Experimenting while working out to find the best-suited training regime is often a difficult ride. Though the common principle of weight loss and a toned physique is quite evident in the fitness community, not many people follow it. Julie Valenti is one of those who didn’t realize the great fitness mantra until her forties.

The fitness enthusiast recently spoke to Women’s Health and narrated her fitness journey over the years and how she found the benefits of strength training at 42.

Julie Valenti switched to strength training in her forties

Fitness wasn’t a passion for Valenti, and she used to visit the gym for some fun with her girlfriends. Her gym sessions in her youth would include cardio such as elliptical, treadmill, and Stairmaster. But her weight management wasn’t satisfactory, as she would dwindle between gaining and losing around 10 to 20 pounds.

The mother of two also confessed in her exclusive talk with Women’s Health, “I had an unhealthy mindset around food and exercise.” To be skinny all the time, she would overburden herself with strict diet and workout regimes without emphasizing consistency.

But unable to lose baby weight after having her second child, Valenti turned to a fitness trainer. She took strength-training classes and “started lifting heavy weights and kettlebells.” She witnessed changes in her physique, strength, and mindset since the new workout regime. “I stopped chasing skinny—and I’m stronger than ever,” she admitted with newfound energy. Apart from training, she also focused on her diet to build a toned physique.

The Equinox trainer also focused on nutrition for better results

Despite lifting heavy weights at the gym consistently, Valenti found it tough to shed the last 15 pounds of baby weight. So, she further enrolled in a nutrition program for a holistic training regime.

After a few sessions, the fitness enthusiast realized that her protein intake wasn’t up to the mark. “I was eating too many carbs and fat,” she said in her interview. So, she progressively included more protein after her workout sessions to build muscle.

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It has been a long journey for Julie Valenti to reach the epitome of fitness, where she is mentally and physically happy. Strength training was the key to her weight loss issues, and fitness isn’t a compulsion any longer, as now It is Valenti’s lifestyle moving forward.

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