11 Ways to Make Your Postpartum Fat Loss Easier

Categories:

General Heath, Guest post, Lifestyle

by


The following is a guest post by JillFit friend and fat loss expert Kate Horney, owner of Beyond Fit Physiques and creator of the Beyond Baby Postpartum Fat Loss System. Kate had her little Jackson in September 2012 and has been on the path of postpartum fat loss expert ever since. Below she offers some of her favorite tips for both brand new moms and also moms with young children. This post is particularly relevant as we just welcomed our first JillFit baby when Coach Emily gave birth to her son, Weston Adler just a week ago on January 19th! Hope you enjoy this guest blog, and check out Kate on Facebook!

New moms have a lot to think about: when to feed the baby, what to do if they cry… and how to get rid of those extra pounds packed on during pregnancy.

There is a TON of conflicting information out there about how to lose baby weight.  If you’re not an expert, it’s really difficult to know where to start. Especially when you’re sleep-deprived, overwhelmed, and already have so much else on your plate!

If you don’t know where to start (or if sifting through fat loss programs makes your head spin), you’re not alone.  But getting back your pre-baby body doesn’t have to be complicated….

My 11 Ways to Simplify Your Postpartum Fat Loss:

  1. Be happy!  Let’s start here.  Seriously. You just had a baby- you have a lot to be happy about!  You have plenty of time to focus on fat loss. Instead of stressing about how the latest celeb went straight from the delivery room to her size 0 jeans, take some time to enjoy these moments and to revel in the miracle of your pregnancy and the birth of your sweet bundle of joy.  They say that time flies.  And it’s true.  You’ll never get these first few weeks back.  Remember what truly matters.  Don’t miss these moments by obsessing over a few extra pounds.
  2. Just do something! What do you do when you are so busy you barely have time to scarf down a meal, let alone get a workout in?  Since having Jackson, “just do something” has become my motto. Really, it comes down to either doing something or nothing… it’s your choice.  It’s ok if you can’t commit to a full workout today.  In fact, with a new baby, some days finding just 30 minutes in a row might be impossible.  That’s ok!  I suggest breaking up the time into 10-minute increments- then work your way up to 20 or 30-minute sessions as you can. The key is to do SOMETHING… Here’s and example:
    • 10 body weight squats
    • 10 squat jumps
    • 10 lunges
    • 10 push ups
  3. Set realistic goals!  When it does come time to get serious about your fat loss, make sure you keep your expectations in check.  It’s tempting to set unrealistic goals and then be frustrated when we aren’t where we “should” be. Although every new mom is eager to look like our old selves again, one of the most important things to remember is to be patient with yourself. Give yourself some grace and remember, it CAN be done… but it’s going to take time to get your body back.  How much time?  The National Women’s Health Information Center advises that about one pound per week is a safe amount of weight to lose postpartum, and will not affect your milk supply or the baby’s growth.  With the average woman gaining about 30 pounds during pregnancy, and typically losing around 18 to 20 in the first month, that final 10 pounds will push your postpartum fat loss goal to several months after baby makes an arrival.
  4. Don’t Diet.  You heard all about “eating for two” while you were pregnant, but what about now?  When you’re a new mother, your body needs maximum nutrition, so immediately dropping your caloric intake to an unreasonable level isn’t healthy, and may actually cause you to gain weight or do some long term damage to your metabolism. You certainly don’t have to count calories (in fact, I prefer to focus on quality over quantity). To give you an idea of what you need to sustain your baby while you are breastfeeding and safely lose fat, the National Women’s Health Information Center advises consuming at least 1,800 calories per day.  For a healthy baby AND momma, concentrate on well-balanced, healthy food choices that include foods rich in calcium, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6 and folate. Remember to focus on foods that keep your hunger, energy and cravings balanced.  If you do that, the caloric intake will take care of itself.
  5. Schedule time for YOU!  I recommend planning 20 minutes of each day for YOU.  It is impossible to go, go, go forever. Especially for new moms trying to balance and juggle so much, it’s vital that we take time to recharge. Schedule time for yourself, whether it’s morning devotions, a short time of gratittude, a lesiurely walk, or heck- even a just a quiet SHOWER! (Yes, there are days when you feel like a human snot rag). Each day, take a small amount of time to recharge and refocus without distractions.  It will help calm your mind, rewnew your energy, and decrease the stress that is a big part of the lives of new moms.
  6. Understand the hormones! Calories in vs. calories out is NOT the whole picture when it comes to fat loss- especially postpartum.  You know that the key to sustainable fat loss comes in both a caloric deficit (that is, burning more calories than you consume) AND balanced metabolic hormones.  But for new moms who are breastfeeding and can’t sustain a significant caloric deficit, the hormonal balance becomes even more important.  Another complete blog post could be done on postpartum hormones, but here’s the deal in a nut shell… prolactin, the master hormone responsible for lactation, affects a large number of systems throughout the body.  It stimulates the production and secretion of milk, depresses fat production in the liver and stimulates the delivery of glucose and lactate to the mammary gland for enhanced fat production.  Research shows that there is also a suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis at this point, which is responsible for the release of the stress hormones. This may dampen the responses to exercise in terms of having increased energy and fat burning, and many women experience a slight lowering of their basal metabolic rate (the calories you burn at rest), as well as an increase in water and weight retention.
  7. Embrace the endorphins!  Beyond helping you burn the baby fat, exercise provides additional hormonal benefits to a new mom. In addition to lowering stress hormones and stimulating fat burning hormones like HGH, exercise releases endorphins that will help ease the postpartum blues that almost every new mom encounters. Not only does it help with depression, but I also found just 10 minutes of exercise to help me sleep better, and it is a huge help in relieving stress (as wonderful as it is, having a new baby in the house is stressful). Even if you don’t have the time or energy to get back into a full training schedule, you can take advantage of those feel good hormones by squeezing in short 10- to 20-minute walks as soon (and as often) as possible.
  8. Do it at home!  “Getting slim without the gym” has been my new favorite motto.  As you know, there are some days when getting out of the house to exercise is simply not an option. The good news is that you can still get fit in the comfort of your home. Don’t despair if you feel like you don’t have time to get to the gym.  Remember, our goal is to do SOMETHING.  And you can get a fabulous fat burning workout in the comfort of your own home. Hold your baby and do squats and stationary lunges (no weights needed!) for your lower body, then lift your baby overhead (get ready for some giggles) to strengthen your arms and shoulders, or lay on your back and do “baby chest presses.” And during those precious 30-minute nap times, grab some dumbbells and get in some rest based training hybrid workouts pushing hard until you can’t and then resting until you can.
  9. Prioritize sleep!  It may seem impossible to get a full eight hours of sleep when you have a baby summoning you like clockwork throughout the night, but being sleep deprived will definitely make fat loss harder. In one study, new moms who slept five hours or less a night were more likely to hold onto their extra pregnancy weight than women who slept seven hours. Yes, it’s much easier said than done, but don’t be afraid to ask for help from your partner, family or friends. The old adage, “Sleep when the baby sleeps” is still great advice. When you’re tired, your body releases cortisol and other stress hormones that can promote fat storage.  Plus, when you’re tired you simply don’t feel like taking good care of yourself.  Moms who are exhausted are less likely to choose healthy food and are more likely to raid the pantry and load up on stimulants and sugar. In addition, if you’re low on sleep, you are less likely to have the motivation to exercise. When you sleep your body restores and rebuilds muscle, burns fat and resets hormones to prepare your body to be energetic, motivated and ready for the next day. Go to bed early, and until the little one is sleeping through the night, make it a priority to nap when your baby naps.
  10. Lift more than your baby!  Cardio alone will not cut it- literally.  The ideal postpartum fitness program incorporates a balance of activities including leisurely walks, some HIIT, plenty of stretching, core training, and also weight training. I realize that carrying a baby around all day is a workout in and of itself, but if you really want to take your fat loss to the next level, adding some strength training will be key. Cardiovascular exercise may get you bigger or smaller, but you will stay the same shape– weight training is the #1 way to change the shape of your body. Do strength training 3 times a week for 30 minutes to increase hormones that help burn fat long after your workout is over. This will go will a long way toward speeding up your metabolism, tightening and toning. This is the most often missed secret in post partum fat loss.
  11. Find some accountability!  Having social support, whether through friends, or family (or awesome women in an online community) is key to reaching your long-term goals. We are social creatures by nature, and we feel good when we have someone who listens and can relate to what we’re going through.  Consider getting involved with mommy and baby fitness classes (You can workout and bond with your baby at the same time) or join a group workout if you belong to a gym.  Group training allows us not just to get a great workout, but to develop and foster friendships- many of which reach beyond the walls of the gym.  If you don’t have a local group, connect with moms in a similar situation as you online…. If you need a friend, I’ll keep you accountable! :) The key is to establish a built-in support system and to make sure you have someone to help you on your journey.

For those of you who want to learn more about Kate’s Beyond Baby Postpartum Fat Loss System, she is giving JillFit readers an exclusive $100 OFF her online program below:

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2013/01/28/postpartum-fat-loss/

How EXPECTING Perfect Compliance Makes You *Less* Compliant & More Miserable

Categories:

Introspection, Mindset

by


“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” –Maya Angelou

Many of us have dieted intensely in the past. We may have transformed ourselves inside and out, got up on stage, gotten into incredible shape, fallen out of shape, felt trapped, desperate, controlled by food, helpless. I get it. And I’ve been to all of those places and back again over the last 8 years.

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of needing to be perfectly compliant to a plan. Heck, I’ve seen trainers and coaches whose entire program revolves around the idea of “comply or die.” And you know what? Those coaches and trainers get GREAT results with the 10% of ladies who can actually be 100% compliant to those plans.

But what about the other 90% of clients for whom those plans are too strict, don’t fit into their schedule, lifestyle, and who maybe don’t want their lives to be dominated by THE PLAN?

I am one of those people.

Two years ago, I put my foot down and refused to ever let food control me again. I was miserable, fed up, pissed off and felt helpless. So, I made the decision to stop stressing…I was just dog tired of the constant stress of it. I stopped. I pulled back. I let myself be. I gave myself the benefit of the doubt.

And as scary as it was, I GAVE MYSELF PERMISSION TO SIMPLY DO MY BEST.

I didn’t want to be tied to the idea of perfect and instead, I pursued the idea of progress. I did my best, and let that be enough.

And the incredible thing was that I looked the EXACT SAME. No matter how stressed and controlled I allowed myself to be (or not), THE OUTCOME (my physique) was the exact same.

