My Health and Fitness Story
’My name is Justin Holland, for me health and fitness has become more than a hobby or task. I embarked upon my journey around 7 years ago, I was not an overweight kid but the complete opposite, I was the boy who would blow away if the wind blew too hard. Considering I grew up in sports of all types I managed to compete and stay with everyone for the most part. This was the case until everyone else started to grow and I was still barely a hundred pounds soaking wet. In high school I stopped playing sports except tennis, mainly because I was not strong enough to compete with the other boys. Then I decided to make change in my life.
It was half way through my 10th grade year that I went to the gym for the first time with a friend. I can not even explain how embarrassing it was and how weak I was. I knew at that point that I wanted to become stronger and get bigger. Starting out at under 120 pounds and bench pressing under 90 pounds I started my journey. I worked hard in the gym and it took months before I noticed a difference but when I did I got addicted. I was not eating correctly, I was just working out and working hard. When I graduated I was 147 pounds and was bench pressing 205 pounds, which was a lot to me then and quite an accomplishment. I had an okay physique and I no longer was a twig.
I went to college for Mechanical Engineering but still grew more and more into the fitness lifestyle. I began fine tuning what I was consuming nutrition wise and noticed the huge difference it made. I progressively kept getting stronger and bigger throughout my time in school.
It was my junior year of college and I was 165 pounds and had a great physique and was wanting to get ready for my first contest. At this point in my journey I was bench pressing around 290 pounds, so I was at a solid position to step on stage for a novice physique competition.
It was half way through my second semester, I started noticing a spot in my left eye in my central vision. Slowly progressing it came on in both eyes and kept getting worse and worse. In May of 2016 I was declared legally blind and had to stop driving, this was 3 months after I first noticed the spot in one eye. After 7 months passed I only have slight peripheral vision and light perception. I use a stick to get around unless I’m at home.
The reason I went blind is a condition called Leber’s Heredity Optic Neuropathy which is a rare hereditary condition that causes you to lose your vision. Now I am no longer going to school for Mechanical engineering and doing what I love and that is helping others reach their health and fitness goals. I am planning on doing my first bodybuilding competition in 2017. I want to motivate and inspire others to not give up no matter how hard it gets.
