Physical and Mental Fitness with Rachel Gregory
What happens when you finally achieve your dream body after a decade of hard work, only to have the rest of your life shatter?
In a powerful and transparent episode of the Find Your Fuel podcast, nutritionist, athletic trainer, and author Rachel Gregory joined host Erin to discuss the intersection of physical excellence and severe mental testing. From her roots pioneering ketogenic research in CrossFit athletes to navigating a devastating relationship breakup, Rachel shares raw insights on how true wellness requires a harmonious blend of physical strength and mental resilience.
Part 1: Physical Fitness — Beyond the Restrictive Mindset
For decades, women have been conditioned to believe that physical fitness success means shrinking—eating less, sweating more, and watching the scale drop. Rachel and Erin bust this myth wide open:
The Reality of Body Recomposition: To truly change the shape of your body (the "toned" look most women actually desire), you must focus on fueling your body to build muscle, rather than punishing it to burn calories.
The Scale is a Liar: During a body recomp phase, you lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. Because muscle is dense, your scale weight might stay the same or even go up, but your physical physique will look entirely different.
Playing the Long Game: Rachel notes that hitting her ultimate physique wasn't a quick six-month fix; it was the culmination of 10 years of distinct, periodized physical phases—building muscle in a surplus, maintaining, and short fat-loss cycles.
The Problem with Extreme Protocols: Reflecting on her early master's thesis research on the ketogenic diet, Rachel notes that while her study showed short-term fat loss in recreational CrossFit athletes, she no longer recommends strict keto for active women. High-stress lifestyles and high-intensity workouts require carbohydrates for proper hormonal health and physical recovery.
Physical Fitness Takeaway: Stop trying to be the tiniest version of yourself. Shift your physical mindset from restriction to abundance by lifting progressively, eating enough protein, and fueling your growth.
Part 2: Mental Fitness — Navigating the Storm of Grief
In June 2025, just as Rachel achieved her lifetime peak physical composition, her 11-year relationship abruptly ended. In a matter of weeks, she went from sending out wedding save-the-dates to canceling the event, liquidating her belongings, leaving her life in San Diego behind, and relocating with just two suitcases and her dog.
Rachel’s blueprint for building mental fitness through this intense emotional trauma offers massive value for anyone navigating a major life transition:
Conscious Healing Through Therapy: Instead of a bitter, chaotic split, Rachel and her ex-fiancé used their couple's therapist to actively work through the breakup. They utilized a closing ritual to officially end that chapter before going into an essential 5-to-6-month period of strict no-contact to let their nervous systems heal.
Feeling the Feelings Without Numbing: When life gets heavy, our default human response is to numb the pain using food, alcohol, or even toxic productivity (like grinding for three hours at the gym to avoid our thoughts). Rachel admits she faced occasional nightly food binges early on. Her true mental fitness came from building awareness and choosing restorative practices—like sitting in a dark, high-heat Yin Yoga class to let the tears and grief move through her body.
Embracing the "Reversal of Desire": Reading the book Tools (based on the work of therapist Phil Stutz), Rachel implemented a mental shift where you actively lean into emotional discomfort. Instead of running from hard things, you look at them through a lens of growth, knowing that processing pain is what allows you to expand your mental capacity and level up your life.
Part 3: The Shared Foundations of Body and Mind
Whether it comes to building physical muscle or mental resilience, people frequently chase advanced, flashy strategies before mastering basic human requirements. Rachel emphasizes dialing back the chaos and mastering the "non-sexy," boring foundational elements first:
Rachel's Real-Life Application
Simple Nutrition: Eating high-quality whole foods on repeat (roasting bulk sweet potatoes, squash, yogurt bowls, and rotating clean proteins).
Daily Movement: A non-negotiable minimum baseline of 10,000 steps per day to stay regulated.
Stress Recovery: Recognizing when your body is in a high-stress season and pulling back from grueling workouts to focus on restorative care.
Nervous System Boundaries: Protecting mental peace by avoiding checking the phone for the first hour of the morning.
The Ultimate Integration: The 2-Year Identity Shift
To bring physical and mental fitness into complete alignment, Rachel utilizes a practice called the Identity Shift. Instead of treating your fitness goals as something you hope to reach in an ambiguous future, you pull that future identity into the present moment.
Visualize: Think about the person you want to be exactly two years from now.
Deconstruct: What are that person’s daily habits? What time do they wake up? How do they protect their energy? What are their physical and mental non-negotiables?
Embody: Stop saying "I want to become a person who handles stress well and lifts heavy weights." Tell yourself "I am that person right now," and execute those exact choices today.
By consciously practicing the habits of your future self, you force your subconscious mind and your nervous system out of their safe, stagnant loops, accelerating your overall evolution.
Final Word: Surrendering to the Seasons
If there is a singular theme to Rachel Gregory’s journey, it is that true physical and mental fitness cannot be separated. Building a strong body gives you the discipline to endure emotional hardships, and building a resilient mind gives you the grace to listen to your body when it needs rest.
Life will inevitably throw unexpected heartbreak, business standstills, or health complications into your path. Ultimate fitness means learning how to surrender to those seasons, protect your inner peace, and step boldly into the next chapter of your growth. As Erin beautifully concludes: "You are the greatest project you’ll ever work on."
To learn more watch the full episode, Building Physical and Mental Health with Rachel Gregory.
