A note to my friends

  

I wanted to thank every single friend I have for being so awesome. I really really need people my life like you.

In 2013, many things in my life have changed; my mind, my heart and my body. I change these parts of myself, because I can finally say that I love myself more than I ever have.

I know that I could never have done it without the help and support of all of you.

I also know that those of you who really, really love me, would carry on with that acceptance, and love me regardless of some of my bad moments. I have them. We all do. We can learn from them, or fail to, and experiences the cyclical nature of learning.

People have asked what I want for a present for the holidays. It's been a rough year for me to figure out what I need, or want (two very different things) and I have decided that I want you to do something for yourself.

So do something to make yourself feel better about your life. Work on the sides of you that need to be nourished with attention. If you don't nurture every side of yourself you like, that side of you will eventually die. Don't do that to yourself. Don't lose your identity. Don't lose yourself.

I think that the more that you can improve yourself, the stronger you become, and the more your have to offer your friends, family, and community, the stronger all of those things become as well.

Give back to the world, even when it hurts you. You are worth it, and so is everyone else. This is why I am doing AIDS Lifecycle. This is why I improved my body. This is why I write as a journalist.

It is my goal to lift anyone and everyone up. Helping my community has become my life. I want to help as much as I can. If I can't write about it, photograph it, or brighten it up, I'm not doing my job.

So try and inspire change. That's the best present you could ever give anyone.

MBPM

Opinion: Fitness as a Lifestyle Choice by Matthew Mullins

Matthew Mullins

This week I celebrate the anniversary of my new lifestyle choice in being physically fit. I was looking over my photo progress diary, and I was surprised to find what I looked like then vs. now.
Last Fall, I was told by the Health Office at LACC that I was showing signs of pre-hypertension. I committed to a strict caloric diet to shed some pounds, started taking a drug for hypertension that made me feel like crap, and decided I didn't want to be dependent on any drugs or die early.

Since last Fall, I have run over 500 miles (cue The Proclaimers), started working out, changed some of my diet, and began strictly adhering to my exercise to continue on with my fitness journey.
Now it's Nov. 2013. My weight has gone from 206 pounds to 171 pounds, I help create The #Tags Runner team, and most recently began biking with the Payasos and some really cool bears. I am going to work up to possibly riding with them in AIDS/LifeCycle.

BEST PART: I can look at myself in the mirror, and feel comfortable with what I see! Also, my blood pressure has normalized.

I am not bragging, just posting this with the hope to inspire more people to make a change in their life that will truly make them feel so much better. It isn't easy, but it CAN happen! But do it for yourself, no one else.