Leach Journeys: Alec Hyre
We talked with Alec Hyre, graduate student at Florida State University for this week’s Leach Journey.
Are there any tips and tricks you have for Leach rookies? Things you would have liked to know before you started your fitness journey?
Just go, everyone starts somewhere. I had contemplated going to the Leach for a while before my first visit. However, like a lot of people I was too intimidated and nervous to actually go. I was afraid that people would judge me because of my disability and because I wasn’t in shape. I didn’t know whether the gym would have any accessible equipment but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Leach is one of the most supportive environments I have ever been in and has plenty of things I can do. Everyone that comes here is trying to make themselves better; we all appreciate each other because we know we’re all trying to push ourselves in order to improve our lives.
How has the Leach impacted you?
Leach has been at the forefront of my body’s transformation. I started at Leach as a junior, about two-and-a-half years ago and now, as I prepare to graduate with my master’s, I have lost around 100 pounds. Of course, the physical impacts have been tremendous but my mental state has improved so much as well, I am more confident and ambitious because of it. Discovering the Leach has been one of the best things about my time at FSU, I came in to the Leach feeling like I didn’t fit in, now I feel perfectly normal. It has truly changed my life.
How did you start? What pushed you to become a patron of the Leach?
I initially knew I wanted to start working out because simple movements that used to come so easy to me, weren’t anymore. I started working out on my own about a month prior to going to the Leach for the first time. I knew I wanted to try out the facility but as I said, I was initially nervous. I have to thank those around me for the last push I needed to go. I am grateful for them because making the decision to go changed my life.
What’s your favorite part of the gym?
The feeling of setting a new PR is unbelievable. Not only do I get post workout endorphins but I have actual proof of the progress I am making. The feeling I get after rolling out of the gym and setting a personal record is a feeling that is incomparable to anything else! I also would like to give Campus Rec a shout out for helping me build some relationships that will last long after my time at Florida State. Go Noles!
