Jo Dee Messina is turning heads with a new look, she says, that she earned the hard way. The country singer opened up about her two-year fitness journey, explaining why she chose grit over quick fixes to transform her health and career.

The country singer is back with her new album, Bridges, which will be released later this summer. The Bye-Bye singer opened up about her weight-loss journey on the March 19 episode of the Taste of Country podcast, saying she had to earn it and that it did not happen overnight.

“This isn't like, hey, let's pop a pill and be skinny in a month. This is like, keep going,” said Messina.

In this generation of quick fixes, like GLP-1, she took the harder path

When asked about how she decided to go the long road on her fitness journey, she said, "I started to see pictures of myself, and I didn't recognize myself." 

It didn't take long for the 55-year-old to understand that a change needed to be incorporated in her day-to-day life.

'I'm going to do something about it. And it's been two years.' Messina is doing it absolutely right. In one's fitness journey, having small goals is an important part. 

Her fitness goals are directly related to her evolution in her career.

I do cardio, but I got to start that long running stuff, because I run all over the stage and this new stuff's not easy to sing live," Messina explained. 

"When you're in the studio, you're standing there, but when you're live on a festival stage, you're running from side to side. So you got to start, you know, running cardio.”

“Rejected for Being Fat”: Jo Dee Messina Recalls Moment That Fueled Her Decades-Long Drive

Jo Dee Messina was not always a country favourite, she recalled during an appearance on The Bobby Bones Show on Friday, March 13, about an instance where she was rejected for ‘being fat'.

The memory stuck with her for years. The producer of the Nashville record label rejected her, saying she didn't meet their expectations.

While Messina went on to build a successful career in country music, the moment still dwells in her head years later. “It’s 30 years later, I’m still talking about it,” she said. “I didn’t let it go.”

The singer eventually proved those who doubted her wrong. Not only was she one of country music’s most recognizable voices in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but she also embarked on her fitness journey.

She revealed that she “trains every day.” Messina revealed she never stops moving during her shows, so exercise is an important part of her routine.

Long before her current transformation, a harsh rejection early in her career left a lasting impact, one that continues to shape her mindset even today.

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil