20 things I wish I knew about my health in my 20’s, as someone less than a year from 40:
Looking back almost two decades, I was the perfect candidate to join a fitness cult and I joined three (almost four) by age 22.
I began working for lululemon athletica (great times despite the early-aughts culty vibe).
I became a regular at two local yoga studios: one that specialized in hot vinyasa and one, Bikram yoga.
I started doing Crossfit along with my running habit at a newly-formed small group studio that was one of the first to be affiliated in the Pacific Northwest.
I started eating a vegan diet because I kept hearing about “rotting animal flesh digestion” at my yoga studios (or something like that) and how it was bad compared to plants, grains, and tofu.
Cue me being bloated and simultaneously over-flexible with a nagging shoulder issue (my quads were juicy from Crossfit, though).
The best developments from this time were my curiosity to try new things, finding relationships in areas I was interested in, meeting new people, exploring health-focused habits, and learning about myself. I ended up making adult friends I really liked post-college, went on a yoga retreat to Costa Rica for two weeks by myself (a guy I had a crush on signed up too, oops), and eventually carved out a career for myself at Lulu that took me to NYC and beyond.
Every step is a rep as we say at Bells Up and these ones were certainly important, although some were misguided. A few of them were also quite dumb knowing what I know now.
Cheers to every step of youth being a rep and not knowing until you know a little better.
20 things I wish I knew about my health in my 20s, as someone less than a year from 40:
Exploring is fantastic and trying different activities post-college is a great way to stay in shape while developing habits that last. Even though I used to think running and yoga would make me lean and toned (they didn’t), the act of showing up to run groups and yoga classes helped me start and keep going during a time in life that is often chaotic. Running was cheap, easy, and social (yoga not so much), but being a part of those communities helped me create friendships and bonds.
One method is NOT the method. Rewind to running and yoga: people I hung out with in those groups were hardcore. I gravitate to people with a purpose and was easily influenced to go overboard. I would have told my younger self to relax more and avoid letting my activity define me (“runner,” “yogi,” “Crossfitter”).
If you love running and do it often, get an assessment and learn how to run with proper mechanics. Don’t be like me and blow out your ankle cartilage over-training and overextending.
Fitness is a part of life, but not the only part (see above, relax more).
Lift heavy weights (of course this was coming) and realize no amount of bodyweight leg-lifts and arm flaps in a barre class will do anything for aesthetics. Ladies especially, don’t lose these vital years to develop muscle and bone density that will serve you well for the rest of your life.
Adopting a vegan diet isn’t healthier than one which includes animal products. I would tell myself to be more skeptical and informed before making sweeping and restrictive changes to my diet and wasting money on açaí bowls.
Save for and invest in a complete blood work panel every year, especially if you’re a woman that knows she wants children.
Limit alcohol consumption or live a sober life. Some of my best nights and stupidest decisions involved alcohol. Looking back at photos of myself through the years, I can tell which moments involved heavy drinking and which didn’t. The waste of vitality, money, and time spent drinking in my 20s is one of my biggest regrets.
Don’t f&%k with your face until you start to lose volume and only do it then if you want to. Collagen supplements and protein should be the new Botox before 35.
Put sunscreen on your arms.
Juice cleanses are absolute garbage. I did the Organic Avenue “cleanse” back in NYC in the 2010s and can’t believe I worked a full-time, demanding job while carting around glass juice bottles for two weeks at a time and only consuming juice. Master cleanse masquerading as an eating disorder.
You don’t need to train nearly as much as you think you do. I used to think going hard meant a yoga class on my “day off” and running after workouts. Three to four days of structured and challenging strength training along with low-intensity movement (walking) can give most people the body they never thought they could have.
You don’t need to outperform everyone in the room in a group fitness class.
Understanding macronutrients is one key to success for a balanced, no-nonsense approach to eating for nutrition and performance.
Stop drinking coffee like water, especially first thing in the morning. 90 minutes after waking up, switch to decaf after the first cup, and live a better life with functioning cortisol.
Play a sport you loved as a kid, even if it’s only temporary. I took up ice skating in NYC for a few years just for the fun of it and it was one of my favorite physical activities. My brother plays adult-league hockey off and on and does triathlons because he likes to be in a gym as little as possible. The “fun” stuff matters.
Invest in quality athletic clothing if you can. A good bra, especially. Amazon's fast fashion is too good to be true.
Invest in a coach and get as specific with your goals as you can for where you are at. Even if it seems expensive, it’s better than wasting money on random activities if you know what you want. There are so many affordable options out there now, especially group programs if you can’t afford 1:1 coaching
Just because someone looks hot on the outside, doesn’t mean they know what they’re doing and/or practice “healthy” habits away from the gym. I’ve known plenty of trainers with ripped bodies and terrible diets, disordered eating patterns, and lives in disarray despite looking the part. We’re all human and your fitness trainer crush is, too. Keep that in mind in this social media-driven world.
You aren’t “big-boned,” chronically bloated, have a metabolism that’s broken, and hormones that can’t be regulated because your body is special. These areas can all be sorted for almost all people with lifestyle interventions. I would tell my younger self to show up to doctor appointments with more questions than silence, especially my gynecologist.
