In it for LIFE
Back to school. Back to YOU!
Hi friends. I’m back!
I was happy for a few weeks of down time before school started, but the reality is writing these weekly notes has become an important part of my life and I missed it. (I think some of you missed me too! 😜)
School started last week. Guess what I’ve learned so far? Exercise is good for you. Who knew? (Yay! Grad school! 🙄)
As you can imagine, I am not wowed by the curriculum just yet. (For those of you who don’t know, I’m getting a second master’s degree in exercise science, focused on midlife women, strength training, and behavior change. At least that’s the plan for now. 🤓)
What’s been revealed to me, just three classes in? Nothing I didn’t already know. Exercise is good for you (yeah, yeah, yeah), strength training is essential (yep, ‘tis true) — as is cardiorespiratory training (ya hear me?), intensity is really the key to change (intensity is relative), and being a person who trains consistently is foundational to lifelong health.
Exercise is not a quick fix. When training is woven into your life, it becomes easier to maintain your commitment, and it’s less disruptive when you get off track, because it’s in your lifestyle DNA to be active. The behavior and mindset shift to get there is a huge piece of the puzzle — a piece I’ve been working to help all of you with these past years and one I plan to explore in school.
Science and medicine can jump up and down and wave their arms all they want about how important exercise is, but until we teach people how to train, and what it feels like to take ownership of their training, we will remain a society that struggles to “stay fit.”
It’s not your fault. Nobody taught you how to exercise. For F’s sake! When I was in elementary school, someone came and taught us how to brush our teeth! Nobody ever taught us how (or why) to train. Culture pushes us toward the latest exercise trends and encourages us to want a specific kind of body. We view exercise the way we view fashion trends and not as a nearly free tool for physical and mental health that gives us lasting confidence and adds years of enjoyment to our lives.
Of course I have lots more to say on this topic. Hopefully, this second round of Ivy League learnin’ will help me not only address the specific issues we face as women but also come up with some solutions. I mean, strength training is not a fad, kids. It’s just not. Your bones and withering muscles are telling you so. 💀 But getting to it and keeping at it are a huge challenge. You need some support. I’ve got you. 💪
In between reading studies on osteoporosis exercise interventions, I am working on my Fall 2026 True Strength Academy in-person class schedule. Still fiddling with details, which I will reveal in a week or so.
When I started True Strength Academy three years ago, my goal was to give women the tools needed to train themselves. For LIFE — irrespective of trends and fashion. Each iteration of the course has evolved and responded to the needs of my students. What’s exciting about the upcoming round is that I have a whole new set of tools to share that I am developing in real time.
What to expect from me going forward: my plan is to be back here on Substack once a week. I think I can manage for now. You will forgive the stream-of-consciousness writing that may become my only option. Also, I reserve the right to ghost if I am knee deep in urgent school work. But I will be back once that homework is done. (Is homework ever done…?) I hope you will stick with me.
Have a great weekend. And for all my NYC besties, breathe easy. There is rain coming soon to clear this miserable air. 🤞
In strength,
Elizabeth
