Former Home and Away actress Tammin Sursok has shared a powerful and personal account of how she achieved the peak of physical health and strength at the age of 42, following a sobering medical diagnosis that served as a crucial wake-up call.
A Wake-Up Call and a New Path
The Australian star, best known for playing Dani Sutherland on the iconic Channel Seven soap between 2000 and 2004, opened up to her 1.3 million social media followers in a candid video. She detailed the lessons that revolutionised her approach to wellbeing after she received a shock diagnosis of genetic prediabetes just months ago.
Now a mother to two daughters, Phoenix, 11, and Lennon, six, with husband Sean McEwen, Sursok has built a career in Hollywood with roles in series like Pretty Little Liars. Despite her professional success and experience navigating motherhood on two continents, she confessed that nothing prepared her for the volume of wellness misinformation she had to confront to finally feel strong and confident in her forties.
Debunking Decade-Old Fitness Myths
Determined to take control of her health, Sursok committed to three months of consistent strength training, a decision she says transformed her body and significantly improved her blood sugar levels. She now credits weight training with enhancing her insulin sensitivity, boosting her metabolism, and reshaping her physique holistically.
Reflecting on her journey, which began when she lost 50 pounds (23kg) in her youth by switching to whole foods and exercise, Sursok stated she was "shocked at how many things I was told that were simply not true." She then listed the top ten myths she had to unlearn through real experience.
The Truth About Weights, Cardio, and Nutrition
First, she dismantled the pervasive fear that lifting weights "makes you bulky." "Building muscle is actually very hard and requires progressive overload and enough protein," she explained. "Weights make you strong, not bulky."
On cardio, she admitted to years of believing it was the fitness holy grail, only to discover that excessive cardio can spike cortisol levels and be counterproductive. She now advocates for strength training for superior long-term energy and body composition results.
Nutritionally, Sursok warned that simply eating less is not the answer, emphasising that the body needs "fuel to burn fuel." She revealed that cutting calories too severely or eliminating whole food groups stalled her progress. Once believing carbohydrates were the enemy, she now champions them as essential for energy, hormones, and mood, provided you "choose the right ones and pair them with protein."
Non-Negotiables: Sleep, Hormones, and Consistency
The actress highlighted sleep as a critical, non-negotiable pillar of health. She also stressed that hormones, particularly in women, must not be ignored as they profoundly influence metabolism, mood, cravings, and muscle growth.
Moving beyond aesthetics, Sursok defined real health as strength, energy, and resilience. She encouraged women to relinquish perfectionism and embrace relentless consistency, noting that "small choices repeated daily create real change." Her own routine prioritises strength training, daily walks, and adding protein to every meal, a regimen she maintains even during busy filming schedules or family travel.
Having spoken openly about past struggles with anxiety and body image, Sursok finds her current transformation particularly empowering. Her focus is no longer on a number on the scales or recapturing her twenty-year-old physique. Instead, at 42, she is dedicated to feeling strong, recovered, energised, and capable—a message she hopes will inspire other women, especially those over 35, to critically rethink the health advice they've been given.
