7 Fitness Lessons I Learned at Every Stage of My Journey

Key wellness / fitness lessons + strategies from the video

Take responsibility for what goes into your body (13–15 years old)

• Learn how everyday choices affect health (e.g., soda contributing to kidney stones).
• Use gradual substitutions instead of cold-turkey elimination:
  • soda → orange juice (then realize it’s still mostly sugar)
  • orange juice → milk
• Core takeaway: What you choose daily shapes your health outcomes—empowering, not shame-based.

Use year-round consistency to improve (high school track)

• Don’t focus on training only during a season.
• Prioritize ongoing training throughout the year.
• Suggested baseline from the talk:
  • 3+ resistance training sessions/week
  • about 1 hour per session
  • keep diet around ~80% “good” (not perfect)
• Avoid the “hard for 3 months, then fall off” cycle.

Control what you can; genetics don’t replace effort (sprinting + lifting)

• Genetics matter, but they don’t determine your work ethic.
• Practical adjustment:
  • Shift offseason leg training from more general bodybuilding-style work to more sprint-relevant strength work, including:
    • hang cleans
    • train legs every other day
    • optimize the split to better support speed
• Core takeaway: Assume you have more ceiling than you think unless you’ve already trained consistently and intelligently for a long time.

Limit competing fitness goals (college juggling training)

• Aim for max 1 goal (or at most 2) at a time.
• If you pursue multiple goals:
  • one should usually be the priority
  • the other becomes maintenance
• Example concept described:
  • Marathon training + “get leaner” can work if synergistic,
  • but an overly aggressive second goal (e.g., very low body fat) may hurt performance.
• Key takeaway: Choose your battles—don’t overload yourself with conflicting targets.

Avoid extreme dieting; prioritize long-term consistency (college dieting experiments)

• Several approaches were tested (including intermittent fasting with long fast windows).
• The outcome improved when he found a sustainable middle.
• Main strategy:
  • flexible dieting
  • eat more normally most of the time
  • keep activity/steps up as “passive cardio”
• Core takeaway:
  • No extreme diet is required for a lean physique.
  • Fitness rewards consistency over short-term extremes (e.g., a 4-week extreme cut isn’t as effective as a longer, smaller-deficit approach).

Fitness builds confidence that carries into other life goals (career + ambition)

• Getting fit boosted self-belief and boldness beyond the gym.
• Confidence impact mentioned:
  • landing competitive internships/jobs despite not following the “typical” path
  • using fitness as proof of discipline and capability
• Core takeaway: Fitness is not just appearance—it’s the self-confidence and perspective shift you gain.

Don’t be derailed by judgment; live in alignment with your goals

• Others will judge you no matter what—build resilience and stay true to yourself.
• Fitness-specific framing:
  • comments from friends/family about food choices or being “too into fitness” can become a badge of honor if you’re genuinely improving your health.
• Core takeaway: Negative reactions often come from people who aren’t in the same mindset or stage as you—so don’t let it dictate your direction.

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Presenters / sources

• Presenter/Creator: Not explicitly named in the subtitles (personal creator of the video).
• Mentioned person in story: Kevin Crider
• Mentioned person in story: Scott Ho
• Brands referenced: Able (gymwear brand); also a mention of TikTok (platform) and “Big Four” firms (no specific firms named in subtitles).