The World's Fittest Woman Reveals Two Essential Tips for Achieving Next-Level Fitness

May 18, 2024
Image by Canva

In 2018, Hungarian athlete Laura Horvath secured the silver medal at the CrossFit Games.

Then in 2021, she competed again. In 2022, she earned the bronze. However, in 2023, all her dedication and effort finally paid off as she won the gold and was crowned “The Fittest Woman on Earth.”

When questioned about how her training had changed, she responded:

I followed my usual routine. Year after year, I dedicated myself to improving—concentrating on my training, diet, and overall well-being to reach my peak performance. Although it hadn't clicked before, this time, it all came together.

I followed the same routine as before. Each year, I dedicated myself fully to my training and nutrition, doing everything possible to reach my peak performance. Although it hadn't yielded results in the past, this time it finally paid off.

Whether your goal is to excel in CrossFit or just to improve your well-being and athletic ability, this statement holds a significant amount of truth. Reaching a higher level of athleticism frequently hinges on a renewed focus on:

Your nutrition

Your training

And yourself.

It often becomes significantly harder when one or more elements are lacking. Some individuals manage to perfect their workout routines but have a hard time adjusting their diet. Meanwhile, others improve their eating habits but fail to make the personal adjustments needed to maintain their progress and see long-term benefits.

Horvath also gave Women's Health some valuable thoughts on the reality of training that are definitely worth noting:.

#1: Learn to enjoy it all. Embrace every moment and find joy in the journey.

I came to appreciate every part of it. However, pure-strength activities like presses, pull-ups, and dips, along with less glamorous accessory work, can feel tedious. Yet, they're essential if you want to improve.

I grew to appreciate everything, though pure-strength gymnastics like presses, pull-ups, dips, and the less glamorous accessory work can be quite dull. However, it's essential to push through them if you want to see improvement.

Absolutely! Here is your text rephrased while keeping the key phrase and HTML tags intact: --- Initially, I found it challenging to adapt to the new experiences, but over time, I learned to enjoy all of it. The ups and downs, the surprises, and even the routine tasks began to feel more fulfilling. This journey has truly transformed my perspective, making every moment worthwhile. ---

It isn't always something that comes easily. Most people tend to prefer specific exercises, often those that enhance the ‘mirror muscles’, while avoiding others. However, if you can find joy in the harder, more challenging, or less appealing exercises, you'll find that very little can hold you back.

#2: Embrace your hard days

Nobody likes to share their tough days—the ones when the workout didn't go as planned or when getting up at 7 AM feels impossible and you'd prefer to stay in bed. These kinds of days happen more often than most people realize.

Nobody likes to share their tough days—the ones when the workout doesn't go as planned or when getting up at 7am feels impossible and you just want to sleep longer. These days happen more often than most people realize.

We often think that top-tier athletes don't have tough days. However, that's not true. Challenging days occur at every level of performance. Once you accept this fact, you can release the notion that every training session must be filled with intense motivation and excitement. There will be days when you feel it, and days when you don't.

Even though not everyone shares Horvath's high level of ambition for fitness and athleticism, there are valuable lessons we can take from top-tier athletes to build a more resilient and athletic mindset. Embracing challenging days and learning to find joy in the entire journey are just a couple of the lessons we can adopt.

Read more in Health & Wellness