Though, probably like you, I feared that letting go would turn me into an enormous whale :) it didn’t. I didn’t gain a whole bunch of weight, I didn’t stuff my face. I simply went through my day letting food, as a priority, take a backseat. And it was scary at first because it required that I TRUST myself not to end up at the McDonalds drive-thru every day.

And the unexpected thing was that I ended up self-regulating. And because I allowed myself to not be as obsessed with food (food shopping, prepping, counting minutes to next meal, counting protein grams, cleaning Tupperwares, etc), everything got easier, effortless. My brain was freed up to think on things I’d rather be doing!

This is ultimately the battle between needing to be perfect, versus just allowing yourself to do your best.

When we strive for perfection and we miss (which, we always inevitably do because long-term perfection is simply unattainable, though we might be able to do it for 12 weeks to prep for a show), we end up disappointed. But when we strive to simply do our best, we are never disappointed! Because we are always, in each moment, doing what we can.

And “our best” can be different day to day.

Last Sunday, I lied on the couch all day and ate a pack of bacon. It was the best I could do that day. I didn’t stuff my face with sweets, treats, and actually didn’t even feel the need to eat Reeses. I just did what I felt in the moment, and I didn’t stress. Then, come Monday, I did sprints, had a hard lift and ate a few salads. That was the best I could do on that day. I am ok with that. I am ultimately ok with whatever. I look the same no matter what. And I think, if you have the courage to try this approach, you will find the same true for you.

Letting go in your mind doesn’t necessarily mean letting go onto a larger dress size.

With letting go comes freedom–freedom from the control food has over us. And being gentle on yourself doesn’t mean you can’t get great results. It just means you’re trusting yourself to make better choices without the penalty of self-loathing and guilt.

Could you try to simply do your best instead of expecting perfection only to feel like a failure again?? :)

Related: Giving Yourself the Win

 

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2013/01/25/do-your-best/

One Simple Tool To Help You TAKE ACTION

Categories:

Lifestyle

by


There are many reasons why we don’t actually do the things we know we should do. Besides, knowing and doing are two very different things.

Some reasons we may not implement the things we know:

  • We can’t harness the willpower. Remember, willpower is exhaustible and when we try to change too many things at once, we ultimately fail at changing anything. We think we need a complete lifestyle overhaul, and choose that instead of making systematic changes. And then we don’t understand why we fail to implement every new thing perfectly within a week. Huh? This is about getting real and choosing the long, hard road over the quick fix. Are you willing to be patient?
  • We don’t believe that we can do it. You’ve heard the quote from Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” Sometimes we don’t take action because on some level we believe we’ll just fail anyway, so why even try. This is common when it comes to changing our nutrition. We think, “Well, nothing has EVER worked, so why would this work??” We’ve decided we’re already going to fail before we even begin, so why even bother.
  • We don’t really want what we say we want. Actions speak louder than words. So if I say I really want to do x, y, z and yet my actions say otherwise, perhaps on some level I don’t really want it. An example would be changing my eating. If I say I want a lean, fit physique, yet I am unwilling to give up my sweets, cheats and old way, then on some level, I don’t really want a change. Besides, if you want things to change, you have to change them. 
  • We are attached to being the victim. We may not even realize we do this. But many times, by not taking action, we are able to keep our small existence as is. We get to keep playing it safe and we get to hold onto our current identity. For example, if I am attached to the idea that “I have a slow metabolism and everyone else has a faster metabolism that I do,” I better not start losing weight, because then I am not that any longer. You might ask, Jill, why would we choose to stay miserable? The answer is that because often it feels good to play the victim. We get to go around telling people how bad we have it, how busy we are, how we got the short end of the stick, in order to garner pity and win the who-got-screwed-the-most competition of life. :) Ha! Isn’t this insane? And yet we have all done this at some point. I sure have. When we choose to take action to change our circumstances, we have to let go of our old poor-me identity. Can you give that up??
  • We are scared of SUCCESS. When we take action, we are ultimately putting it out into the world that we are committing to something. And with commitment comes accountability. And with accountability comes fear. We can all relate to this–it’s often why we may not tell a lot of people we are going to do a competition or try a new diet. We may be reluctant to put it out there in a big way because now we have eyes on us and shit is getting real. Aaaaaaaaah!

So with all of that said, how do we stop complaining, stop being the victim, stop staying small and start taking action?

I use a single tool: THE ALTERNATIVE

This past weekend at the JillFit Retreat, I must have said the words, “But the alternative is…” about 100 times. Asking, What is the alternative? in any situation in which you are being the victim or not taking action acts as bucket of ice, immediately cooling any complaining, stalling or excuse-making. It’s a reality-check.

Here’s how it works:

Anytime you catch yourself complaining about something not working or finding yourself scared to take the next step, ask “But what’s the alternative?”

“But Jill, this new nutrition plan and exercise is not working! It’s been 2 weeks and I haven’t lost a pound! I want to give up!”

WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE? The alternative is giving up and going back to the old way of eating & exercising, which we actually KNOW does not work. So the only action to take here is to dig in deeper to figure out what will work for you, stay consistent, push forward, and keep trying. You may have adjust. Do it. But keeping moving.

“But Jill, what if I work so hard to prep for a show and I come in last place??”

WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE? The alternative is not prepping for a show and staying comfortable, all because you are scared of a hypothetic, a “might happen.” Which is worse? Not trying at all, staying small and not changing OR trying and opening yourself up for the potential to come in last place?

“But Jill, I want to start bringing my personal training business online, but what if no one wants to buy my stuff?”

WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE? The alternative is not trying. The alternative is staying small, staying safe and waking up at 4am every morning to train clients at the gym, doing a fitness hustle. All because you don’t TRUST YOURSELF enough to provide an outstanding service online.

There are many other examples (I used another 97 at the Retreat this past weekend, ha!), but these examples give you a taste of how this works. Using The Alternative immediately silences any complaining or inaction. It helps us REAFFIRM our choices and pushes action. It is a FRAMEWORK to realign what is important to us in our minds, ditching the distractions and self-doubts.

And if you start using it, I think it will help you stay clear on your goals and over time, builds your self-confidence to know that if you don’t at least try, you’ll never know what you are capable of. When you use The Alternative, it immediately clears your thinking and takes away the distractions and “mental aerobics” (what Jillian calls it) that we like to play in our heads. It cuts through the crap.

Next time you find yourself stalling, give it a try, see what happens and open yourself up to experience the endless possibilities that await you on the other side of action :) ox, Jill

Related: Owning our own BS

 

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2013/01/21/take-action/

“Jill, can I eat this?”

Categories:

Introspection, Metabolic Effect, Nutrition

by


I remember a few years ago when I was meeting with a potential competition client. During the initial session, she asked me if she had to give up ketchup and butter during the prep. I remember thinking how odd this was. NO, OF COURSE YOU CAN’T HAVE THOSE ON A COMPETITION PLAN! :) Lol.

But a simple truth also struck me: people just want to eat what they want to eat and have it elicit results. And they need to ask a coach or professional because if they say it’s ok, then they get permission to eat it. And in doing that, they place the onus directly on someone else–someone who doesn’t know their body nearly as well as they do. Huh.

“Jill, can I eat [insert food item here]?”

I hear this question all the time. Especially now at the beginning of the year, when many are trying out new eating plans and trying to lose those post-holiday pounds. And I get why people ask it–”we” (JillFit/Metabolic Effect) are the experts, and want to get our take on what will work.

And though I hate this…the answer to that question is, I don’t know, and neither will you until you try it out.

At Metabolic Effect, we use a 3 part process:

1) Incorporate food
2) Monitor hunger, energy and cravings for 2-4 weeks
3) Measure fat loss. If you’re losing, you can keep it in. If not, you might need to reconsider the food.

It’s that simple.

And yet it’s sooooooo frustrating.

Some insights on this question:

  • If you are asking me if you can eat x, y, z, you are already missing the point of the fat loss process–which is, YOU need to do the work to find out what will work for you. I won’t know if it will work for you either unless we try it out. Be systematic about it. Choose a food, incorporate it and then sit back and see. Stay aware. Adjust accordingly.
  • You ask this question because you want someone else to take the reigns on your results. I understand this too. It is infinitely much easier to put your faith, money, trust into someone else, an expert. However, that only gets you started. Sure, I can give you a meal plan that 90% of people will get results on, but that last 10% is up to you. You will need to introspect, ask questions and yes, try things out to see if they work for you or not. To do this, you must have a certain amount of self-trust.
  • The main problem with putting the results of your fat loss process in the hands of someone else is that you never learn–you use a meal plan as a crutch–something you need, or else you don’t know what to do. Again, I get this because I relied on meal plans for a long time. I went through periods of 100% compliance on competition plans, got great results, only to inevitably fall off big time because it was too depriving and my entire world revolved around Tupperwares and how much protein I still needed to get in that day. I was distracted by my plan to the point that if I was off it, I considered myself a failure, and if I was on, I was “good.” All in all, a dangerous place to be–associating my dietary compliance with my self-worth.
  • We hate not knowing what will work. One of the needs of the human brain is certainty. And yet, when it comes to diet and exercise…we just don’t know. This frustrates us. It makes us impatient. However, if we want sustained fat loss, the answer will always be in the gray, in the nuance. There is no such thing as black-and-white when it comes to fat loss. Ugh. But still, a simple truth.
  • You can eat anything you want. Of course you can. But the key here is assuming responsibility for the results you’re getting (or not, as it were) as a result of eating what you want. So when people ask me if they can eat something, I always say, Of course! Nothing is technically off-limits. But the simple truth is that some foods bring us towards fat loss, and others further away. It’s your job to find which ones do which.
  • Let’s stop looking for the perfect plan, and spend the time creating our own plan. Your friend might have gotten great results on The Cookie Diet or The Starbucks Diet or The Twinkie Diet, and yet you might not. Why? Because we are all uniquely different–different metabolic considerations, psychological sensitivities and personal preferences. So instead of searching for that perfect plan, let’s start creating it. How? By testing: 1) Incorporate. 2) Monitor. 3) Measure.

So next time you want to ask an expert if you can eat something…think to yourself first…ok, I know my body better than any professional. So I will try it out, monitor, measure and then adjust as necessary. I CAN DO THIS!!!

Your results are YOUR business.

