When it comes to fitness, most of us know what we should be doing—move more, lift weights, eat well, rest. But knowing and actually doing are two very different things. That’s where having a plan comes in.

A plan isn’t about being rigid or following some cookie-cutter program that doesn’t fit your life. A plan is about creating structure that works for you. It’s knowing what workout you’re going to do before you step into the gym (or your living room), instead of just winging it and hoping for progress.

Here’s the truth: the people who see the best results aren’t the ones doing the “perfect” program, they’re the ones who follow a plan they can actually stick to.

Let’s be honest: it’s easy to get caught up in how we feel about our fitness progress instead of looking at what’s actually happening. Some days we feel on top of the world, other days we swear nothing’s working—and neither tells the full story.

That’s why tracking matters.

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!

Trauma isn’t just stored in memories—it embeds itself in the body. It rewires our nervous system, disrupts our sleep, and heightens our stress response. Over time, it can make us feel unsafe in our own skin.

In the bestselling book The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk writes:

“Trauma is not just an event that took place in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on the mind, brain and body.”

He emphasizes that while cognitive approaches like therapy are helpful, they often don’t fully address the physical imprint trauma leaves behind.

Insert: movement.

After a long stretch focused mostly on strength training, I’ve decided it’s time to switch things up, and I’m officially back in race training mode! I’ve signed up for a 5K in May and a Half Marathon in October! I’ve completed a 5K, 10K, and Half in the past, but running hasn’t been a regular part of my training for a while.

At my age, I’ve tried it all. And what I’ve learned is that moving your body is a key part of wellness — but it’s not the whole picture. Exercise doesn’t have to be HARD to be effective. The last four years have been a transformation for me. I’ve peeled back the layers of diet, exercise, sleep hygiene, hormone health, and an underlying medical condition to truly figure out what works. Now, my exercise routine is SIMPLE.