In middle school, I was the pudgy kid. The kid that came in red-faced and out of breath after recess. The kid who always wore oversized clothes. The kid who never took his shirt off at the pool.
I would see the ripped guys in magazines and on the internet and think to myself, “What does it take to look like that?” From my perspective, I couldn’t even see how it was possible. I mean, I spent 75% of the year playing video games, doing homework, and eating junk food.
Luckily, I did have some form of physical activity—the other 25% of the year I would spend playing rec-league baseball. But still, in the back of my mind, I always felt like there had to be more.
The Accidental Beginning
Things began to change for me during freshman year of high school. With a bit of pressure from my parents, I signed up for the football team. It was exciting at first, but I quickly realized that I hated football—the ill-fitting helmets, the endless drills, the pointless screaming. It just wasn’t for me.
However, football introduced me to something that would stick with me: weightlifting.
One summer, we were required to participate in two-a-day conditioning. In the morning, we lifted. At night, we ran. And that’s when everything started to shift.
I began to love the feelings I got from exercise. Feelings of accomplishment, calmness, and clarity would wash over me after every workout. The seeds were being sown.
Falling Off
Throughout high school, I kept working out. I even enrolled in weightlifting classes junior and senior year, and I slowly started progressing toward the physique I had dreamed of back in middle school.
But after leaving for college, my discipline began to weaken. I still enjoyed the occasional workout, but the distractions started to pile up. Partying, staying up late, and eating overly processed foods became my new normal.
Before I knew it, I wasn’t exercising at all.
Facing the Bigger Picture
During that time, I gained a new perspective on the challenges people face when trying to live a healthier life. I was no longer a kid living at home—I had to figure it out on my own.
And the truth is, the system isn’t set up to help you.
American consumerism is not your friend when it comes to building a healthy body. The entertainment companies want you glued to the couch. The soda companies want you craving sugary drinks. The drug companies want you buying their weight-loss pills and blood sugar meds.
If you want to be healthy, you won’t find support in society. You have to build that strength from within.
And that’s exactly why I started Fuel and Lift.
Birth of Fuel and Lift
Since rediscovering my passion for weightlifting in 2018, I’ve tried dozens of workouts and diets. I’ve had to rewrite my entire belief system around food and fitness.
In doing so, I’ve developed a strategy that works—for staying consistent, getting healthier, and building a physique you can actually be proud of. My goal is to make Fuel and Lift a reliable source of information, motivation, and perspective—something the fitness industry desperately needs more of.
Hayden Robertson, FuelandLift.com
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