No one else can assume responsibility for them, even someone you pay. An expert can provide guidance and help you ask the right questions, pointing you in the right direction, but they can never do the work for you. If they try to, they become a crutch that you need to rely on. And I don’t know about you, but I hate relying on anyone for anything :) So my only option is to learn. What will YOU do?

It’s your choice. Eat it or don’t. But know that ultimately, if you want sustained fat loss, the more you attack the process head on, the more successful you’ll be in the long run.

Good luck! You know I only dish out the tough love because I love you :) oxox, Jill

Related: 5 Phases of Successful Dieting

 

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2013/01/14/can-i-eat-this/

Eating Well & Exercising Is Exactly As Miserable As You Believe It To Be

Categories:

Lifestyle, Mindset

by


This topic is particularly relevant in the new year when many people are giving their lifestyle an overhaul. I have seen plenty of people working hard, keeping their heads up and moving forward … and I’ve seen a few Debbie Downers who are drudging through the process :) I understand both attitudes. I do. But in this post, I will argue that the latter one ultimately leads to failure and misery.

So, are you a “dieting martyr?” I certainly used to be…

I remember when I did my very first competition prep in 2006. For someone who had NEVER thought twice about what they put in their mouth (my college friends still like to remind me about how I would alternate between pizza and mac and cheese for dinner nightly), the nutrition part of the prep was by far the hardest thing I had ever done.

I would go to the grocery store and literally mope around gazing at other people’s shopping carts and go, “Ugh. If only I didn’t care what I looked like! Then I could eat whatever I want like other people…” Sigh. Nice in theory, but besides the fact that pretty much all other people do care what they look like, I was being a complete victim about my eating. I was going around wishing people would pity me and then give me a “Good Little Dieter” badge.

I was living in a victim mindset. I wanted to be the one who went without. I wanted to be the one who ate cleaner than anyone else, and who other people would look to as someone who was determined, disciplined and had it all figured out. Meanwhile, I was miserable, and was far from having it all figured out.

This is a attitude issue, not a nutrition one. And what I mean by that is, the food itself was not the problem–in fact, I liked the way it made me feel and I was certainly seeing results–but it was my attachment to being the one who suffers the most–a “dieting martyr” as I like to call it :)  Trace this back to my Irish Catholic upbringing, and we’ll find plenty of examples of self-sacrifice. Constantly trying to be the one who was “done wrong” the most. Always looking for pity–and some kind of messed up affirmation–from others. I wasn’t consciously aware at the time of what I was doing, but looking back, I can see that my attitude was holding me back in many ways.

When we play the victim with our eating and exercising, going on about how hard it is and how “no one knows what we’re going through,” the only person who suffers is us. Pity from others about our own CHOICES doesn’t make it any easier for us, and in fact, it perpetuates how miserable we are–because we continue to focus on the misery, or martyrdom–of the process.

The opposite is looking for–and finding–our own inner inspiration to eat well and exercise. Instead of focusing on how hard it is, could we focus on the positive aspects? Here are some of the things I LOVE about eating well and exercising regularly:

  • I have more energy and feel less lethargic throughout the day
  • Clothes zip right up, and I don’t feel stuffed into them
  • I wake up in the morning feeling light; not like I have a food brick in my gut
  • Likewise, my stomach is flatter in the morning, and my body feel tighter
  • I can see visible definition and cuts in my shoulders, abs and arms
  • I feel in control and understand that wherever I end up (restaurant or whatever circumstances), I can always make an educated CHOICE to eat well–fat loss indeed can happen anywhere
  • Sleep quality improves and I am less stressed overall

Could you make a list of 3-5 things that you enjoy about eating clean and exercising regularly? And focus on those things instead of focusing on how miserable you are and how easy everyone else has it?

Eating well and exercising regularly is exactly as hard and miserable as you believe it to be.

And your mindset is the deciding factor. You may not have control over outcomes, but you always have control over your attitude :) What will you choose today? Ox, Jill

Related: 4 Ways Your Attitude is Hindering Your Results

 

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2013/01/10/dieting-misery/

14 Things Happy People Do Differently

Categories:

Lifestyle, Mindset

by


By Tara Ballard

So, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about Happiness lately. It all started with a trip I took recently to attend a personal development seminar. During the week-long event, we did various exercises and practices to bring forth our true, authentic selves, as well as other exercises to get us laughing and feeling joyful. It was truly a life-changing experience.

It was during this seminar that I met my new friend, Jen Newman. Jen absolutely radiates light, joy and happiness. She is one of those people whose smile lights up a room, and you feel drawn to her. Jen calls herself a “Happiness Practitioner” – how cool is that?  When I asked her how she began her Happiness journey, she pointed me to the book, Happy For No Reason by Marci Shimoff. In it, the author describes three types of happiness:

  • Happy for Bad Reason
  • Happy for Good Reason
  • Happy for No Reason

Happy for Bad Reason would be doing something that causes a sense of temporary elation or false sense of happiness, like using food for comfort, retail “therapy” (guilty as charged!) and alcohol/drug abuse. Happy for Good Reason would be things like getting a job promotion, getting married, etc. Finally, Happy for No Reason involves feeling a vibration of joy and happiness at your very core…in other words, it comes from within, NOT from external sources.

This all sounds great, right? Feeling happy all the time, no matter what the heck is going on, good or bad?? In the book, Marci interviewed what she calls the Happy Hundred – people who wake up each day Happy for No Reason, no matter what Life throws at them. These folks came from all walks of life. Some were very wealthy, some not. Race, income and gender did not matter.

It’s all about perspective :)

There were three things the Happy Hundred all said contributes to their outlook, Marci calls these The Guiding Three:

  • What Expands You Makes You Happier: Think about a time when you felt true joy…something that just made you want to burst because your heart was expanded so much, and you felt light as air. Happy people choose thoughts, feelings and behaviors that expand them, rather than ones than contract them.
  • The Universe is Out to Support You: Happy people truly believe that the Universe has their back. Even when seemingly bad things happen, Happy people look for the lesson or blessing. Oh my gosh, my grandfather absolutely LIVED this. I have never met a more positive, glass-half-full person. He ALWAYS believed there was a blessing in everything that happened, good or bad.
  • What You Appreciate, Appreciates: This concept is based on the Law of Attraction, or “like attracts like”. Ever have a day when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Then, you spill coffee on yourself, get stuck in traffic, are late for work, etc.? That’s the Law of Attraction, baby. I will admit that I used to think this was all very woo-woo, but I have seen it in action over the past few months in my own life. Whatever you think, feel, say and act on, you draw to yourself like a magnet.  Happy people focus on being and feeling happy NOW, no matter what is going on in their life. They set their thoughts and frequency on happiness.

So, now we have our Guiding Three principles to being Happy for No Reason. Using the principles, we can start to implement Happiness Practices. Here are some things to get you started:

  • Focus on SOLUTIONS, not problems:  what if instead of using all your energy focusing on and complaining about a particular problem, you put that energy toward finding a solution? Using your creativity and imagination to solve problems has a way of expanding you and energizing you…so much better than throwing a big pity party for yourself!!
  • Always look for the lesson or gift: I really only just experienced this in full-effect recently. When Dad died, of course I was sad and heartbroken and even a little angry…but what a gift it has been to get closer to my stepmom and her family. Sometimes it’s so hard to find a lesson or gift, but the alternative is playing the blame game and becoming the Big V (Victim). The next time you find yourself falling into this mindset, instead of asking yourself “Who’s to blame?”, ask yourself “What can I learn from this?”.
  • Cut yourself some slack: in other words, make peace with yourself. We ALL have things that we’ve done that we aren’t so proud of.  In order to move into true happiness, we must acknowledge these things, and most importantly give ourselves permission to feel the emotions, but to also let go of them. For a long time, I carried a lot of guilt about my failed marriage, and I think I prevented myself from truly being happy because I was constantly beating myself up about it. I have since learned to forgive myself for what I previously felt was my failure, and am working on living in the present moment and not letting my past dictate my future.
  • Practice Gratitude: Ah, here we are back at Gratitude. Happiness begins and ends with Gratitude – period.
  • Practice feeling LOVE: practice feeling love for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE, especially yourself. I learned this practice awhile back: every morning, stand in front of your bathroom mirror each morning, look yourself in the eye and name three things you are proud of about yourself. Once you feel true self-love, love radiates from you to those around you. You can walk down the street and feel love for total strangers. I often find myself saying little prayers for people I encounter when I’m out…I will smile outwardly at them, and say a little prayer for them inwardly. I feel so expanded when I do this!
  • Connect with a Higher Power: whether it’s God, the Universe, whatever…finding time to sit in silence or meditation or prayer to connect with your Higher Power can fill you to the brim with peace and joy. I can sit and watch the birds at my feeders for hours – this is my meditation. It calms and centers me – I could do it for hours.
  • Find your passion: what brings you true happiness and makes your heart sing? For so many, we go through life hanging on to the status quo, and not really exploring what lights us up. I think I would really enjoy dancing and public speaking, but have held myself back from exploring those things because of FEAR (see below). Not anymore – hello Zumba classes and Toastmasters :)
  • Serve others:  volunteering at a local homeless shelter, dog-walking at the Humane Society, going on a mission trip, or even just offering to carry someone’s groceries….serving others in ways big or small fills your very soul with gladness. I recently found a really cool website: www.moreloveletters.com. Check it out for small ways you can brighten the days of strangers.
  • Appreciate your supportive relationships: why is it that we often hurt the ones we love? Probably because we know they will love us no matter what, right? The Happy Hundred cultivate and nurture their supportive relationships, appreciating and loving them always.
  • Stop being afraid: how many times have you not done something because of fear? Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of judgment, or maybe even fear of success?? Oh my…this was like my theme song!! I have learned, however, that stepping outside our comfy, cozy zone into the unknown can be wildly exhilarating and fulfilling. It can also bring forth a passion for something you didn’t know existed within. Fear can be a huge Happiness robber! You don’t have to go out and do something crazy…you can start very small. How about ordering something different on the menu at your favorite restaurant? Or taking a different route to work? Or trying a new workout? Taking small steps outside your comfort zone until it feels comfortable – and do it again and again with new things. Eventually, the things you thought you would NEVER do are no biggie!
  • Take care of your temple, aka your body: I think this is pretty self-explanatory, but we all know the connection between mind-body and what a huge role in plays in our well-being. When we are good to our bodies by giving it good nourishment and adequate activity, there is a sense of expansion within. I will confess that I indulged quite a bit over the holidays, and BOTH my mind and body rebelled – ha. I am so much more in flow with things when my nutrition and activity are in sync.

