Michaela Murray

I think the idea of your page and company is really amazing and inspiring, seeing other people talk about what motivates them truly motivates others and can help others kickstart their journey. I wanted to share mine.
I’ve always been pretty active, I swam for 10 years, competing on club teams, my high school team and for a USS team. After high school I decided to stop swimming for multiple reasons and it honestly took a toll on my body. I tried to remain active, going to the gym somewhat regularly but I was a freshman in college and that freshman 15 is no lie. School was different and harder, my diet was terrible, and my workouts were very bland. June 2017, right before I turned 19, right after freshman year ended I ended up in the emergency room with excruciating pain in my right leg. They told me I had a mine field of blood clots and if I had waited any longer I would have lost my leg from the hip down or I could have died. I went through 2 surgeries (that I was awake for) both lasting about 2-2 1/2 hours. They put a tube in the back of my leg and pumped me with medicine to break the clots. After the first surgery they told me that two clots had broken off, one went into my lung, the other into my vena cava (largest vein in the body, leads straight into your heart). Literally the worst fear of everyone involved. Thankfully, they were not large enough and we caught it early enough that it did not cause any serious damage. After 5 days of being unable to get out of my bed or even bend my right leg, I was released from the hospital where it took about a month to be able to move my leg properly again. I went through dozens of tests and doctors to figure out what would of caused it, they believe it may have been a mix of my birth control and weight. At this point I was 210lb. As grim as it might be this was my motivation, my kickstart. I never wanted to be in a situation like that again, especially if I could possibly control it. I started researching diets and workouts and how to lose weight but on my own terms. I experimented with diets and what worked for me. Going into my sophomore year I started working out a lot more regularly and continued my research. December 2017 I finally made the leap and began lifting and I drastically changed my diet for the better. It’s been about 6 months at this point and my health has never been better. I am completely blood clot free and although I do not weigh myself (bc it is just a number and I was focused on building lean muscle) I am at least 20 pounds down. I can now squat 225lb I can deadlift 200lb I can hip thrust 225lb all with good form. I have truly changed my life for the better and will continue to for as long as I can. I’m a hell of a lot more confident and enjoy helping others on their journey.
Thanks for reading,