Jo Dee Messina Credits Fitness Transformation to the Gym: 'This Isn't, Hey, Let's Pop a Pill and Be Skinny in a Month'
Jo Dee Messina Credits Fitness Transformation to the Gym: 'This Isn't, Hey, Let's Pop a Pill and Be Skinny in a Month'
Cara Lynn ShultzWed, March 25, 2026 at 4:41 PM UTC
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Jo Dee Messina on 'Taste of Country'Credit: Taste of Country/Youtube
Jo Dee Messina says her fitness transformation is the result of two years of hard work in the gym — and not a GLP-1.
She was inspired to begin working out after "I started to see pictures of myself and I didn't recognize myself," the country singer, 55, told host Evan Paul on the March 19 episode of the Taste of Country podcast. "I wouldn't let people take pictures. I'm like, 'Stop taking pictures of me. I don't even know who that is.' It's so gross, you know? So I was like, 'I'm going to do something about it. And it's been two years.' "
Jo Dee Messina in December 2023 (left); March 2026 (right)Credit: Tibrina Hobson/Getty; Jason Kempin/Getty
Messina shared that, "This isn't like, hey, let's pop a pill and be skinny in a month. This is like, keep going, keep going, keep going," she said, sharing that she was sore because "yesterday was leg day [in the gym] which — I can't stand leg day." She explained that her trainer will "change up my routine every four to six weeks. And so it was all new exercises."
"If I ever got pulled over on the day after leg day, I would be probably arrested. I could not walk a straight line. They'd be like, 'What's wrong with you?' " she joked. "I don't push through the pain. I give into it. And I'm like, 'Okay, I'm just going to wobble.' "
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The "Bye, Bye" singer said that, before the podcast, she worked on her arms. "Today was tricep day, people. Let's just show you the triceps," Messina said, taking off her denim jacket to show off her muscles. "We got this going on. I was like, oh this is the perfect day to wear sleeveless … this is pumped from today. It doesn't always look this pumped, but it's pumped."
"You're ripped," Paul said. "I don't want to say anything wrong, you'll kick my ass."
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"Anyways, it's been a process. I have a goal," she said, sharing that part of her motivation is being able to run all over the stage to perform songs from her upcoming album, Bridges — her first new album in 12 years.
"This new record, I keep saying, 'Okay, I got to start back running.' 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."
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
