For many, “fitness” means shredded six-pack abs and a toned, lean physique, but the physical benefits of getting fit are only the tip of the iceberg. 

While exercise is undoubtedly great for the body, there’s something special that happens to your mind when you embark on a fitness journey, and Evan Slaughter knows this first-hand. We caught up with the social media personality behind Fit2Serve to talk about his fitness journey, and his tips for feeling confident and finding your purpose along the way. 

Finding Yourself Through Fitness

Slaughter’s journey to a healthier life began when he realized he was sick of the way he was living – a feeling and story that resonates with many of us.

“I spent so much time in life trying to control how people perceived me,” Slaughter said. “I felt like I was playing different characters at different times in my life. What I discovered is that I was basically trying to manipulate life, aka being dishonest with myself and others,” he continued. 

“That was costing me a lot – broken relationships, an unhealthy lifestyle, and energy. After getting sick of living this way, I sought advice from someone I could trust to help guide me through the process of discovering honesty, which led me to being able to be myself and stop worrying about what others thought of me,” Slaughter said. 

After that, Slaughter embarked on a journey that he's now sharing with almost 100,000 people on his platform, Fit2Serve. We asked Slaughter what lessons he’s learned along the way, and here’s what he had to say. 

Take it One Step at a Time

“Don’t beat yourself up if you fail, and recognize progress no matter how big or small it is,” Slaughter said. “I used to try to go from 0 to 100, and I would overwhelm myself throughout this process and make myself feel like it was too much for me to handle. But when I learned to take it literally one moment at a time, I was able to slowly make progress. I’m still on this journey now and working to get where I want to be health-wise – one exercise, one meal at a time.”

It’ll Require Trial and Error 

When asked about the process of learning to love himself, Slaughter laughed, “it was a lot of trial and error.” 

“We all face challenges in life,” Slaughter continued, explaining that learning to love yourself boils down to being honest and finding what really matters to you. Try different things, don’t worry about what others think, and focus on what feels right for YOU – not everyone else. It’ll take some experimenting, and some things might not work out the way you planned, but those failures will eventually lead to you learning to love the person you become. 

Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable 

From walking into a gym for the first time to doing exercises that make you sweat and struggle, getting healthy can be really uncomfortable. But as Slaughter knows, those uncomfortable feelings eventually turn into confidence. “Sometimes I think I may be overly confident,” he laughed, “but honestly, I have to make myself do uncomfortable things. The growth comes in the uncomfortable times for me,” he said.

“For example, I was recently invited to work out at a CrossFit gym with my brother over the holidays. I honestly didn’t want to go because I knew I’d be the most out-of-shape person there. I hadn’t been exercising as intensely as my brother and his friends had. All the reasons for me not to go were there. But I decided to go and just work at my own pace. It turned out to be awesome – everybody was so helpful and encouraging – that I went back the next day for a second workout. When I got back home after the holidays, I was motivated to really start pushing my own workouts, and not to mention, my experience at the CrossFit gym made for some good comedic content, as well.

“Had I not gone, most likely none of those things would have happened. Each time I put myself in a healthy, uncomfortable situation, my confidence grows,” he said. 

Remember “Fit” Has a lot of Meanings 

Being ‘fit’ usually refers to how physically fit someone is, but on his journey, Slaughter realized that ‘fit’ has many meanings. 

“The concept of ‘Fit to Serve’ came to me when I realized that we are all designed with unique abilities,” he said. “Oftentimes our gifts are unique to us, and different from one another. However, once we discover those gifts and how to use them for good, or to be of service to others, I believe we discover our purpose. In other words, we are all ‘fit’ or ‘equipped’ in some way to be of benefit in this world.” 

So the next time you find yourself wondering why you don’t look like that girl at the gym, or have biceps like that guy on social media, remember that we’re all unique in our own way. Everyone’s fitness journey is different, and that’s what makes it meaningful. 

On his fitness journey, Slaughter has found his purpose is to spread positivity through laughter. When beginning your fitness journey, remember that there’s more to this new adventure than just having a ‘fit’ body – fitness is also here to teach us how to grow, embrace challenges, find our purpose, and love ourselves all along the way. 

For more fitness humor and a good laugh, make sure to follow Evan Slaughter on IG @fit2serve1 and TikTok @fit_2_serve. 

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