I do not claim to have this stuff mastered! But, as with most things, time and consistency in is our friend in practicing Happiness!

My wish for you all is to have a Very Happy (for no reason) 2013!

Xoxo, Tara

Related: 5 Steps To Turn Around Your Bad Mood

 

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2013/01/07/happy-people/

How I Ran A Half Marathon in 1:30 While Training Only 3 Days Per Week

Categories:

Exercise, Lifestyle

by


I hate running. Ugh. And I would never call myself a runner. I’ve never had that “running build”–you know the one where the people look like it’s effortless, like their gliding over the ground, barely breathing hard? Instead of running, I always felt like I was “muscling.” And I guess in many ways I was, using the sheer strength of my legs to overcome the size of them, which are NOT conducive to running.

And yet, though I have never ever considered myself a runner, I’ve run a lot. I ran middle-distance track in high school and cross-country. And in my 20s, I ran a lot while prepping for figure competitions. And I ran a few 5ks and triathlons”for fun,” basically to see if I could do them.

And then in 2008, I ran my one and only half-marathon in 1h 33m, or a 7:07 min/mile pace. And I credit my strength and speed for getting me through it. And I’ll never do one ever again :)

I was recently asked how I trained for it, so I thought with all the New Year’s resolutions circling, I would write it out.

Like I said, I hate running–always preferred weight training and even teaching fitness classes over it. So I found a half-marathon training program that had me running 4x/week (the least frequency of any I could find), and then I knocked it down to 3x/week.

First, to understand training for a distance event and wanting to do well in it, you have to already have a base of strength and speed. I had been used to doing interval training (short, intense workouts) and so my cardio was already fairly good. Plus, like I mentioned, I have strong, albeit big, legs. They helped push me through when a lot of other runners’ legs inevitably got tired. Many people feel like the thinner or lighter you are, the faster you can go. And I think there’s validity to that–but strength is a huge factor too. That’s where the importance of muscle comes in. And I had a lot of that.

In this pic from the race, I weighed about 155 lbs :) And yes, I am wearing Nike Shox. Like I said, not a runner!

I had a great race. I didn’t do anything different with my nutrition in the days leading up to the race, as I didn’t want to have any digestive upset. I woke-up, drank some black coffee and ate a bowl of oat bran mixed with whey protein powder. And then I ran the race about 90 minutes later. I did not use gels, snacks or anything else during the race, except for Jade provided me with a small packet of honey at mile 9. I stayed with a small group of guys running at a fairly even pace up until that point. I did not listen to the splits at the mile markers because I didn’t want it to psych me out, plus I had my iPod on. So I had no idea how fast (or slow) I was running–no watch either. Then at mile 9, right after I saw Jade I remember thinking, “Ok, only 4 more miles. That’s nothing” and I literally took off like a bat out of hell. Being the competitor I was back then, I distinctly remember picking off women one at a time–going, “Ok, just gotta reach and pass her…” and then when I did, I sought out the next woman, and on and on. Lol. I passed a lot of them and ultimately came in #12 in women out of about 1000 women.

It was a very cool accomplishment, but also exhausting and painful. I won’t ever do another one, but I am happy I did one and now it’s done :)

So, how did I train? Like I said, I already had a fairly good cardio and strength base, so I only ran 3x/week and 2 of them were on the treadmill and were interval style–usually both 35-45 minutes in length and one flat road interval workout and the other hill sprints.

The biggest consideration I had in my training approach was the fact that long runs made me miserable. I felt heavy, distracted, bored and anxious to be done as fast as possible. Hence, I usually ran as fast as possible. So I designed a program that prioritized intensity over duration. I pushed myself on my short treadmill runs, incorporated hill sprints, which definitely helped during the actual race, and I did my best to not die of boredom on my 1x/week longer runs outside. I also only trained for about 8 weeks.

Here’s what my plan looked like:

Download the protocol here: 8 Week Half Marathon Protocol

Here are some the interval workouts I used:

45min_TreadmillIntervals_FLAT

30minFlatTreadmillSprints_Advanced

45min_Treadmill_InclineIntervals

30min_InclineTreadmillSprints

In addition to this, I probably taught 1-2 cycle classes per week as well.

Overall, I had a good experience because I didn’t feel like all I was doing was steady-state jogging all the time. I sort of refused to do things the traditional way where you just have to jog a lot. I wanted to see if I could run a good race when I did a lot of sprint/interval work, and just paid close attention to my nutrition, my sleep and my recovery time. I also supplemented with L-carnitine (pre-workout), high-dose L-glutamine (post-workout) and BCAAs (pre, post and before bed).

Remember, this protocol is not for beginners. This will work best for someone who is already in fairly good cardio shape and also has fairly strong with significant muscle. If you’re already an intermediate to advanced exerciser, it will work well :) Good luck! ox, Jill

Related: JillFit DIY Exercise Programs

 

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2013/01/04/half-marathon/

Happiness Is A Choice

Categories:

Lifestyle, Mindset

by


By Sara Baker

hap●pi●ness (ha-pe-nis) noun  1. The state of well-being and contentment: joy

Back in October I attended a fitness conference.  I was very excited to see a lecture titled “The Pillars of Happiness.”   Though we have been delving into the mind body topic for quite some time at Jillfit, it was exciting to see a topic like this at a major fitness conference, showing that the industry is realizing that true ‘health’ goes much beyond nutrition and exercise.

This time of year is often filled with gratitude and reflection on the past year.  Though I completely agree on reflecting on the past year, I like to also start to look forward to the next year, setting my goals and planning for what I would like to accomplish.   As I sit here trying to think about 2013, I start to think about what would really make me happy.  Thought I have been extremely blessed with a pregnancy this year and will welcome my son in March of 2013, I also think about happiness with my physique, career, relationships and myself.

In this lecture, the 5 pillars of happiness that were discussed were acceptance, forgiveness, letting go, gratitude and letting love rule.  Below is a little insight on each of these pillars.

1) Acceptance.

First we must have acceptance of others.  This is easier said than done.  We cannot change others; we can only change our reaction to them.  Therefore, we eventually will have to accept how others treat us and respond to us.  We have a choice on how we respond to them.  Second, acceptance of life.   I love the idea that life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you respond to those events.   Lastly, and maybe the most important, acceptance of self.    You must have compassion for yourself to be truly happy.

Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect.  It means that you have decided
to look beyond the imperfections.    –Unknown

2) Forgiveness.

Again, you must forgive others and forgive yourself.  Being forgiving is not ability but a willingness.  Forgiveness is also the only way to truly live in the present.

3) Letting Go.

To be truly happy, we often must let go of stories, beliefs, attachments, expectations and disappointments.  Jill has blogged a lot about expectations and how they can often hold us down.  We must learn to let go.

4) Gratitude.

Another hot topic for us JillFit ladies.  We are often on this ‘hedonic treadmill’ and constantly searching for pleasure. Seeking pleasure is a natural act but sometimes, we need to stop and reflect on what we already currently have. Can you seek opportunity to be grateful in everyday life?

5) Letting Love Rule.

This is probably the simplest of the pillars, love others and love yourself.  If you can show love for yourself, you give permission for everyone else to do the same.

Happiness is a choice.

So as 2012 has come to a close and we move into 2013, take some time to think about your happiness.  Think about each of these 5 pillars and if there is any area you could focus on come the New Year.  Here is to a very healthy and happy new year!

XOXO Sara

 

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2013/01/02/happiness/

9 Ways to Ensure 2013 Is Your Best Year Yet

Categories:

Introspection, Mindset, Testimonial

by


In his book ‘Happier,’ author Tal Ben-Shahar outlines 4 archetypes–characteristics of people as they relate to happiness. Some people are “Rat Racers”–only looking toward the future to be happy, while sacrificing in the present. Others are Hedonists–seeking pleasure exclusively in the moment with no thought of the future. Nihilists hold their negative view of the past to be miserable now and also project a negative future for themselves. And of course, the final archetype–the Happy person–is the one who is able to be grateful in the present, but also stays hopeful for a more fulfilling future.

New Years is a great time for the happy person. Reflections and gratitude for a great 2012, and optimism about what they will create in 2013. Are you there in your mind??

Personally, my only wish for 2013 is to continue creating something bigger than myself and making a greater impact. I want people to feel like they can do anything as a result of working with me. Simple :)

So, here are 9 ways I plan to do that. They might help you too!

1) Take action and then TRUST that you can handle whatever happens.

If you’ve been waiting to take a risk or make a choice, think about the worst possible outcome and then ask, could I handle it? The answer will always be yes. Might not be pleasant, but you could endure it. And then you could figure it out. And then you could learn from it. And then you could get stronger, smarter, better. You always have the tools to handle anything that comes along so long as you believe you do.

2) Assume your expertise.

I spent many years saying, “Why me? Who am I to do x, y, z?” and not only did it get me nowhere, it continued to subtly affirmed that I had nothing to offer. Every single person has unique expertise, experiences and knowledge that make them 100% unique in the world. Every single person has something to contribute. Every single person can teach something. So, instead ask “Why NOT you?” And then simply try and see what happens.

3) Be gentle with yourself.

We don’t like this concept in the physique world, because we feel it’s synonymous with not trying. Not the case. Plenty of self-compassion research shows that when we are gentle with ourselves and able to acknowledge our mistakes, we are more likely to learn from them, get better and actually strive for more. It doesn’t mean we give up and give in. And in fact we become MORE motivated because we have finally given ourselves permission to move forward without needing to be perfect. The net sum is that we get much further.

4) Always choose to have the experience. Because the alternative is standing still.

SAY YES. If you are constantly saying you’re too busy, too tired, too stressed, too scared–you are missing out on LIFE. You are choosing certainty and security over growth. This can be difficult, but once you begin practicing simply saying YES more, you find that the alternative–not doing anything–is simply not an option anymore. How many times will you say BIG YESSES in 2013?

5) Consider others, but not at the expense of your own happiness.

This can be tricky, and we often put others’ needs ahead of our own because we think we don’t need it, and we can make the sacrifice. That ‘s fine, except for the fact that constantly making the sacrifice leads to a) resentment/bitterness and b) you not doing what you need to do for you to move forward and succeed. The best way you can help others is by getting yourself better. And when you better yourself, you have the patience and understanding to interact with others in a more positive way.

6) Stop waiting around for other people to change.

