Truths I Wish I Knew 20 Years Ago
If I could go back and talk to my younger self, I wouldn’t tell her to do more cardio or eat less.
I’d tell her to get stronger.
For years, I thought being healthy meant weighing less, burning more calories, and chasing a smaller number on the scale. Looking back, I realize I was focusing on the wrong goal.
Here are the truths I wish I’d known 20 years ago:
1. Strength training changes everything.
Building muscle doesn’t make you bulky—it makes you stronger, more capable, and more resilient. Muscle improves metabolism, supports healthy aging, protects your joints, and makes everyday life easier.
2. Eat to fuel your body—not punish it.
The goal isn’t to eat as little as possible. Your body needs quality protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and enough calories to recover, build muscle, and perform at its best.
3. The scale doesn’t tell the whole story.
Some of the healthiest, strongest, and happiest I’ve ever been came at a weight I once would have avoided. Body composition, energy, confidence, and strength matter so much more than a number.
4. Consistency beats perfection.
You don’t need a perfect workout or perfect nutrition plan. You need habits you can repeat week after week, month after month.
5. Recovery is part of training.
Sleep, mobility, hydration, stress management, and rest days aren’t signs of laziness—they’re where your body adapts and gets stronger.
6. Strength gives you freedom.
The greatest reward isn’t how you look. It’s carrying groceries without thinking, keeping up with your kids, hiking on vacation, feeling confident in your body, and knowing you’re capable of whatever life throws your way.
Twenty years later, I no longer train to be the smallest version of myself.
I train to be the strongest.
And if there’s one thing I hope more women—and men—discover sooner, it’s this:
Stop asking, “How little can I eat?”
Start asking, “How strong can I become?”
That one shift has the power to change your body, your health, and your life.