By Sara Baker Awhile back I shared with all of you that due to some medical issues I was having, I was basically told to cut back both on the intensity and amount of exercise I was currently doing.  I wrote a blog about embracing my lower intensity lifestyle and I guess assumed I was… Continue reading »

Last week, I posted on Facebook that 2011, while being a very exciting year on one side, was also a fairly rough year for me in other ways. I noted that I was “ready for 2012″! Many of you responded that you agreed–you too had a rough 2011 and were ready for a new beginning.… Continue reading »

By Jillian Teta Do you fall into the “expectation” gap? That is that uncomfortable little place between what is actually happening and what you want/expect to happen–the difference between reality and the version of reality that would be convenient or “better” for us. I certainly am a huge victim of the expectation gap. Can you… Continue reading »

Was thinking yesterday about my evolution in the fitness industry and the place to which I have come. And I have to say after years and years of ups and downs (in weight and emotions), I feel more balanced and comfortable in my skin than I have ever been.  I talk to a lot of… Continue reading »

It’s not my style to be a militant trainer or a nutrition zealot for my clients. Partly because I believe that everyone has their own unique fat loss journey and no negative motivation on my part will really help them with lasting change (“you can’t have that!” or “it’s all about will-power, just stop eating… Continue reading »

By Tara Ballard To say that life has been challenging for me for the past 6 weeks or so would be a bit of an understatement. I don’t tell you the following things to ask for pity or to be all “oh woe is me” or anything like that, but I think it’s needed to… Continue reading »

Getting a little personal with you all today…and talking about something that is very important to me–my family. In addition to my mom, dad and step-dad, I have 3 half-brothers who I have been very close with all of my life. I was 9 when the oldest of the 3 boys was born, and we… Continue reading »

By Jillian Teta Life is one big experiment, isn’t it? We form a hypothesis, make a plan, test the waters, and get results we may or may not have predicted. I love working with people. You hear so many interesting and fabulous stories, so many insights and so much pain. It’s as if looking into… Continue reading »

I am not religious. I like the idea of spirituality and I love that many of my close friends are involved in their churches and get a lot out of their faith. I think that it’s a gift that many hold their faith so dearly. But personally, I have moved away from organized religion after… Continue reading »

I had a really good conversation today (over text message–aren’t we sooo 2011?) with a girlfriend of mine who has been a great support for me over the last few years and someone who knows all of my “stuff”. We were chatting about a recent incident I experienced when my insecurity around a specific situation… Continue reading »

I love working with women, and I have worked with a lot of them. They are enthusiastic, kind and grateful. However, working with women is distinctly different from working with men, for several reasons. One, men can usually see themselves the way they are for the most part. They come to me as a trainer/coach… Continue reading »

By Jillian Teta Before I get started, I wanted to thank you for opening this blog and even starting to read it. This is a topic I have been wanting to write on for a long time, but had trouble organizing my thoughts – because I felt guilty – LOL, sounds a little weird, but… Continue reading »

“Excuses are our attempt to “excuse” ourselves from acting like the responsible, powerful, creative human beings we are.” –Debbie Ford The other day I was having a texting convo with a girlfriend of mine who has been doing a lot of introspection and “work” on understanding her mind, just like me. Getting a little “woo… Continue reading »

By Tara Ballard Last week, I posted a comment on the Jillfit Facebook page describing my unplanned cheat meal of a burger and fries.  We got a great response and based on all the positive feedback, looks like it was an important message to get out there: we are all human, we all make mistakes,… Continue reading »

“I’ll never know about my failure because you will be talking about it at my funeral– I’m going to succeed, or I’ll be dead from trying.” –Ryan Blair, Author “Nothing to Lose” I wanted to blog about the concept of resiliency this week because I believe it has much applicability to competition and fat loss,… Continue reading »

By Jillian Teta The deeper immersed I become in training and interacting with people off all different ages, races, creeds, fitness levels and health statuses, one overarching theme has become screamingly clear to me: mindset determines everything. In our blog you will find many threads discussing the mind-body connection, self-responsibility and emotional freedom. We discuss… Continue reading »