7 Fitness Hot Takes (As a Personal Trainer)
Let’s be real. Fitness advice is everywhere, and a lot of it is either confusing, overhyped, or just flat-out wrong. After years of coaching people through the ups and downs, here are 7 hot takes I stand by. Take them or leave them, but they might just shift your mindset!
Walking is wildly underrated.
If more people prioritized a daily walk over obsessing about their next "fat-burning" workout, they'd be healthier, leaner, and mentally clearer. It’s free, accessible, and surprisingly effective when done consistently.You’re not failing. Your plan is just too complicated.
If your workout schedule requires perfect conditions, an hour of free time, and 17 pieces of equipment, it’s not sustainable. Simpler plans win every time. Thirty minutes. Repeatable. Adaptable. That’s the magic.You don’t need to “earn” your food.
Exercise is not a punishment for eating. It’s a celebration of what your body can do, not a transaction for what you ate. Let’s retire the guilt around food and movement, for good.Motivation is unreliable.
You won’t always feel like working out. You don’t have to. Discipline and systems carry you when motivation disappears. Set the bar lower on hard days. Just show up. That’s the win.Cardio isn’t king. Strength training changes lives.
Cardio has its place, but lifting builds muscle, boosts metabolism, improves posture, supports aging, and builds actual resilience. Women especially: pick up heavier weights. You won’t “bulk.” You’ll build.Aesthetic goals won’t carry you long-term.
Wanting to look a certain way can be a motivator, but it’s a fragile one. Focus on how you feel, how you move, how you show up in your life. That’s the stuff that sticks.7. Consistency beats intensity.
Going hard twice a week and burning out doesn’t beat moving moderately five times a week. You don’t need to crawl out of the gym or crush every session. Just be consistent.
Do you agree? What would you add? Comment below, I’d love to know!
XO,
Caroline