06/02/2026
Unnecessary optimizations are not the flex you think they are.
As millennial women, it’s not enough that we’ve gotten degrees (maybe we’re the first generation in our family to do so), navigated a rapidly changing romantic/economic landscape, and even started families while continuing to grow our careers. We have to optimize our wellness routines, lest we be considered slovenly wretches or weird cat ladies.
And that’s when the relationship becomes inverted. Most women want to work out and eat in a way that makes their life work. They’re not professional athletes. They don’t need to hit the sauna after every gym session or be ultra-fastidious about nutrient timing, and they don’t want to have to.
The worst part? This mentality creates an all-or-nothing mindset. You went over your calories for the day? You then tell yourself you’re terrible and undisciplined and somehow convinced yourself that at midnight you’ll become perfect, so you continue to overeat (despite not even really being hungry). You don’t train for 2 hours 6 times per week? Might as well not work out at all, then.
The greatest act of rebellion you can commit as a woman is to decide for yourself what you want from life and then to make decisions that align with that. Wellness culture will try to convince you that you’re not doing a good enough job so that it can sell you things. Don’t listen.