can of pepper spray with me and was terrified the whole time. Since I couldn’t afford any type of equipment, I had to be creative. I would do strength training by lifting water or milk jugs. I had just enough space to do abdominal crunches, lunges and squats. I did a lot of push ups, burpees and mountain climbers. I installed a bar in a doorway so that I could do chin ups. I managed to get in a decent workout every day. I was really excited when I finally started making enough money that I could move to a better location.