Elizabeth Smart says she was fearful to announce her new career as a bodybuilder<\/a> after being \u201cscared of judgment.\u201d <\/p>\n The 38-year-old shared photos on Instagram<\/a> April 21 from a recent bodybuilder competition she competed in. The picture highlighted her toned and muscular physique in a bikini, and in the caption she explained how her latest career pivot has made her feel \u201cproud\u201d of her body. <\/p>\n In a sit-down interview with \u201cEntertainment Tonight,\u201d<\/a> Smart opened up about her decision to share the post, revealing she initially second guessed if she should. <\/p>\n \u201cActually sharing it was terrifying to me. I thought there\u2019d be a response like with my longtime followers, but the response that it got, the fact that I\u2019m here talking about one post off of Instagram is insanity,\u201d she said in the interview uploaded May 10. <\/p>\n Smart continued, \u201cI was scared, scared of judgment, scared that people would look at me and being like, \u2018Oh well, she\u2019s becoming the very thing she fights against.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n When she was just 14, Smart was abducted from her home<\/a> in Salt Lake City. After nine months of being raped and assaulted, she was rescued by police. She discussed her horrifying story<\/a> in the 2025 Netflix documentary \u201cKidnapped: Elizabeth Smart.\u201d Smart, who is now married with three kids, also works as an advocate for missing persons and sex abuse victims. <\/p>\n While speaking to \u201cET,\u201d she said her past and the scrutiny victims face made her realize she needed to post the photo despite her fears. <\/p>\n \u201cThat is why a lot of victims don\u2019t talk about what\u2019s happened, because they\u2019re afraid that they won\u2019t be believed. They\u2019re afraid that they\u2019ll be judged, maybe for how they were dressed\u2026 When that connection was made in my mind, I was like, I have to do it,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n She added that her conservative Mormon upbringing also made her hesitant to share the picture. <\/p>\n \u201cModesty is heavily stressed, and that was my upbringing. So then I was also like, \u2018What will people think of me?\u2019\u201d she recalled wondering. \u201cThen I was just, like, \u2018You know what? I have one shot at life, and I don\u2019t want to get to the end of my life and look back and think I should have done that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed out that a common misconception is that bodybuilding is sexual. She said the sport is an example of discipline, hard work and dedication. <\/p>\n Smart, who has run marathons in the past, became involved in bodybuilding after noticing knee pains and a lack of energy. A friend that she trained with encouraged her to try bodybuilding after Smart said she wanted to boost her confidence and get in better shape. <\/p>\n She learned that the 45-minute bodybuilding workouts she did were not as difficult as managing her diet. <\/p>\n \u201cI legitimately track everything that goes into my mouth, and it\u2019s a lot of protein,\u201d Smart explained. \u201cSo I will check in with my coach every day. I\u2019ll send her pictures. There\u2019s a whole posing routine you have to do on stage. So I\u2019ll send her my video of my posing routine every day, and she will adjust my eating to that plan. I mean going into this show, I was probably eating over 2,500 calories a day, filling my muscles back up with the carbs.\u201d<\/p>\n But she noted that they weren\u2019t the tastiest meals. She mostly ate grilled chicken, sometimes<\/em> with salt and pepper, and a side of plain rice. She told \u201cET\u201d she is currently craving an entire cake following her last competition. <\/p>\n Although the strict diet is challenging, Smart said has developed a \u201cdeep sense of gratitude\u201d for her body. <\/p>\n \u201cWithout my body, I wouldn\u2019t exist. It\u2019s seen me through every bad experience. It\u2019s seen me through every good experience. It\u2019s given me three beautiful children. I have so many reasons to celebrate my body, and I feel like, for me, bodybuilding is a celebration of your body, and so I\u2019ve really enjoyed it,\u201d she shared. <\/p>\n She credits the sport for helping her become fearless. She now is ready to embrace life to the fullest. <\/p>\n Smart mentioned in her Instagram post that she has already participated in four competitions. She reiterated in her caption the importance of not letting judgment or critics\u2019 opinions about how she should behave as a survivor impact how she lives her life. <\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s easy to be labeled as one thing, and honestly, that\u2019s not me nor do I think it\u2019s any of us. We are more than just one topic, one idea, one label. I am interested in many things, and as I get older I realize more and more how important it is to make the most of today, we don\u2019t know what tomorrow brings,\u201d she wrote. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Elizabeth](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/elizabeth-smart-lc-260511-331af6.png\")
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