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Fitness

Don’t miss the fitness forest for the trees

If you’re anything like me, you might’ve gone to great lengths to see progress in your fitness goals at some point in your life…

Just You and the Bar: A Bikini Pro Reflects on Her First Powerlifting Meet

This is a post that I wrote together with my…

Willpower is Not the Answer to Sustainable Weight Loss

Every now and then, I have a reader or a client whose body seems incredibly resistant to losing bodyweight…

So You Want to Be a Powerlifter? Here are 20 Things You Need to Know

The basic premise of any powerlifting meet is as follows: you compete with other individuals…

Bikini by Day, Powerlifting by Night

I recently competed in my second powerlifting meet in the USAPL federation on April 2 in Chandler…

Strength Gains are Not Linear

You can’t expect to put 10lbs on your squat every single week. While that would be nice in theory, that means that if I were to start out with a 95lbs squat on…

Are Leaner People Happier?

There’s this circulating idea that being thin and lean brings happiness. With the recent explosion of social media over the past several years (Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat…

Then vs. Now: Learning Lessons from a Bikini Competitor

Today’s guest post comes from Stephanie…

How to Train Around an Injury

Sustaining an injury is never fun. You’re in pain, you’re inconvenienced, and perhaps most annoying of all…

The Case for Resting Longer and Lifting Heavier

We love to feel tired in the gym. For many of us, our mission is to not leave the training floor until…

If you’re anything like me, you might’ve gone to great lengths to see progress in your fitness goals at some point in your life. When I first started my personal fitness journey, there were years and years of pounding myself into the ground, and I overlooked both my mental health and my quality of life.

Even when I encourage my clients to start with sustainable training programs or enjoy some treats and indulgences in moderation, I still get the occasional client who is concerned about what they’re going to do when they’re traveling or when they’re getting together with friends. I’ve been there! Have you ever read about the time my family traveled to Bali when I was a teen? I was so worried about not being able to stick to my diet, I almost made the decision to not go at all. And when we were there, I skipped almost every single family activity because I insisted that I had to be at the gym or eating my own strict meals.

For years, I spent hours and hours running, obsessing over counting macros, doing hundreds of sit-ups, and declining social invitations in fear of not being able to stick to my diet.

It was then that I realized that in many ways, I was missing the point of fitness – namely, to positively impact your life.

What I’ve learned since then (and what I’m here to share with you) is that:

  • Your mental health is everything.
  • Your peace of mind should be paramount.
  • Your quality of life should always matter.

Not only does this apply to our fitness goals, but I’d like to argue that it also applies to other goals we might hold in our life as well. Now, it’s not my place to tell you what goals you should or should not pursue, and frankly, I understand that it’s ultimately up to you how you want to live your life. But please be mindful of what gets affected, both positively and negatively, in your journey to the finish line (whatever that may be).