Whenever you have a complaint about someone else, ask yourself, how can I take action so that I am not miserable anymore? Dr. Jillian asks herself a simple question whenever she’s making a decision, and that is: “Will this make me miserable or not?” and then she chooses the path of least misery. When we wait on others to make us not miserable or to express-deliver our happiness served up on a platter, we’ll find ourselves waiting forever. People will always do what they do. Stop being surprised, and instead, take action to make yourself happier, without depending on anyone else to take up the slack. Like Byron Katie says, if you’re waiting for others to be different, you might as well be trying to teach a cat to bark :)

7) Never stop learning.

This is a key value of mine, as you know. Trying and failing is a great way to learn. But so is reading, coaching, mentorship and online programs. In the past year, Jade and I together have spent over 25k on coaching and education, and I’ve read 83 books, many of them on business, psychology or mindset. I like to say that every answer you could ever need is a book, online course or person away. Use the resources around you to better yourself and to better your brain. I believe that knowledge is power insofar as it allows us to take action and make a change for the better. This “tip” will be on every single New Years list I ever make because it is never over. Learning is forever, and it’s the most fulfilling journey if you choose to pursue it.

8) Quit being afraid of failure.

Ready for a secret? You are going to mess up! Everyone does. To think you can go through life preventing anything bad from happening is absurd. All you can do is understand this, and then when you find yourself struggling, find the bright spot in the situation. Can you be GRATEFUL for your struggle? Could you see it as a good thing–something that makes you stronger, better? If you find yourself feeling bad about mess-ups, just know that every successful entrepreneur has messed up more times than anyone, and it is precisely because of those struggles that they are ultimately successful.

9) Practice empathy.

People want permission to be human, and when we judge them for being anything but perfect, we are making a judgment that there’s something “wrong” with them, and we are “right.” I catch myself doing this sometimes, and because we are judging creatures, it’s a hard habit to break. However, the most generous thing you can do for someone else is to see where they’re coming from. Put yourself in their shoes. Give themselves the benefit of the doubt. Allow them to be human. You can create the most fulfilling relationships if you let people be themselves without judgment. And by using “the benefit of the doubt” as a tool, we can also understand why people do what they do. We all act out of insecurity so if someone pisses you off, you don’t need to take it personally because you can now understand that they are acting from their own insecurity. The need to take offense and take things personally falls away. It’s liberating for them, but more for YOU.

2013 is going to be an amazing year. You can do anything you want. You are so powerful in the world. There’s nothing that’s off limits. Why NOT you? Do it. Do it this year. Do it now.

Wishing you the best success in 2013! Let me know all the amazing things you have planned!

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/31/best-year-2013/

Reflections on 2012 Part 3: BUSINESS

Categories:

Best of You Coaching, Introspection, Lifestyle, Testimonial

by


2012: “The Year of Connection” for both Jill and JillFit :)  At JillFit, we launched our JillFit Lifestyle Online membership in January, sold over 500 memberships over the last 12 months, and launched the 1st annual Best of You Coaching Club where I worked up-close-and-personal with 14 women all year long in the realms of mind, body & business. I also launched my join venture with FMI, an online program for fitness models who want to build their online businesses, Fitness Model Online.  

This is also our 150th blog of 2012! And, we’ve built our JillFit Facebook page to 6000 fans, and over 14k on Twitter. It’s been a huge year of growth, and I am incredibly grateful for everyone involved–anyone who has ever read the blog, shared your story with me via email, engaged with us, shared a post or become a part of the JillFit family in the Lifestyle program.

These numbers in an of themselves are not important. They mean so much more to me than that–they represent the ability to make a difference, and to make an impact. If someone–anyone–takes something away from JillFit that makes them happier, healthier or better, that means the world to me.

So with that, I want to start this blog out with a huge THANK YOU! I am grateful for YOU! And I am still humbled everyday that anyone even wants to read what I write.

Importance of Mentorship

I never thought about actually paying someone for mentorship. Like most people, I thought I could find what I needed on my own, like relying on traditional education/degrees, or through reading books…or my favorite way up until 2 years ago—asking Jade :)

In 2011, I came to the realization that if I wanted to take my business and professional success to the next level, that I needed to find someone who could mentor me. And for a great mentor, I’d have to pay to play.

I looked around the semi-small fitness industry to see what professionals were doing what I wanted to be doing in a few years, and to whom I looked up and respected. Though I admired top figure competitors and some fitness models for what they have been able to achieve with their bodies, I found my attention pulled to successful businesswomen within the fitness field, who were doing bigger things, more than showing off a rockin’ bod at a photo shoot or on stage. Not that those things aren’t admirable–I did it for years—but I wanted get coaching from someone creating something bigger, something for others, something of massive value to the world, and someone who was making a huge impact.

I sought out and hired Rachel Cosgrove—best-selling author, Womens Health columnist, successful business owner of Results Fitness, and also half of a fitness power couple with her husband, Alwyn Cosgrove. It was, and continues to be a huge game-changer for me, and for JillFit.

At Jade’s urging and with his support, I launched the first annual Best of You Coaching Club last holiday season so that I could make the money I needed to hire Rachel. It worked. And along with Rachel’s coaching, I learned so much through running my first-ever mentorship with 14 amazing women.

2012 has been my most fulfilling year yet in business, and here are some of my favorite insights:

1) In order to grow your business, you have to make it about other people.

You can only get so far when it’s all about you. When I was doing a lot of fitness modeling and competitions, I enjoyed the transient affirmation I received for my physique and photos, but it eventually left something to be desired.

It’s funny, at that time, most of fans and followers were men, mostly accredited to how little clothing I wore in my photos. Now, they are over 80% women :) That fact means something to me. The fact that JillFit touches so many women’s lives in a way that allows them to feel human and to know that they are not alone in their struggle for a fit, lean physique means something.  It has to be about OTHER people.

For me to feel fulfilled on a personal level and successful in business, I needed to shift focus away from myself and being giving massive value to customers, clients and readers. I want people to feel better, look better and be better as a result of working with me. I want others to feel like anything is possible and that they can do it too. Once I shifted my focus to creating something bigger than myself, all sorts of new successes started showing up.

2)   Be authentically you, and don’t worry about those who don’t “get it.”

As a former people-pleaser this was a hard pill to swallow. Besides, I was used to adjusting myself to others, in order to be liked. And while being liked certainly feels good and makes things easier, at some point I had to draw a line in the sand and say, This is what’s important to me. Stay or go accordingly.

Especially with a personality brand like JillFit, it’s important that people know me, and know what I’m about. I fully developed JillFit’s Core Values in early 2012, I started writing on topics that interested me, trusting that people with whom it resonated would come, and being okay with people with whom it didn’t, to leave.

And they did. A lot of our earlier following were competitors, and though we still work with many, sometimes the mindset piece that we frequently write on can get lost amongst those who are strictly looking for that 10% body fat. I don’t judge it–to each their own–but when you are simply looking for tips, tricks and tools to eat clean, some of the more “woo woo” introspection pieces don’t interest you. I stopped writing for “everyone” and started writing what was becoming most important to me (which was usually not generic tools, tips and tricks), and if people wanted to read it, they did and if they didn’t, they left.

Drawing a line in the sand allows for your PERFECT CUSTOMER to come to you. JillFit is NOT right for everyone. It’s for those with whom it resonates. Besides, I am not trying to trick people into buying my programs. I want my customer to want ME. Running a business is like a romantic relationship: Not everyone’s going to want me. And if that’s the case, I don’t want them either :)

Learning to let go of trying to be everything to everyone was a huge shift for me, and for the business. And once I made that shift, business picked up because my clients and customers had been already handpicked, vetted and primed to be successful. Like Tim Ferriss says, “It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matter is how many people do.” 

3) When others win, I win.

Similar to #1 above, when I help someone do better, I do better. When my clients have successes, I am more successful. When I help someone achieve something for themselves, I feel like I am achieving it too. It sounds cliche but after doing 2 mentorship programs this year, I can honestly say that “it is in the giving that you receive.”

Personally, this brings me tremendous fulfillment. But also professionally. When my clients do better, make changes, do things they never though possible as a result of working with me, that’s good for business :) It’s good for them (obviously) and it means a lot for JillFit too.

I don’t know that I ever tried to discourage accomplishment for those around me, I just think I didn’t make a conscious effort. However, in 2012, I have taken major strides to do a lot more in this realm. I want every life that I touch to be successful. I want everyone to do everything they ever dreamed and I want to be a part of it.

4) Say yes, and then figure it out along the way.

In January, I launched the JillFit Lifestyle online membership–somewhat on a whim. I thought, if I just put up great, exclusive content, people will pay for it. I started by charging $10/month and by May, we had a couple hundred members due to our great readership.

But then, something started happening–people started dropping their memberships and we stopped growing. I thought, I can’t understand it…it’s only $10? I did a lot of thinking, stressing and talking to Jade and I realized that I had not done a great job of engaging members and giving them the access and accountability they wanted. I was lazy (and also just ignorant) and thought that great content alone was enough. Well, it wasn’t even worth $10 to many people, so I needed to up my game. I immediately increased the price to $25/mth and figured out numerous ways to add 10x more value to the program. In addition to making many new changes, I added an online community where participants could ask questions, get access to the JillFit coaches, share with other members and generally be listened to and acknowledged. It was a game-changer for our program and is now the most valuable part.

I learned that people come for content but stay for community. And this was a lesson that I learned along the way. It’s a small example of what successful companies do constantly. They adjust on the fly based on what customers want and need. I had no idea what I was doing when I launched JF Lifestyle, and I am still learning. But so long as I am learning, my programs and services will always improve. It is when I think I know everything that things will inevitably slow down.

So if you are waiting to start something or want to make a change, just jump. The old way will always be there if you need it, but TRUST in yourself that you can and adjust on the fly. Be that confident in your abilities.

I’ve done more public speaking, filmed more videos and asserted my expertise more in the last 12 months than the entire rest of my life combined. I just…JUMPED. I said yes. I used the “Ready, fire, aim, aim, aim…” approach to just go for it.

So say YES! And know that if you don’t know what to do, the answer is always a book, a coach or an online program away :) The “how” is the easiest part, if you stay curious and hungry.

5) Giving praise to others doesn’t take away from your accomplishments or contributions.

I learned in 2012 the power of networking and acknowledging others. Also Ferriss: “Your network is your net worth.” I hate to say, it’s who you know because it’s really not. It’s more about developing organic relationships based on mutual respect and genuine interest in what the other person is doing.

