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In a personal essay published by Being Patient on Nov. 10, 2026, internal medicine physician and brain health coach Dr. Em Wong describes how swimming, running and triathlon training changed her view of exercise. Her account is personal testimony, not evidence that movement produces the same psychological or health outcomes for everyone.
Dr. Em Wong, an internal medicine physician and brain health coach, says training for a sprint triathlon and later half marathons helped her move beyond exercising mainly to lose weight and develop greater trust in her body. Her first-person account, published by Being Patient on Nov. 10, 2026, describes a personal change in outlook; it does not report a new study or establish that exercise builds self-trust for everyone.
Wong writes that she grew up in Hong Kong in a family that placed more value on academics than fitness. She recalls dreading middle-school physical education, especially cross-country running, where she often finished last. During college and medical training, she says she approached activities such as step aerobics mainly as a way to lose weight and thought of herself as someone who was not “sporty.”
Her perspective began to change after she had her first child. Wong says she did not want her children to grow up feeling shame about their bodies, and began to question the idea that people must be either athletic or academic. She describes meeting Debbie, a swim-class acquaintance and triathlete who later coached her. Watching Debbie teach yoga despite not being able to perform every pose perfectly helped Wong see that it was possible to take part while still learning.
Wong says she began taking spin classes to gain confidence on a bicycle and joined short runs with the training group. She reports that running initially brought back the discomfort she remembered from school, and that she had exercise-induced asthma. She says using an inhaler before running helped, and that she later found running more manageable. Debbie coached her through a sprint triathlon and subsequent half marathons, experiences Wong describes as gradual challenges rather than tests of whether she could win.
A Personal Shift in Exercise Goals
Wong’s account offers a physician’s personal perspective on a question that can affect whether people keep moving: whether activity has to be tied to weight loss, athletic identity or performance. She describes finding value in the process of learning and testing her abilities, rather than treating exercise only as a task to complete.
The account may resonate with readers who feel excluded by competitive or appearance-focused ideas about fitness. But Wong is sharing her own experience, not reporting research that demonstrates a universal psychological effect. Her story also highlights the role of support: a coach and training group gave her a setting in which she could begin gradually and practice alongside others.
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From School Runs to Race Training
The essay traces Wong’s change in attitude across several stages: childhood experiences that left her uncomfortable with sport, a period when exercise was mainly transactional, and later training with Debbie. Wong writes that becoming a parent prompted her to reconsider the messages about bodies and activity she wanted to pass on.
Her account includes a health detail specific to her experience: Wong says she had exercise-induced asthma and used an inhaler before running. The source does not provide a clinical discussion of the condition or advice for other runners. It presents the detail as part of her explanation for why early runs felt difficult and how she approached training.
“I simply believed that I wasn’t the “sporty” type and never would be.”
— Dr. Em Wong, in her Being Patient essay
What One Account Cannot Establish
The source is a first-person essay, not a clinical study. It does not measure changes in self-trust, compare Wong’s experience with other people’s, or establish that endurance training causes similar changes in mood or confidence. It also does not provide details such as a research method, participant data or an independent assessment of outcomes.
Wong’s description of exercise-induced asthma and inhaler use is personal. The essay does not specify her diagnosis process, medication details or whether her experience applies to other people. Readers’ health circumstances and responses to exercise can differ.
No Study or Follow-Up Announced
Being Patient’s report presents Wong’s reflections and does not announce a new study, policy change or planned clinical follow-up. The source material gives no further research milestone or next event related to the essay.
For now, the development is the publication of Wong’s account. Whether movement can build self-trust more broadly, and for whom, remains a question that would require evidence beyond one person’s experience.
Key Questions
What is the news?
Being Patient published Dr. Em Wong’s first-person essay on Nov. 10, 2026, about how training for a triathlon and half marathons changed her relationship with movement.
What does Wong say changed for her?
Wong says she moved from exercising mainly for weight loss to seeing training as a way to challenge herself and develop greater trust in her body. That is her personal account, not a finding established for everyone.
Does the essay show that exercise builds self-trust for everyone?
No. The source is a personal essay, not a study measuring psychological outcomes. It cannot establish how common Wong’s experience is or show that exercise causes the same change in other people.
What does Wong say helped her start running?
She describes using spin classes to gain confidence on a bicycle and joining short runs with a training group led by Debbie. Wong also says she used an inhaler before running because of exercise-induced asthma.
Source: beingpatient.com
