If I Could Start My Fitness Journey Over, Here's What I'd Do Differently
There's a version of me from years ago who was doing everything she thought she was supposed to be doing - cutting calories, following the latest diet trend, spending hours on cardio and still feeling like she was spinning her wheels.
She was exhausted. And no matter how hard she tried, it felt like she was always starting over from square one.
Sound familiar?
If you've ever felt stuck in that same cycle, I want you to know it's not because you're not trying hard enough. It's because no one handed you the right roadmap.
So here it is: the roadmap I wish I'd had. If I could go back to the beginning of my fitness journey and do it all over again, here are the eight things I'd do differently.
1. I'd Focus on Building Strength Instead of Trying to Lose Weight
For years, I thought the goal was to weigh less. I was constantly trying to shrink myself by chasing a smaller number on the scale and a smaller size on the tag.
Looking back, I wish I had focused on becoming stronger instead. More capable, more confident and more powerful in everything I did both inside the gym and out.
There's a massive difference between training to shrink your body and training to build it up.
When you shift your focus to what your body can do rather than just what it looks like, everything changes. You stop punishing yourself and start actually enjoying the process (yes, it can be enjoyable!).
2. I'd Stop Chasing Quick Fixes and Fad Diets
I was the queen of the diet train. Every few months, there was a new trend to hop on - a new 30-day plan or a new detox.
And for a minute, it would work. Until it didn't.
Then I'd feel like a failure and start all over again. What I didn't realize was that the problem wasn't me, it was the approach. Quick fixes are designed to get you results fast, not to build habits that actually last.
What I know now is that sustainable progress isn't flashy. It's not a 10-day cleanse or a challenge that wipes you out by week two. It's consistent habits, built slowly, that you can maintain for the long haul.
3. I'd Choose Consistency Over Perfection
Oh, perfectionism. My old frenemy.
If I missed a workout, I'd spiral. If I had a meal that didn't fit "the plan," I'd write the whole week off. I was so caught up in doing everything perfectly that any slip felt like a total failure.
Now I know: one missed workout doesn't erase your progress. One meal where you overindulged doesn't undo all the work you've put in.
Progress is built in the frequency of showing up and not in being 100% on point every single day.
Consistency beats perfection and the goal isn't a perfect week; it's to keep coming back, even when it's imperfect.
4. I'd Fuel My Body Instead of Starving It
There was a period in my life where I was eating around 1,200 calories a day, convinced I was "being good." And I was absolutely miserable. I was exhausted, constantly hungry and wondering why I had no energy to push myself in the gym.
Turns out, under-eating was working directly against my goals.
When you don't fuel your body properly, it can't perform, it can't recover and it can't build the strength and muscle you're working so hard for. I wish I had shifted my focus sooner from eating as little as possible to eating enough. Not just enough calories, but enough protein to support muscle, enough nourishing food to feel energized and enough to feel good in my body.
Food is fuel - not the enemy.
5. I'd Learn Proper Strength Training Way Sooner
For way too long, I avoided the weight section of the gym entirely. It felt intimidating and like there was an unspoken rule that I didn't belong there.
So I stuck to cardio and wondered why I wasn't seeing the results I wanted.
Learning how to strength train properly was one of the biggest turning points in my entire journey. The confidence that comes from knowing what you're doing under a barbell is honestly unmatched.
If there's one thing I'd go back and tell my younger self, it's to get in the weight room sooner.
6. I'd Stop Comparing My Journey to Everyone Else's
Comparison really is the thief of joy and it's also the thief of progress.
I used to scroll through fitness accounts and feel completely deflated.
Why didn't I look like that?
Why wasn't I lifting that much?
Why was everyone else so far ahead?
What I wasn't seeing was that everyone's Day 1 looks different. Everyone starts somewhere. The person you're comparing yourself to has their own journey, their own timeline, their own set of challenges you know nothing about.
Your Day 1 and someone else's Day 165 are not a fair comparison. So stay in your lane, celebrate your own wins and watch how much faster you progress.
7. I'd Care More About How I Feel Than How I Look
I spent so much time fixated on external outcomes like what the scale said and what I looked like in the mirror that I completely ignored how I actually felt.
And honestly? I felt terrible. My energy was low, my mood was all over the place and I constantly felt like I wasn’t enough.
When I started training for how I felt I had more energy, better sleep, a lighter mood and a body that could do more than I ever expected. I wasn't chasing a look anymore. I was chasing a feeling and that feeling is so much more motivating than a number on a scale.
8. I'd Invest in Support Way Sooner
This is probably the biggest one.
I spent years trying to figure it all out on my own. Following random programs I found online and piecing together advice from different sources all while feeling confused and overwhelmed.
What I didn't know was how much faster everything could go with the right guidance in my corner. A coach who could meet me where I was and a community of women who got it.
Investing in support isn't admitting defeat - it's actually the smartest shortcut there is. It cuts through the years of trial and error, and frustration. And it replaces all of that with clarity and confidence.
The Bottom Line
Your fitness journey doesn't have to look like mine did in the beginning. You don't have to spend years chasing the wrong things or burning yourself out on quick fixes.
You can start differently and it's never too late to change the approach.
If you're ready to ditch the diet mentality and start training in a way that feels good, builds real strength, real confidence, and a real connection to your body, I'd love to be part of that journey with you
Whether you're just getting started with lifting weights or you're ready to compound your training, there's a place for you here.