Networking is not about what the other person can do for you. It is about how you can serve the other person, while also serving your customers and clients. I want to share valuable content, products and programs created by people who are doing cool shit and whose work I feel that my audience can benefit from.

In 2012, I learned that collaboration always beat competition. And in the internet space, I am not even sure that competition exists, simply because there is enough money, success and happiness to go around. People will always buy from those with whom they resonate, and each blog, website or brand is 100% unique especially if there’s a personality behind it, like JillFit. No one can do what you do, because you are YOU :)

So don’t be afraid to share content from people who are doing something similar to you. Don’t withhold praise for others because you feel it takes away from your contribution. It doesn’t and in fact, it serves both you AND them.

So, back to networking… for an introvert like me, putting myself out there more has been a challenge. Asking people for help has been tough, and introducing myself to others is not always easy. I’ve never been one of those people who went up to a speaker at a conference and introduced myself after a talk. I don’t always feel comfortable approaching others to develop a relationship. My M.O. is usually to sit in the back and go it alone.

But I made a conscious effort in 2012 to do just the opposite. And the pay-off both professionally and personally has been tremendous. I’ve made many more professional connections and genuine friendships than I thought possible, and because I’ve done it with an eye for how I can help them, it feels natural and in line with my values.

Anyway…there are many more business lessons from 2012, but these are the biggies. I made several personal strides in 2012 including features in various national magazines, writing for livestrong.com and writing my book proposal, but the biggest lessons and things I cherish the most are working with customers and clients–and those I included in this blog.

Hopefully this gives you some insight potentially for your own business. I am wishing you all the professional success in the world in 2013! And I mean that whole-heartedly. And if you are a professional in the field, hit me up for some collaboration! :) PS I am terrible at email and do all my business on Twitter. Lol. But seriously. Ox, Jill

Related: 10 Success Mindset Insights: Coaching Club Retreat Recap

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/27/2012-business/

Reflections on 2012 Part 2: PHYSIQUE

Categories:

Competition, Introspection, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Testimonial

by


In Part 1, I revealed some of the key insights I had in 2012 about mindset. Today I want to talk about body, and how I learned so much more about physique change, willpower and the desire for “The Perfect Body” in 2012.

Between the years of 2006 and 2009, I did a lot of photo shoots and a lot of competitions. I also gained and lost A LOT of pounds, easily swinging 15-20 lbs up and down between shows. Not a good look or FEEL for the body.

I remember constantly feeling embarrassed in public when I was not in “show shape” and feeling like I was disappointing people, and also myself. I remember the inevitability of clothes getting tighter as I came off a show prep, and then letting it ruin me. “WHY HAD I LET MYSELF GET BACK HERE AGAIN??”

The truth is that “back here” was actually just my normal size 6-8. Luckily I never ever went back to the size I was before I ever started competing, unlike so many competitors who balloon dozens of pounds higher than they ever were before. But the bottom line is that I would never let myself feel comfortable at my normal size–I was choosing to see it like something was wrong with me and I wasn’t good enough. Good enough for what, I don’t know–just that for whatever reason, if I wasn’t in “show shape” or “shoot shape” (completely subjective BTW), I wasn’t worthy.

In early 2010, I had just come off a 6 month dieting craze, prepping for a bunch of shoots in a row. And I was down in weight and felt good. But I had also made the decision not to compete anymore. And that was a turning point for me, because I remember going, “If I don’t have the threat of a competition to keep me ‘in line’ then I need to find something that will work long term.” It was a scary thought–what if I could never have Reeses again? Or eat to my heart’s desire like I used to in my “off-season,” pretending there were no ramifications of my actions?

And the scary–yet ironically liberating–truth was that no, I could never eat to my heart’s desire ever again. I could never eat everything I wanted ever again, if I truly wanted to find balance and stay fairly lean long-term. It was scary because it was sad in a way (bye, bye binges). But it was also liberating because I knew I didn’t have to yo-yo up and down anymore, and I knew I didn’t have to deal with the feelings of being out of control or guilty when I did go off the rails with food. I could just take my time, figure it out, once and for all, forever.

I have written about my moderate approach to nutrition many times (like here and here). And it’s not hardcore, and it doesn’t get me super-lean. But I have come to realize that I will NEVER want to get super-lean ever again if it means I will balloon back up, feel awful and lose my sense of balance.

This year is the first year since I was 23 that I stayed at the same size and weight all year long. And I have to give myself the win for that. Because the alternative for me was staying on the crazy weight loss roller coaster that in the end left me tired, frustrated, distracted and feeling unworthy.

I have lost muscle since I stopped competing. I have gotten smaller up top, I’m a little softer than I was, but I am also still fairly lean, healthy and comfortable. My clothes fit. I don’t stress about food. I eat when I’m hungry, I stop when I’m satisfied. I hardly get cravings anymore (except for coffee!) and I never stuff myself.

I had 2 specific insights this year as it relates to my physique:

1) The Power of Willpower

I learned first-hand how powerful willpower–or more specifically, harnessing willpower–can be in terms of our behaviors. The more we try to harness it and stick to something that takes tons of MENTAL energy, the more likely we are to overindulge later. Simple.

Because I follow a moderate approach, I have actually built up my willpower to the point that not overindulging is now effortless. I am so practiced at how I eat that I would never do off the deep end with food. However, the opposite is also true: because I am so practiced at moderation, I have an incredibly hard time eating any cleaner than I do. If you asked me to go on a competition diet, I couldn’t do it. Or, I guess I could, it would just take every ounce of mental energy I have (see #2 below).

But willpower is hilarious. Yes, it’s actually comical how hard it is change. Here’s a situation that happened with me this past year, to prove my point:

I was booked for modeling job with my agency on a Monday. It was for some catalogue, and it was booked for 1 week away, the following Monday. In preparation, I said to myself, ok, this week, I will just up my veggies, drink tons of water and maybe get in an extra cardio workout or two, just to shed a little water before the shoot. A few days later, I hadn’t done any of that. Simply because I am so practiced at my own, effortless way. So, then I said, well, that’s ok, I just do more veggies and water for the rest of the week. Come Friday, again, I hadn’t done any of that. So I said, ok, this WEEKEND, I’ll just chug water and eat tons of greens. Didn’t do that either. Come Sunday night, I go, well, it’s Sunday, my usual cheat night, I can at least skip that. And I actually did do that.

The shoot the next day went fine. No one called me out or told me to go home because I was too fat :) But then, here’s what happened… directly after the shoot, I immediately went to Fresh Market and got a huge bag of yogurt pretzels, some Reeses and some other crap. I hadn’t done that in YEARS. WTF?

So, just so we’re clear with what happened: I didn’t change anything about my eating or exercising the week prior to the shoot, I just thought a lot about it. Didn’t do anything differently, except try to harness willpower all week, even though that mental effort did not result in any actual action. In fact, the only thing that happened as a result was that I had a binge session after my shoot–something I would never had done if I wasn’t using so much mental effort all week.

Lol. If you understand what happened here with me, then you understand how powerful trying to harness willpower can be, in regard to our behaviors. And not a positive effect either! Ha!

Don’t get me wrong, willpower is important, but it needs to be practiced, not forced. The more we force ourselves to do too many things that don’t feel easy (all at once), the more likely we are to fail. Feelings of deprivation leads to binging. Even thinking about depriving ourselves leads to compensatory eating reactions. That’s how powerful willpower is.

2) Spending mental and physical effort keeping my diet flawless distracts me from being able to do anything else. And it also makes me obsessed with food.

This was my second insight, and it came about as I stopped prepping food each week. Yes, I know, we have been taught to have food prepped and ready–preparation is key. And I actually agree with that, except for the fact that for me, it’s an incredibly painful and distracting process that I found kept me obsessed with food.

We joke at JillFit that if you are prepping for a competition, you are always either shopping for food, cooking food or eating food. And this is the truth. Doing a competition and getting in that kind of shape is a full time job. It has to be your priority because it takes that much effort.

I found for me that when I was intent on keeping my diet flawless, everything else was pushed to the back burner. I was distracted from doing work, I couldn’t focus on my business, I was always stressed about, where’s my food? what time is it? has it been 3 hours yet? is there going to be enough? how many grams of protein is this? how much water have I drank today? when can I get to the grocery store again this week? what time do I need to get home to the chicken in the oven? are the Tupperwares clean? do I have enough veggies to get me to Wednesday? and on, and on, and on.

Some awareness is important. Besides, you need to be mindful of what you put in your mouth. But can you see the obsession that this can become? I think for some people, they enjoy operating this way–having a schedule, having structure and a routine. But for me, it was so painfully draining that it was all I could think about it, and for all the mental stress and physical energy, I didn’t look all that different when I finally just said, fuck it, I’m not prepping food this week, I’ll just figure it out. And I felt liberated!!

This may or may not be the answer for you, but since I stopped prepping food in an formal way, I have been a thousand times more productive in other areas of my life, like building my business, coaching my clients, doing things that are important to me, like reading (which I do 2-3 hours a day), training, spending time with friends and family, and generally not being obsessed with my next meal.

I used to feel scared that if I didn’t have food prepped and ready, that I’d end up at the McDonalds drive-thru with a biggie fry and quarter pounder. I was worried that if I didn’t have my entire weekly menu laid out that I would eat anything and everything I wanted. And you know what? That didn’t happen. And if anything, I am more motivated to stick to clean eating because it doesn’t take every ounce of mental energy anymore.

I eat when I’m hungry, I don’t stress if I miss a meal, I eat to feel satisfied and then stop. I am more in tune with my hunger and cravings then ever before, and because of that I am more disciplined than ever. No more overindulging, and most importantly for me, no more stress.

Below is what I looked like all of 2012 (January, April, July, October, respectively). There are some water fluctuations and maybe small changes here and there but overall, I look the same. Could I get leaner? Certainly. Could I build more muscle? Of course. But am I willing to take the mental energy away from other things to do it? Not at this point. Never say never, but my priorities have changed, and I don’t need to be in “show shape” anymore. I just need to be healthy, happy, not stressed and comfortable in my clothes.

