Feature Story Final

It was every day, the bullying, the constant questions, “Are you anorexic? Are you starving yourself? Do you even eat?” Niyah Goodwin felt helpless, she couldn’t help the fact that she was skinny. She knew she was underweight, but she didn’t think it would impact her confidence this much.

            The kids were malicious, they would ask the same questions knowing the answer to them. Yes, she did eat. No, she did not have an eating disorder.

            Through all of this, she felt so many emotions, but all she could express was anger. It was hard on her, and all she wanted to do was feel normal.

Goodwin started working out at the beginning of high school to boost her confidence and get that body she was always aiming for. Working out five days out of the week and making sure to not overwork herself, her journey to fitness became a lifestyle.

            “When I was in middle school, I would always get bullied for being skinny. It really started to get to my mental health, and I wanted to do something about it, so that is when I made the decision of working out,” said Goodwin.            

            It was easy for people to tell her to just forget about what others were saying to her, but it took a toll on her emotions. She decided to take control of this and began working out to ensure that she accepted her body for what is was.

            "When I first started working out, I did not know what I was doing. So I would do workouts at my home and at my local park. I would jog for 10 minutes as a warmup and then do crunches, squats, lunges, and pushups with no weights till my body got used to it,” said Goodwin.

            Beginning to workout is not easy because one don’t know where to start, how often one should workout, how long one should do it for, etc. However, Goodwin did not allow this to discourage her, it only motivated her.

            “Staying consistent is not as easy as it looks, especially when you have hit a plateau with your body. The thing that works best for me is looking at the bigger picture and constantly thinking about where I want to be with my body. Every so often, I place goals to reach, whether it is to lift heavier or run longer,” said Goodwin.

            Placing goals and making sure to rest when working out is extremely important. This ensures that people are motivated and constantly setting a new standard for oneself . Do not expect results right away, it takes time and listening to one’s body is key.