{"id":818,"date":"2026-03-16T09:46:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T07:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/16\/building-strength-the-day-i-chose-health-over-cigarettes-and-alcohol\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T09:46:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T07:46:03","slug":"building-strength-the-day-i-chose-health-over-cigarettes-and-alcohol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/16\/building-strength-the-day-i-chose-health-over-cigarettes-and-alcohol\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Strength: The Day I Chose Health Over Cigarettes and Alcohol"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


Five years ago, my mornings looked very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Before the sun had even risen properly, I would be standing outside with a cigarette in my hand. Coffee in the other, smoke curling into the morning air. It had become routine \u2014 something I hardly questioned anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Alcohol followed closely behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weekends often blurred into late nights and heavy drinks, and mornings where my body felt sluggish and drained. At the time, it felt like normal life. But looking back now, I realize how much it was quietly taking from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


My energy was low. My breathing was shallow. Mentally, I felt clouded and restless, like I was living slightly outside the life I wanted for myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Five years ago, I first stepped into a gym with the hope of changing that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


I wasn\u2019t strong. I wasn\u2019t confident. I was simply someone who knew something had to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


At first, the workouts were hard. My lungs burned quickly, and every exercise reminded me that my body had been neglected for far too long. But slowly, through sweat, discipline, and showing up again and again, my body began to respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Then life happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


For three and a half years, I stepped away from the gym. The routine disappeared, and with it, the momentum I had built.
But the story didn\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


A year ago, I made one of the most important decisions of my life: I quit smoking completely. Cigarettes were no longer going to control my health, my breathing, or my future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Two months after quitting smoking, I also gave up alcohol. I realized that if I truly wanted to rebuild my life and my health, I had to remove the habits that were holding me back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Not long after that, I walked back into the gym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


After 3.5 years away, starting again was humbling. My strength wasn\u2019t what it once was. My endurance needed rebuilding. But this time something inside me was different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


This time, I wasn\u2019t just exercising.
I was rebuilding myself.
Every workout now feels like a step forward. Every drop of sweat is a reminder that our bodies are capable of healing and growing when we give them the chance. My breathing is stronger, my mind is clearer, and my motivation runs deeper than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


This journey isn\u2019t about perfection. It\u2019s about progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


I\u2019m working on improving myself every single day \u2014 physically, mentally, and emotionally. The gym has become more than a place to train my body; it has become a place where I strengthen my mindset and remind myself why I chose this path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Looking back over the last five years, I see a man who struggled with unhealthy habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


But today, I see someone choosing growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Someone choosing health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Someone choosing to become better than he was yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


And the journey is only just beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five years ago, my mornings looked very different. Before the sun had even risen properly, I would be standing outside with a cigarette in my hand. Coffee in the other, smoke curling into the morning air. It had become routine \u2014 something I hardly questioned anymore. Alcohol followed closely behind. Weekends often blurred into late […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25,24],"tags":[157],"class_list":["post-818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness","category-motivation","tag-fitnessjourney-strongereveryday-mindandbody-healthyliving-nevergiveup"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/20260316_081035-scaled.jpg?fit=1440%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":283,"url":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/the-21-minute-burn-why-im-hooked-on-the-hustle\/","url_meta":{"origin":818,"position":0},"title":"The 21-Minute Burn: Why I\u2019m Hooked on the Hustle","author":"Rey De Bruyn-Walters","date":"11 February 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"If you told me a year ago that I\u2019d find \"excitement\" in a 21-minute battle against a ticking clock, I probably wouldn\u2019t have believed you. 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I headed out for a 15km trail run with my GSP, chasing the usual sense of freedom that comes with the open trail. About 7km in, the ground had other plans. Loose rocks beneath my feet sent me slipping, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A Week at the Gym"","block_context":{"text":"A Week at the Gym","link":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/category\/fitness\/a-week-at-the-gym\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260417-WA0009.jpeg?fit=675%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260417-WA0009.jpeg?fit=675%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260417-WA0009.jpeg?fit=675%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":294,"url":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/13\/from-doubt-to-triumph-my-trainers-brutal-challenge-conquered\/","url_meta":{"origin":818,"position":2},"title":"\u201cFrom Doubt to Triumph: My Trainer\u2019s Brutal Challenge Conquered","author":"Rey De Bruyn-Walters","date":"13 February 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019ve all had those moments where a notification pops up, you take one look at the screen, and your first thought is: \u201cAbsolutely not.\u201d That was me this morning. My personal trainer sent over a new challenge for time, and as I scrolled through the list of movements, I genuinely\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fitness"","block_context":{"text":"Fitness","link":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/category\/fitness\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213_205821-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213_205821-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213_205821-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213_205821-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/debruyn-walters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213_205821-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":895,"url":"https:\/\/debruyn-walters.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/24\/waking-up-paralyzed-the-reality-of-living-with-fnd\/","url_meta":{"origin":818,"position":3},"title":"Waking Up Paralyzed: The Reality of Living with FND","author":"Rey De Bruyn-Walters","date":"24 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning, I woke up and couldn\u2019t move my legs at all. Complete paralysis. It lasted about an hour\u2014but in that moment, it felt endless. Fear set in quickly. I didn\u2019t know what to do, so I stayed still, waiting, hoping. 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It was one of those days where even the simplest tasks felt heavy, almost like my body wouldn't cooperate. I felt limited, mentally and physically\u2014a total contrast to how I wanted to feel.But today? Today, I decided to redefine my limits. 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