Playing Small Specialist

Let me say this clearly before we go much further: You have been trying. And I see you.

Your quiz results tell me you're a Playing Small Specialist.

That means you've been showing up. You're moving your body. You've been choosing the classes, watching what you eat, tightening things up, doing the cardio, trying to look leaner. Tighter. More "toned."

And on paper, it probably looks like you're doing the right things.

But is there a little voice inside your head? Wondering why it takes so much mental and physical energy to maintain the body you want?

I promise you… You're not broken.

You're just playing a game your body was never designed to win.

The strategy you've been handed is basically:

And yes, that strategy can make the scale move… but it's not going to reliably build the shape, strength, or quality of life you actually want.

So, this is where I'm going to gently (but firmly) challenge you:

The body you're after will be created and sustained by building muscle.

The snatched waist, high glutes, strong back, defined shoulders… the "Damn, I look good in everything" feeling?

That doesn't come from chasing smaller and skinnier.

It comes from building muscle.

And I know that is confronting. I'm okay if you feel a little attacked right now.

The Shift

You came of age in the era of cardio queens, thigh gaps, and low-fat everything. So did I. We were taught that muscle is somehow masculine, and we believed it.

I know that conditioning intimately.

I had my own chapters of restricting calories while doing hours of cardio. I was trying to "tone and sculpt" my body with tiny weights and endless reps - all in the name of discipline.

My body didn't truly change until I stopped training to shrink and started training to grow.

That's the shift I want for you right now… and you don't have to ditch your aesthetic goals to get there.

You're allowed to want to look lean with a tight waist and curves that make hourglasses jealous. I want you to look at yourself in a mirror and be excited to live in your body.

And I want to help you hit those goals in a way that also builds the body that carries you into your 70s, 80s, and beyond.

When you're out traveling the world, I'm hellbent on making sure you can lift a suitcase into the overhead bin without any help.

I want you carrying groceries, getting up on the floor easily, being a jungle gym for grandchildren, all without worrying about something popping. I want you… I want US… to move through life independently, feeling sensual, strong, and alive.

That's the long game.

Let it sink in for a minute.

What would it mean for you to work toward that kind of freedom NOW, while you still can?

The long game doesn't mean abandoning the physical results you want now.

It means ditching the short-game tactics that steal from your future body.

If I Were You…

If I were in your shoes, here's exactly what I'd do next:

I'd eat.

"Eat less" would be off the table as a default nutritional strategy.

If your first instinct for body change is to cut down on food, you need to hear me when I say:

Your body needs raw material to build muscle. Muscle is a metabolically expensive tissue. It needs protein to support muscle growth and repair, and carbohydrates to fuel intense workouts and optimize recovery.

Try this muscle-building macro split (based on 2000 calories/day):

Food is not the enemy of your shape – it's a major part of how you build it.

I'd start lifting with a purpose.

I'd start with 2 strength training sessions per week for a minimum of 6 weeks.

Once that feels good in your routine, bump it up to 3 sessions, and eventually 4.

I'd get my workout prescription from LIFT, the exact strength-training program that built my dream body at 48-years-old and that I continue to use to this day.

It's a form-first, joint-friendly strength training program for women who want to build muscle for life.

I'd reframe cardio.

I'd still do cardio, but I'd get a lot more intentional about my intensity.

I'd spend 70-80% of my cardio time in Zone 2. This is your aerobic base where you can easily chat and breathe through your nose, like in a brisk walk, steady cycling, or easy rowing.

I'd spend 10-20% of my cardio time in Zone 1. This is your recovery zone that helps lower sympathetic drive, like a 10-20-minute decompression walk after dinner, or an incline treadmill at an easy pace while working or watching TV.

I'd spend 10-15% of my cardio time in Zone 4 and 5, combined. This is where you push it and go all out. I'm talking Norwegian 4x4's (4 minutes of intense, upper-end Zone 4/Zone 5 effort, followed by 4 minutes of easy recovery effort x 4 rounds. Sound hard? It is. I do one a week, and it's a love-hate.) You can also try sprint training - this is ovaries-to-the-wall Z5 intensity on the cardio machine of your choice, hitting your max for 10-20 seconds, followed by 2-6 minute full recoveries. Repeat.

I wouldn't waste my time with Zone 3 cardio. It feels productive, but it stacks fatigue and cortisol. These are your group exercise classes and short tempo runs.

Here's one way this could look in a week right now:

When you swap some of your cardio time for strength training, your body will start to feel different. More capable, instead of just smaller. More awake. More yours.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, here's what I want you to hear:

You do not need to disappear to become more beautiful or more worthy.

You need to build yourself up so you can take up space.

Your next chapter is stronger. Fuller. More defined. More confident. More metabolically alive.

I'm so happy you're here.