2012: January—> April—> July—> October

Hope you enjoyed this walk through my brain, and how I think about food and physique. I have a lot more thoughts on the subject but this post is already too long! If you are reading this right now, thanks for hanging in there with me! And more importantly, THANK YOU for being on this incredible journey with me! ox, Jill

More in my next post about 2012 in business :)

Related: Exactly what I eat, and why it doesn’t matter for you

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/24/2012-physique/

Reflections on 2012 Part 1: MINDSET

Categories:

Introspection, Mindset

by


It’s the day after the last day on earth. We survived, unscathed, and I lived another day to blog :) All of this end-of-the-world talk–though I never believed it of course–got me to thinking about what I would do if I were to die tomorrow. What kind of impact had I made? Had I helped people? Had I been a positive force in the world? Had I done something that mattered?? And though I can’t fully know the scope of those answers, I can at least take a hard look at 2012 and try to be as objective as possible.

2012 was the first year that I ran my Best of You Coaching Club–a mentorship in mind, body and business for women who want to excel in all 3 and live a successful, more fulfilling life. And in almost a parallel way, I traced their same steps simply because of the journey I was teaching. I never stopped learning though, either.

I blogged last year that 2011 was rough for me. 2012 was infinitely more fulfilling. It was a great year, and if you are reading this right now, I want to THANK YOU for being a part of it with me.

So, what did I learn in 2012?

Over the next few blogs, I am going to be revealing my biggest insights in all 3 realms of mind, body and business, but for today, I want to talk about the first–MINDSET.

Probably the best insight I had all year was this: Take 100% responsibility for everything.

Your thoughts, your actions, your outcomes, and even the actions and outcomes of others. Not in a way that we try to control others, but in a way that allows us to TAKE ACTION in any situation. If we end up in a situation that is technically someone else’s “fault,” if we want to feel powerful in the world and make things happen for ourselves, we need to take responsibility for changing the situation–even if we are not to blame. Why? Because the alternative is waiting for the other person to change or take action. Not a solid strategy!

Also, this: You always have 100% control over your attitude.

You can’t control outcomes, but you can control what you do and how you do it. It takes the exact same amount of energy to be negative (and I would even argue MORE energy in the long run) than to simply find the bright spots in any situation. Don’t mistake positivity for superficial rainbows and hearts. A deep sense of positivity and wellbeing come about when we give others (and ourselves) the benefit of the doubt, show gratitude and find a lesson in every struggle.

If you adopt the mindset that every mistake, misstep and struggle leads to a stronger, smarter, more resilient you, how can you deny yourself that opportunity?

I like to say “lean into the struggle” because when we take a head-on approach–though it is never easy–it always leads to greater possibility, appreciation and more personal fulfillment.

Be open to outcomes, not attached to them.

Jillian told me about a professor she had at medical school who said that, and it really stuck with me. Not being able to control outcomes scares us. At least it did me for a long time. I thought if I just tried hard enough I could guarantee that things would work out a certain way. Of course, it’s human nature to crave certainty. And yet, we know on an intellectual level that there are no guarantees.

So how can we interact with people and take action without having expectations for how they need to turn out?

It’s hard. But it is doable with practice and growing your TRUST. And that trust needs to be in this: That no matter what the outcome is, you will be OK.

That’s it. Simple.

I think about how I would feel if I lost my parents, or if Jade left me. I think about how I might feel if I found out I was diagnosed with cancer, lost a limb or lost everything and found myself on the street. Certainly not the happiest of thoughts, but thoughts that push me nonetheless. They push my mental boundaries to the point where I can ask myself, “If that happened, could I handle it??” And the answer, in the end, is always yes. Yes, I could.

And there’s power in knowing and TRUSTING that you can handle whatever happens–whatever outcome occurs.

It doesn’t mean we don’t try. In fact, it has the opposite effect of making us try harder. Because it finally grants us the PERMISSION we need to take more risks and do what we need to do to make our dreams a reality, because in the end we know we can handle it. Whatever “it” is :)

How liberating.

A “possibility mindset” is utlimately one of effort, one of positivity and one of deep satisfaction if you are only open to it. By doing the opposite and trying to stay safe and secure, we are taking the biggest risk of all, which is never trying for something more.

Next post will be on my physique reflections. See you then! ox, Jill

Related: 18 Ways to Ensure 2012 Is Your Best Year Yet

 

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/22/2012-mindset/

Metabolic Damage, Digestive Health & Fat Loss

Categories:

Competition, General Heath, Nutrition

by


By Dr. Jillian Teta

Digestion certainly is not the most elegant topic to discuss, yet discussion becomes necessary and warranted when we consider that digestive health plays a major role in body composition, overall health, whether you are prone to be overweight, and even if you are having difficulty losing fat in “problem areas” like the hips, thighs and glutes.

Once we get over the “that’s a weird topic” vibe, digestion is actually quite cool.

We tend not to think too much about digestion until something goes wrong with it or it begins impacting out goals. I want to outline several scenarios and their potential solutions/things to consider.

Your body is only as healthy and strong as your digestive system is: Period.

One of the major jobs of the gastrointestinal tract is the breakdown, absorption, assimilation and elimination of food and all of the macro and micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and so on that your food contains. If one of these links in the chain becomes broken or impaired, the rest of the chain suffers and thus the health of the entire body. Even if you are eating the very best nutrition you possibly can, if you cannot digest, absorb and assimilate that nutrition, you are missing out and your health and body composition will not be as good as it can be.

What does normal digestion look like?

Warning: I’m gonna talk about poop here for a second. Ideally you will be moving your bowels at least once per day. Your poop should be well formed and easy to pass, without blood, mucous or undigested food in it. You should not feel bloated or overly gassy, you should not experience reflux, indigestion, pain or cramping on a regular basis. If you are, something is amiss.

Basics of digestive health

Digestive health is the result of your nutrition being appropriate for you, that is, identifying and avoiding food sensitivities for YOU. Beneficial bacteria – about 4 lbs of them – live in our guts and execute a myriad of functions for us related to digestion. Interestingly, our gut bacteria even play a role in our body composition! Some strains of bacteria predispose us to be more overweight. Isn’t that so unfair? Digestive enzymes, bile, and stomach acid should all be present in enough quantity to be able to break down macronutrients into small enough pieces to be assimilated. The lining of the gut should be strong, have good integrity, and not be a source of inflammation. The nervous system of the brain – the enteric nervous system or “second brain” – should be functioning smoothly to promote optimal and timely elimination. All of these pieces working in sync help your body metabolize and use the nutrition from your food to help you look and feel your best.

Constipation

Let’s face it, it happens. For optimal fat loss, constipation absolutely should be addressed. For targeting trouble areas, tackling constipation is a must. I’ll back up a few steps. The liver filters your blood, removing things like cholesterol particles, compounds of metabolism, inflammatory molecules – and spent hormones. It is the job of the liver to filter out hormones like estrogen, package them up to be excreted, and then send them to the GI tract so we can poop them out. Guess what? Our colon (affectionately called the large intestine) has a blood supply. So, if you are not pooping every day, and your stool is just sitting there in your colon, all of those hormones get re-absorbed back into general circulation. Then, it ends back at the liver. The liver, meanwhile, is dealing with today’s estrogens and other spent hormones and inflammatory compounds. Now, it has to deal again with the stuff it dealt with yesterday or the day before.

So, when the bowel becomes constipated, the liver becomes constipated, and your estrogenic burden goes up. The fat receptors on all of our troublesome womanly areas – butt, hips, thighs – are highly sensitive to estrogen. Estrogen stimulates them and helps them hold on to fat. What this means is that when we are not pooping daily, we are more estrogenic, and our trouble areas, not to mention overall fat loss, become resistant to change.

             Solution: Ensure that you are eating adequate healthy fats, fibrous veggies and are hydrated. You want to aim for at least 3L of water daily. Avoid foods that are inherently constipating, such as gluten, cow dairy, grains and bananas. Consider taking a probiotic daily. For more tips on chronic constipation, click here.

Metabolic Damage

Chronic dieters, cardio queens and junkies and those prone to bad sleep and high stress can get metabolic damage. People with metabolic damage are more prone to things like IBS, which can manifest as alternating loose stool and constipation, stomach pain and bloating. As dysfunction in the gut ensues, optimal assimilation and processing of nutrients is impaired, making it even harder to repair metabolic damage.

            Solution: A gut restoration program is at the foundation of any metabolic damage protocol. This entails finding and eliminating foods you are sensitive to, and also making sure you do not have candida, bacterial or parasitic infection; bumping up your beneficial gut flora by taking a probiotic daily, taking a plant digestive enzyme with meals, and considering a glutamine-based product to heal the lining of the gut. For more on gut restoration, click here.

Are food allergies making you fat?

They sure could be. Eating foods that are not ideal for our body create inflammation, which brings water (read: bloating) to the belly area, disrupts hormonal signaling, irritates the gut lining making absorption of nutrients difficult and can even down-regulate our fat-burning hormonal machinery.

            Solution: Find and eliminate food allergies if you suspect they may be impairing your fat-loss efforts. This can be done through an elimination/challenge diet, or through a blood test. Most common food allergies include gluten, cow dairy, tree nuts, citrus, strawberries, soy and eggs.

For more information or to work with Dr. Jillian directly in her Fix Your Digestion Online Program, email clinic@metaboliceffect.com or check out her Facebook page or blog!

 

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/19/digestion/

Eggs, Fat Loss & Healthy Dark Chocolate Custard Recipe

Categories:

Nutrition, Recipes

by


By Dr. Jillian Teta

In case you haven’t noticed, here at JillFit we are kind of obsessed with eggs. Eggs, in fact, have often been touted as the “perfect food”, and for the most part we agree! We use them as an integral part of physique optimization and maintaining leanness year-round. Let’s break it down right now…

One egg has about 6-7grams of protein in it, depending on how big it is. Protein, of course, is made by amino acid building blocks. The ratio of amino acids in eggs mimics the amino acid ratio in humans almost perfectly.

As such, you will see eggs as a central part of many of our nutritional plans and protocols. Eggs contain zero carbohydrates and we can use them in variety of ways to achieve great body composition in an effective and inexpensive way.

Eggs and Cholesterol

Egg yolks are commonly demonized in the mainstream as being too high in cholesterol and bad for your heart health. The thing about eating cholesterol is this: dietary cholesterol is not somehow magically converted into elevated cholesterol in your blood.

When we eat cholesterol-containing foods, the cholesterol is broken down into its constituent parts and shipped off to various parts of the body for use. Your body uses cholesterol to make hormones, to build and maintain cellular membranes, and is important for nerve conduction, cellular transport and in the manufacture of bile, which is crucial for optimal digestion.

