It’s been a long (but exciting) ride, but I’m finally excited to unveil a big creative project I’ve been working on over the last year; one that has been in my mind for years, but finally came to fruition in 2021. On March 29th, 2022, my book, Find Your Stride: A Personalized Path to Sustainable Nutrition and Training will be hitting the virtual shelves.
Find Your Stride was written for 19-year-old me; someone who felt crushed under the weight of their debilitating body shame—desperately wanting to lose weight to fit in, while lacking the motivation to sustain a fitness regimen or stick with a quote-on-quote “diet plan” for any period of time. In high school, I tried everything I could to lose weight; bouncing from one extreme to the next. My weight was strongly correlated with how I evaluated my self-worth. The crippling feeling of not being enough (due to my appearance) translated into other facets of my life. I would refrain from taking on risks or embracing the new, all stemming from a severe lack of self-confidence and an unhealthy dose of body dysmorphia.
In University, when I was at one of my lowest points, I made the definitive decision that I had enough—it was time to make a drastic change. I finally discovered what I thought was a “solution” which was essentially a mishmash of random pieces of nutrition and training advice I found from variegated sources—including outdated books, the internet, and whatever pseudo-science advice the latest health gurus were preaching. After rigidly following this formulated plan, the weight finally came off, but it came at a high price: my mental health. I developed strict rules of eating, and then chastised myself for days if I veered off course even slightly. My training, which was a combination of cardio and weight lifting, was strictly used as a mechanism to get leaner and build muscle with an emphasis on calories in vs. calories out. In other words, the motivation behind my training was to fuel my aesthetic goals only. In retrospect, what I wish 19 year-old me knew was how to obtain my aesthetic goals that balanced sustainability and flexibility. My plan back then was extreme and over time, caused an eating disorder coined orthorexia. Although this isn’t a clinical diagnosis, it is essentially an obsession with healthy eating. Food ran my life for years. Akin to a self-made prison, I missed out on life experiences like going out to dinner with friends and trying new foods when traveling because of this rigid plan I enforced upon myself. It was, in short, a shitty way to live.
However, over time as I educated myself and ran my own self-experiments, I slowly let go of this rigid diet mentality and became more flexible with my eating. I developed an ardent love for running and training through sheer persistence; from watching myself get stronger and faster—being able to run longer and lift more. I set my own goals and was able to maintain consistency with my efforts by reclaiming autonomy over my decisions. I no longer felt obligated to change my body due to societal pressures. I set my own goals, on my own terms.
So with that little preface, I’m excited to share with you, Find Your Stride; a book that I poured my heart and soul into—with the only goal being that I can impart some advice or guidance (in some way, shape or form) along your fitness journey.
About the Book
People think they want to be told exactly what to do: the winning formula to achieve holistic “well being,” the right recipe mix, the plan that will help them lose fat, build muscle, and increase energy levels. Most plans are rigid and don’t have the flexibility to account for everyone’s specific needs, with specific rules and principles to adhere to. Eat this, don’t eat that, do these exercises, don’t do those. When we veer off the path and don’t fit the specific mold laid out by health gurus alike, we get discouraged and quit.
We’re all uniquely different and therefore each and every one of us needs our own individualized program—a program that’s flexible and ever-changing to suit our evolving lifestyle and preferences.
Understanding that there is no such thing as a universal plan for everyone, Find Your Stride offers an unconventional approach to fitness and a digestible amalgamation of the latest research in nutrition, exercise science, and psychology to give you the simple tools to transform your body and mind. The book offers pragmatic advice on how to craft individualized, sustainable training and nutrition plans to see real, palpable changes in your physique—build lean muscle mass, lose body fat, and the ability to stick with it over the long haul.
Find Your Stride challenges readers to look inward while providing the framework for finding deeper meaning in their health goals—a hallmark of building consistency. If you position yourself as an explorer, you can’t fail and sabotage yourself. You’re building a foundation to learn and grow, which are the building blocks to help sustain your fitness journey for life.
Where to Buy
Find Your Stride will be available on all major online retailers on March 29th. The ebook version will be available about a week before. The best way to stay updated on where to buy is by dropping your email here. I’m also giving away a few early signed copies 2 weeks before launch to those who subscribe to the email list.
If you enjoy my content and are a regular reader of my blog, I genuinely believe you’ll get something out of this book. In fact, as I was conducting the research and writing the book, I too gained insights to become a happier, holistically healthier person. I’m not the same person I was before writing it and I want to share all the accumulated knowledge with you too.
Early purchases and Amazon reviews are vital in determining the success of a book. I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d consider purchasing on or close to the launch date while also leaving an honest review. Regardless, I want to thank you all for your ongoing support—I wouldn’t have embarked on this endeavour if it wasn’t for the many pieces of feedback, topic suggestions, and encouragement I regularly receive from this community. So, thank you 🙂
Wow, what a great premise for the book, which I’m sure will have tons of wisdom, and also, what a wonderful cover you have there! I feel so excited for you. Am definitely looking forward to you finding your stride with this one 🙂