Why the fitness industry’s obsession with looking good is dying
READ TIME - 6 MINUTES
At 28, I thought I had it all figured out.
I’d just finished a brutal CrossFit workout. Standing in front of the mirror, sweat pouring, abs popping, arms defined.
For years, the fitness industry pushed one loud message:
“Look good, and you’ll feel good.”
Six-pack abs. Toned muscles. Chiseled bodies. The “ideal” was everywhere—on gym walls and across social media with endless before-and-after pics. Looks were everything.
I believed it, too.
I thought having defined my muscles would make me feel successful.
So, I pushed myself to the max.
4-5 CrossFit workouts per week. The harder, the better. Heavy lifting. Strict eating. All focused on staying “lean.”
On the outside? I looked fit.
On the inside? I was exhausted. Burnt out. Irritable. Stuck in an endless cycle of overtraining and poor recovery.
As a CrossFit coach and personal trainer, I felt even more pressure. I had to be a role model. No weakness allowed.
Here’s what I experienced
Hormonal imbalances: Intense training and strict dieting wrecked my testosterone.
Chronic fatigue: I was tired. No amount of sleep could fix it—I was drained every day.
Poor recovery: I tried everything, but my messed-up hormones ruined my sleep.
Ruined social life: No more enjoying pizza or a glass of wine without guilt. Eating out became a mental battle over “healthy” choices.
Constant workout pressure: I felt I had to train all the time, or I’d lose muscle.
Questioning my approach
At my lowest point, I started asking tough questions:
Is pushing this hard really needed to see results?
Is it worth it if I’m always fatigued?
Does every “good” workout need to leave me in aches and pain?
Do I need to eat like a bodybuilder to stay in shape?
If fitness is supposed to make me healthy, why do I feel so bad?
The more I questioned, the clearer it became: The traditional fitness approach was broken.
I wasn’t alone. Friends, family - everyone I talked to faced the same struggles with fatigue and burnout. Change was desperately needed.
A new way forward: Real health over aesthetics
Lately, there’s been a shift - not just in me but in others, too.
People still want great bodies—but not at the cost of their health.
So, what makes a “great body”?
Is it Ronnie Coleman waking up at night to eat for mass gains?
Ronnie Coleman (8x Mr.Olympia)
Or Mark Sisson playing Ultimate Frisbee, doing strength training twice a week, and enjoying coffee with cream and sugar?
Mark Sisson, Author of the "Primal Blueprint"
You decide.
To me, Mark’s lifestyle wins:
1. Recovery takes center stage
Constant stress from lack of sleep, work deadlines, and overtraining leads to burnout. Being busy isn’t impressive—it’s a recipe for disaster.
Try this:
Sleep: Get to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until you hit your goal (e.g., 10 p.m.)
Stress: Before you walk into your home after work, sit quietly and breathe for 5 minutes. It works wonders.
Deadlines: Deadlines aren’t going away. But you can handle them better by changing your state first.
For calm and focus, I use “box breathing.”
Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat 10 times and watch your stress melt.
Fun fact: Navy SEALs use it in high-stress situations. If it works for them, it will work for you.
Navy Seals Box Breathing
2. Adapted workouts: The right mix of effort and play
Here’s what it could look like:
Morning mobility: Gentle stretching to boost blood flow and keep back pain away. My favorite stretch is the World's Greatest Stretch.
World's Greatest Stretch
Strength training 2-3x per week: Focus on full-body movements, such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, overhead presses, etc. I follow the rule: spine first. That means starting with spinal mobility and stability before lifting weights.
The Birddog is a great exercise to prep your spine before lifting weights
Outdoor activities: Go on a hike, swim, dance, or play sports. Make fitness fun.
My play is beach tennis
3. Lifestyle hacks for optimal health
Think saunas, cold baths, intermittent fasting, gut health support, sunlight exposure, and reducing environmental toxins.
Each of these deserves its own spotlight and will be covered in future newsletters.
4. Personalized health & precision
Taking health to the next level involves combining ancestral wisdom with technology for a powerful synergy. While our health foundation should always be rooted in nature—we are, after all, products of evolution who thrive on natural movement, sunlight, real food, restorative sleep, and deep connection with our environment—modern tools can enhance this approach.
That’s where innovations like Metabolomics testing come in. This cutting-edge tool reveals exactly what’s happening in your body right now.
Just like a car’s dashboard provides real-time data on fuel levels, engine health, temperature, and overall performance, Metabolomics offers a detailed view of your body’s internal workings. It shows how well you’re “fueling” yourself with nutrition, how efficiently your body is converting energy, and whether there are any “check engine” signals such as nutrient deficiencies, toxin buildup, inflammation, or hormonal imbalances, which can lead to illness if left unchecked.
The flashing lights in the bottom right corner show where you have to pay attention to in your car
With the Metabolomix+, we identify deficiencies and fix them.
In a nutshell:
In my practice, we use Metabolomics testing to detect and correct deficiencies before they lead to disease.
It’s precise and personal.
Key Takeaways
Prioritize recovery: Focus on stress and sleep management. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier nightly and try “box breathing” (inhale, hold, exhale, hold for 4 seconds each) to reduce stress.
Balanced workouts: Mix full-body strength training (e.g., squats, deadlifts) with fun activities like hiking and morning mobility stretches such as the “World's Greatest Stretch.” Don't forget to prep your spine first!
Lifestyle optimizations: Use saunas, cold baths, gut health support, sunlight, and minimize toxins for a well-rounded health approach.
Personalized health: Use Metabolomics testing to identify and fix nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, and hormonal imbalances.
But Mark, you didn't mention nutrition at all. And that's for a good reason. In my experience, many people become too obsessed with eating a “perfect” diet. Food is one of the biggest sources of anxiety and demotivation when it comes to building healthy habits.
Don’t get me wrong—nutrition is crucial. But my goal is to help reduce the anxiety surrounding it. By focusing on other health strategies beyond just food, you can build vitality and momentum, which naturally leads to better dietary choices over time.
Moreover, nutrition is deeply personal—not only because of individual dietary preferences but also due to ethical, cultural, and religious beliefs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to eating.
That said, I will still be diving into nutrition in future newsletters, but in a more inclusive way, highlighting diverse perspectives, practical strategies, and how nutrition can fit into your lifestyle.
My journey to real health
When I let go of chasing aesthetics and focused on true health, everything changed.
My energy returned.
I woke up ready to take on the day.
My mood stabilized.
Life felt richer.
My clients saw the same results. And ironically, my body stayed fit—without the constant grind.
Why this matters
It's time to break free from the obsession with achieving the perfect "body." In its place, a new era is emerging. It’s about reclaiming health in a meaningful and sustainable way without sacrificing well-being for vanity. We’re stepping into a world where:
Recovery, resilience, and personalized health take center stage.
Longevity and optimal performance come first.
Holistic health becomes the true measure of success.
This isn’t just a passing trend-it’s a revolution.
A challenge to outdated norms and a path to a healthier, more sustainable you.
If you’re ready to take things to the next level, I can help you in 3 ways:
1: Health and Performance Coaching: One hour of focused work, just you and me. We’ll concentrate on your goals—fitness, nutrition, sleep, whatever you need.
2: The Athlete’s Journey: A program designed for those looking to enhance their health and performance. Perfect if you already know health basics but want to optimize your exercise and nutrition.
3: The Health and Performance Optimization Journey. An all-in-one solution where we’ll work closely together to build your foundational health, from hormone balance to gut health and beyond. Perfect if you’re looking for a complete health transformation.
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