I’ve always enjoyed working out, but for most of my life, I’d push myself hard for a few weeks, burn out, and stop. Then COVID hit when I was 40, and I had a wake-up call. At first, I was drinking a bottle of wine a night, living off pizza, and spending most of my days on the sofa. But when it became clear that life wouldn’t return to normal anytime soon, my mindset shifted. When so much felt out of my control, taking care of my body was something I could control, and I knew I needed to get it together.
Determined to make a change, I found an eight-week online workout challenge that consisted of five full-body workouts a week, lasting just 20 to 25 minutes each. Most of the exercises used bodyweight, though some incorporated household items like pillows or a broomstick for added resistance and variation. I’d never done anything like it before, but I appreciated that the workouts were simple, approachable, and easy to fit into my day.
Alongside the workouts, I overhauled my diet. In the past, I’d bounce between restrictive fad diets that felt impossible to maintain. This time, I focused on building sustainable habits I could maintain long term. For eight weeks, I prioritised whole, minimally processed foods and cooked nearly every meal at home. Instead of relying on takeout, frozen meals, and packaged snacks, I filled my plate with lean protein, fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats.
The results were transformative. After eight weeks, I’d lost excess weight, built full-body muscle, and felt more energetic throughout the day. More importantly, I genuinely enjoyed the process. I wasn’t starving myself or cycling through extreme workout phases anymore. For the first time, I finally found a routine that felt sustainable, which made staying consistent so much easier. Plus, as I started seeing steady progress week after week, that consistency became its own source of motivation. Each small win gave me another reason to keep going, and before long, I couldn’t imagine going back to my old habits.
That eight-week challenge became a turning point, and what started as a short-term program evolved into a lifestyle
Caroline Drury
I continued strength training and eating a whole food diet, and shortly after finishing the challenge, I also started running as a way to get outside and clear my head. At first, I followed a walk/run approach, alternating between running and walking intervals, but as my endurance improved over the next few years, I eventually worked my way up to running half marathons and marathons.
The more I challenged myself, the more I fell in love with the sport, and in January 2025, I decided to pursue my most ambitious goal yet: The Great World Race, an event that requires participants to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.
The idea took root a few months earlier when I watched Peloton instructor Becs Gentry take on the race. Her grit, determination, and mental toughness were incredibly inspiring, and seeing what she accomplished made me realise what might be possible with enough commitment and preparation. I knew I had the physical and mental strength to train for it, so I committed to nearly two years of training so I could compete in the November 2026 race at 46 years old.
I’m about six months out from competing in The Great World Race, so my current workout routine is heavily centered around running, with strength training layered in to keep me strong and injury-free
I became a certified personal trainer and running coach a few years ago to boost my own fitness knowledge, so I currently programme my own workouts, but I review everything with The Great World Race official coach to make sure it aligns with the demands of the event.
I run five days a week, averaging 30 to 40 total miles: three easy runs to build aerobic endurance and accumulate time on my feet, one tempo run at a comfortably hard pace to improve sustained speed and running efficiency, and one long run focused on endurance and mental resilience.
Caroline Drury
Strength training is also a key aspect for running performance, so I lift heavy weights twice a week using a push-pull split. Since running is essentially a series of single-leg movements, I prioritise unilateral exercises such as single-leg Romanian deadlifts, split squats, and step-ups to maintain balance and strength on both sides of my body. Core strength is equally important since it keeps me stable and upright during high mileage, especially when fatigue sets in, so on non-lifting days, I spend at least 30 minutes on stability-focused core exercises like dead bugs, side planks, and bird dogs.
To support my training load, I put just as much thought into fuelling and recovery as I do into my workouts. I focus on a whole-food diet rich in carbohydrates like potatoes, pasta, rice, and dried fruit to maintain energy levels and replenish glycogen stores after hard sessions, along with high-quality protein such as chicken, eggs, salmon, and steak to support muscle repair and recovery.
Active recovery is also a deliberate part of my training. I stretch daily, use compression boots a few times a week to reduce lower-body soreness, and take regular Epsom salt baths to ease achy muscles and joints. But above all, I prioritise sleep. Whether it’s a weekday or weekend, I stick to a consistent sleep schedule, going to bed at 8 p.m. and waking up at 4 a.m. to ensure I get a full eight hours of rest each night. When my sleep suffers, every aspect of my training suffers with it, so I intentionally treat sleep as one of the most important parts of my regime.
These three factors have been key to my strength transformation and athletic successI appreciate the training process
For a long time, I had a very all-or-nothing mindset around fitness. I was either fully committed and pushing hard, or I wasn’t doing anything at all. That approach didn’t just affect my consistency though – it created a cycle of burnout. I’d go all in, lose steam, step away, then have to start over again when I was re-motivated. I also had a habit of judging everything by outcomes, like how fast I was improving, how close I was to a goal, or whether progress was happening quickly enough, which made the whole process feel unsustainable.
Eventually, I realised the issue was where I was placing my attention, because once I shifted my focus toward consistency, daily habits, and small improvements, everything changed. Suddenly, exercise stopped feeling like a means to an end and became something I could take pride in every day.
I rely on a chain of simple, repeatable habits to stay disciplined
For me, long-term discipline is just one good decision followed by another. I don’t think of it as all-or-nothing anymore. It’s more like: I choose a nutritious breakfast, complete my training, refuel with a balanced meal, then intentionally recover so I’m ready for the next day. Each habit naturally leads into the next.
Of course, I still have moments where the chain breaks and I fall out of sync, but that’s okay (and normal!). If I struggle to complete a workout or have an off day with food, I don’t try to “fix everything” or make up for lost time. I focus on the next right action and start building again from there. What matters most isn’t how long I can go without slipping; it’s how quickly I get back to connecting the next link.
I don’t place limits on myself
Committing to The Great World Race made me realise how much five years of strength training, running, and mindset work had expanded my view of what I was capable of. A few years ago, a single marathon felt like a stretch goal, and now, I’m preparing to run seven marathons on seven continents in seven consecutive days.
What amazes me most about my progress isn’t any individual workout or race result – it’s the capacity I’ve built over time. I can run 12 miles on Saturday, do a recovery run on Sunday, lift heavy on Monday, run a tempo workout on Tuesday, and still feel ready for what’s next. That resilience didn’t exist when I started this journey with 20-minute home workouts in 2020. It was developed gradually through years of consistent training, recovery, and patience. Every workout, challenge, and lesson expanded what I believed I could handle, and the more I invest in the process, the more I understand my limits are far beyond what I once imagined.
Andi Breitowich is a freelance writer who covers health, fitness, relationships, beauty, and smart living. She is a graduate of Emory University and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in Women’s Health, POPSUGAR, Food & Wine, What To Expect, Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, and elsewhere. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she loves all things fitness and has yet to meet a group workout class she doesn’t like.