Tim Ferriss, one of my favourite authors and podcast hosts, has been known to joke that the only people who should write books are those who feel they only have two options: type or explode.

I am not sure if I completely agree with him — I think I might enjoy the writing process slightly more than he does — but I am familiar with that “must express … going to explode” feeling.

I write because I know how energized and empowered a fantastic workout makes me feel, how adding nutritionally dense foods (versus buying into the “must eliminate” mentality of typical diets) enriches, not detracts from, my life, and how fostering a healthier internal dialogue makes living with myself a positive, rather than an exhausting, experience.

I write because I need people to know that not only is creating a “fitter future self” possible, it is possible without succumbing to belittling self-talk, hated workouts, and soul-destroying diets, and it is possible for everyone, not just for those with impeccable genetics and natural motivation.

How do I know this? I have been there. Up until roughly the age of seventeen, all I wanted was to not be Kathleen. I ate my emotions, cried to get out of gym class, and hated my awkward, unfit body. I spent years thinking unproductively about health and fitness, not knowing how to turn my wishes and wheel-spinning anxious thoughts into productive action.

My health trend changed when my mom bought me a YMCA membership. Her words of wisdom were something akin to, “Kathleen, we have to find a solution. Let’s try the YMCA. You have always been more comfortable in front of adults. [The YMCA in Stratford was filled with people 30+ years my senior.] Start by walking on the treadmill. Something is better than nothing.”

The treadmill led to group exercise classes, which led to teaching group exercise classes, which inspired my educational path in exercise science. Almost twenty years later, I am a personal trainer, life coach, nutritionist, Pilates instructor, and author. 

Finding my fit and helping my clients find a fit that works for them inspired my first book, Finding Your Fit. Your Fittest Future Self expands the discussion to include training, diet, and motivation. In Your Fittest Future Self, I break down the pros and cons of popular diets, workout styles, and motivational approaches. Readers finish the book with the tools needed to create individualized, curated health mixes.

The trick is to embrace that your health journey starts NOW — now is the only moment you have complete control over.

So, get up and walk a few steps. As you walk, contemplate all the small choices you can put into ACTION today to create the fitter future you that you desire. Start to frame daily motion and nutritional awareness as non-negotiable. How you make your non-negotiables happen is up to you.

Your Fittest Future Self is here to help.