How you take care of your body in your 20s and 30s sets you up (for better or for worse) in your 40s and beyond. On this episode of Beginnings & Breakthroughs, community member and university student Mekenna Smith discusses breaking free from her sugar addiction with JJ and how to develop a healthy eating plan for her active lifestyle. Mekenna has goals to eat more vegetables, slow down her grab-and-go eating habits, and incorporate more time for meal prep. Listen as JJ shares the benefits of a protein-first diet structure for these goals (and addresses the fear around eating too much protein in one's diet), the importance of tapering sugar intake to appreciate natural sweetness in foods, and why everyone should get a DEXA scan to assess their bone mineral density and other body composition metrics. As she mends from injuries and broken bones, Mekenna also seeks advice from JJ about training for a half marathon and climbing a 14,000-foot mountain while healing appropriately. Being in her 20s, she's in her prime for building muscle—but it's never too late. Listen to learn the types of exercise JJ suggests for runners to avoid low muscle mass typical in marathoners.