Tim McGraw Recalls Being in a ‘Dark Place’ Before Starting Journey to Health

Tim McGraw’s book. Grit and Grace, is out now. The lifestyle and fitness book chronicles McGraw’s journey, from overindulging in both food and alcohol, to becoming committed to a healthy diet and fitness routine. The path wasn’t easy for McGraw, which he opened up about in a heartfelt post on social media.

“I came to it like a lot of us come to turning points: By touching a place I don’t care to go back to — a dark place where I felt like a lot of my life was out of my control,” McGraw wrote. “Maybe I had to make contact with that bottom in order to push back to the surface, determined to turn things around before my luck ran out and a slide became a crash. It wasn’t comfortable, and I’m not always proud of the ways I behaved, obscured as I was back then in a mix of denial and neglect, but it launched a journey of trimming the fat in every area of life and carving away the excess to get to a better version of myself.

“Today my body is leaner, my mind is clearer, my sense of purpose is sharper, and my relationships are deeper,” he continued. “Health might start in the body but it extends way beyond the physical; it’s about your connections to the world and people around you, and your ability to serve and give. The decade since I chose to once and for all take ownership of my health has taught me that lesson most of all. This book is about what happened. And I’m excited to share it with you. [Grit and Grace] is available today.”

McGraw’s wife, Faith Hill, deserves some of the credit for inspiring McGraw to get healthy, after she gave him some tough love when his life was spiraling out of control.

“When things happen and you succeed beyond your wildest dreams and you’re playing all these great shows and, you know, the party’s going on,” McGraw recalled on the Today Show. “And then you’re married and you have kids and all of a sudden your wife looks at you and says, ‘You know, you’re getting a little overboard and you need to make some decisions.’ It makes a big impact on you.”

Order Grit and Grace on McGraw’s website.

Photo Credit: Getty / Ethan Miller