The Journey
Putting your health and yourself first can feel like a daunting journey. There are emotional barriers, the path feels unclear, and the conditions never seem to be perfect.
The usual story blames you. Not enough motivation. Not enough discipline. All-or-nothing thinking. Shame when you slip. Quit, restart, quit again.
It doesn't have to feel like that.
A real plan is personalized. It tells you where the next step is, even on the hard days, even when you feel like doing nothing. There is a path forward, it does get easier, and you can do this!
About
Dr. Justin Kompf
I have a PhD in Exercise & Health Sciences and I've spent over a decade researching how people actually change — not the version in textbooks, the version that holds up on a Tuesday at 9pm when you're tired.
My research on resistance training behavior has been published in Sports Medicine, the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, and the Translational Journal of the ACSM. I write for Psychology Today, wrote Health Habits for Diabetes, and contributed to the National Academy of Sports Medicine personal training textbook. See the full list.
I've had thousands of conversations with people who thought they were the problem. They weren't. The plans were. The expectations were.
I believe in unconditional positive regard for the people I work with.
You're allowed to start where you are. You're allowed to have hard days. You're allowed to take the first step — even if it's small. Especially if it's small.
Stories
Real lives. Real first steps.
Maya
Maya loved reading, but by the end of the night there was never anything left. Dinner turned into cleanup, homework, bedtime, and then collapsing on the couch. She didn't need a productivity hack. She needed to stop being the default person for everything. Her first step was small: ask her husband to take one dinner night so reading could exist again.
Jessica
Jessica came to me during a career transition. On paper, she finally had free time. But free time didn't make self-care easier — it made her feel more lost. She didn't need a perfect routine. She needed structure. Her first step was choosing a simple workout plan she could repeat without having to rethink her whole life every morning.
Rebecca
Rebecca used to train like an athlete. Then life changed, work got heavier, and the old version of exercise no longer fit. For a while, that felt like failure. But the answer wasn't forcing the old routine back into her life. It was building a new one: home workouts, long walks with her dog, and a plan that matched the life she actually had.
Stay on the trail.
Honest writing on behavior change, training, and putting your health first — from someone who actually does the research. No hype. No shame. Just the next useful thing.
— Justin