Your body makes the bulk of cholesterol: the liver, adrenal glands, intestines and reproductive organs make up the vast majority of your cholesterol. In fact, research shows that low cholesterol diets have negligible effect on serum cholesterol.

Egg yolks are rich in health-promoting compounds. They have abundant phospholipids which are nourishing for the brain and nerves, contain compounds that help the liver detoxify estrogen (saddlebags and thunder thighs anyone??) and, if you get free-range eggs, you will be getting a dose of vitamin D!

After all of that hullabaloo about egg yolks, I have to say, I’m really craving an omelette!

Most of us here at JillFit interestingly prefer the taste of egg whites, with maybe 1-2 yolks thrown in to a scramble or an omelette.

Yolks and Fat Loss

While eating for fat loss, it is important to consider your yolk intake for this reason: you can either increase your yolk intake and decrease carb intake OR you can increase carb intake and decrease yolk intake. Let me put it another way: fats + carbs (even healthy fats and carbs!) will blunt fat loss. It’s as if you’ve got to pick one way or another, or swap through.

Examples of fat-loss breakfasts would be:

  1. Three to six egg white omelette with ¼ cup oats or an apple
  2. Two whole eggs plus 1-4 egg whites with extra spinach and a side of asparagus or broccoli.

We bump up fats, or carbs, but not both together, for optimal fat loss.

Eggs are awesome because they are versatile and fast to make. Use hard boiled eggs, omelettes, frittatas, scrambles, crustless quiches, custards and baked eggs in a muffin tin for meals or snacks.

I want to share a recipe with you that, for me, was a slam dunk. It sounds a bit burdensome, but I promise that it is really not.

Recipe: Super Dark Chocolate Custard

Ingredients:

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • ½ bag of bittersweet chocolate chips (about 4 ounces)
  • ¼-1/2 cup coconut sugar, depending on taste
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • pinch sea salt
  • 2 large eggs (preferably free range/organic)

Preheat oven to 350. Get out a 9 x 13 baking dish and fill halfway with water. If you have ramekins, get out 6 of those. If you don’t, get a smaller pyrex dish (9 x 9 or 8 x 8).

In a small saucepan, add coconut milk and chocolate and put on low heat until the chocolate melts, whisking so it doesn’t stick. When melted, add the vanilla and salt and whisk again. Remove from heat, let cool for ten minutes.

After 10 minutes of cooling, add the 2 eggs and whisk to incorporate. Pour the custard into the ramekins or pyrex dish, and place them in the larger pan filled with water. Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.

Remove the ramekins/dish from the water dish and let cool completely.

Enjoy and send me thank you notes! You’re welcome :) Love, Jillian

Related: 5 New Eggcellent Ways to Do Egg Whites

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/17/eggs/

Muscle Building For Women: The SCORCH Model

Categories:

Exercise, Nutrition

by


Most posts at JillFit are about fat loss. We do metabolic weight workouts, manage carb intake and sprint real fast. But what about for those who want to build muscle? You’ll have to take a slightly different approach.

We use the SCORCH Model:

S = Slow Down Your Weight Workouts

Metabolic conditioning workouts are great for fat loss and can help maintain muscle, but if you want to build, you’ll need to move a little slower, take longer rests so that you can go heavier and add a few more exercises. You shouldn’t necessarily be breathless the entire time during your weight workouts. Focus more on the heaviness and the burning.

C = Concentrate On Each Muscle Separately

Ask any bodybuilder (arguably the ideal practitioners of hypertrophy), and they will say each muscle group needs individual attention. Complexes and hybrid movements are great to use every once in a while, but if you’re serious about adding size, it’s recommended you break up your body parts more. Here’s a split I really like:

Day 1: Chest/Triceps
Day 2: Legs (Quad/glute focus)
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Back/Biceps
Day 5: Legs (Hamstrings/calves/low back focus)
Day 6: Shoulders/Abs
Day 7: Off

O = Overload The Muscles By Upping Weight & Volume

You can’t make gains without progressively overloading the muscle you’re working. This means using a moderately heavy weight and doing a high-volume workout. Pick up dem heavy weights ladies! I always say that most women can lift at least 5 lbs more than they think they can. Maybe even 10. Try it!

I also increase volume by doing 4-5 sets of each exercise, 3-4 exercises per body part, in the rep range of 8-12. This makes for a lot of reps :) Start with a 15-rep max, and progressively add weight over the span of 4-8 weeks, using the same exercises. Then choose new ones.

R = Recovery

You do your growing during your recovery time, so I’d skip doing the same muscle group twice in the same week if you can help it. The small tears you make in the muscle need downtime to grow back stronger and bigger. Recovery also includes getting plenty of sleep, practicing clean nutrition with enough carbs and protein to help rebuild and not doing tons of cardio every day.

C = Carbs And Calories

Nutrition is a huge component in muscle building, obviously. First of all, protein is certainly important, as muscle itself is made up of amino acids. Try to hit 1g protein per pound of body weight, and choose lean sources, including grass-fed beef if possible to get the carni-nutrients so important in muscle building.

Next, enough calories are needed to provide a sufficient quantity of building blocks needed for the metabolism and a surplus to build beyond current levels. And carbs are the wild card. The amount of carbs one consumes is often the difference between building muscle or not. Carbs, especially post-workout, are important to bring up insulin levels in the blood, which play a key stimulatory role in the muscle-synthesis process. Insulin needs to be present in order to build muscle. If you are doing less carbs, be sure to take 5-10g BCAAs post-workout, as they also raise insulin and can act in a similar fashion.

My quick & dirty rule for carbs: If you want to build, multiply your weight in pounds by 1.5 and eat that many grams of carbs (includes both starch and veggies) on days you train. On non-training days, cut this in half. PLEASE don’t stress about counting grams! This does not need to be exact! A serving of starch (like 1/2 cup of dry oats or 1/4 cup dry rice) is around 30g. Eye-ball it. Eat as many grams from veggies (both fibrous and starchy) to get the vitamins and minerals that are necessary for optimal metabolic function, like B vitamins.

H = High-Intensity OR Low-Low Intensity Cardio

IF you are intent on doing cardio, make sure it is either high intensity, short duration like Tabata intervals or track sprints OR very low intensity like leisure walking. High-intensity intervals (20 min or less) hold onto muscle because they spike growth hormone when they push us above the anaerobic threshold, and minimize any spike in cortisol. Likewise, low-intensity walking or yoga/tai chi can have a profound restorative effect on the body, and lower cortisol (a muscle(and fat)-wasting hormone). If you’re going to cardio it up, I’d suggest keeping it to 3x/week max. For best results, do restorative, low intensity walking only.

There are a few other keys like optional supplementation (not illegal!) and getting into which movements are the most effective, but we’ll save that for later. I will be sending out a muscle-building workout in a couple weeks to the JillFit email list! Make sure you are on it of you want to receive it (right hand side of this page, enter name/email).

That’s it! Best of luck, let me know how you do! :) ox, Jill

Related: Lift heavy, get smaller! Leg-building Workout

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/11/muscle-building-for-women/

Quitting Long-Duration Cardio: Tara’s Story

Categories:

Exercise, Lifestyle, Mindset, Testimonial

by


By Tara Ballard

I’ve talked before about my ex-exercise addiction. It came up again recently after I posted a post-workout pic on Facebook…Jill and I started talking about the very first email I sent to her almost 4 years ago detailing my workout schedule at the time. I dug up that first email, and I thought I would share:

My old workout schedule:

MONDAY

3:00am or so: Wake-up

4:00am: Tempo or goal-pace run – 5 to 7 miles

5:00am: have been doing a strength circuit of push-ups, pull-ups, dips, hanging leg raises – 5x

5:30am: Teach 60 min Cycle class

5:15pm: Teach 60 min Cycle class

6:15pm: Teach 60 min PowerPump (Barbell) class

TUESDAY

4:30am: Wake-up

5:30am: Teach 60 min PowerPump

5:30pm: Teach 1.5 hour Cycle/Sculpt (45 mins Cycle/45 mins upper-lower Sculpt); or 1.5 “Triple Threat” (30 mins Cycle, 30 mins running, 30 mins upper body sculpt)

WEDNESDAY
3:00am: Wake-up

4:00am: Speed work – 5 to 10 x 800’s with slow jog in between – 5 to 7 miles total

5:10am: Push-up circuit – if time

5:30am: Teach 60 min Cycle

5:30pm: Teach 60 min PowerPump class

6:30pm: Teach 20-30min “Ab Blast” class

THURSDAY

4:30am: Wake-up

5:30am: Teach 60 min PowerPump class

REST

FRIDAY

3:00am: Wake-up (these 3 am days get OLD!)

4:00am: Hill work on treadmill – 6 miles total

5:00am: Strength circuit – push-ups, dips, pull-ups, hanging leg raises

5:30am: Teach 60 min “Butts n Guts” OR Triple Threat

SATURDAY

8:30am: Teach 60 min Bootcamp class

9:30am: Teach 60 – 120 min Cycle class, depending on day

SUNDAY

LONG RUN DAY – “REALLY” LONG RUNS EVERY 3RD WEEK;

WEEKS 1 – 2: 10 TO 15 MILES

WEEK 3 LONG RUN: 20-27 MILES (LONGEST RUN FOR MARATHON IN FEB WILL ONLY BE 23 MILES)

Are you as exhausted as I am by reading that? :)

The sad part is I didn’t see anything wrong with what I was doing at the time. As a matter of fact, I prided myself on how much activity I could squeeze into a day. So what if I only got 4 hours of sleep a night and ate popcorn for dinner?  I taught a gazillion classes and ran a gazillion miles this week…I rock!

The kicker is that while I felt like I needed to do more, more, more to obtain the results I desired, I never could get there. Instead, I was skinny, run down, sick and injured much of the time. No real way to live.

2008 and now

[Quick note from Jill: Tara looks phenomenal in the first photo too. She is indeed beautiful inside and out, no matter what shape or size. But the look and feel of the body is different from one to the other.
Plus, she got to cut her exercise down to a quarter of what she used to do!]

I thank God every day that Jill came into my life when she did. She helped me break the cycle, and while it did not happen overnight, I am so glad to be where I am now.

I won’t lie, it was tough to break the Cardio Queen mindset. It was a very gradual process. I started by cutting back on teaching group exercise classes. Over the course of about a year, I got my teaching schedule down to just a few Metabolic Effect classes per week. Then, I started doing Personal Training, and stopped teaching altogether.

My own workouts changed drastically, but again, it was gradual. I did not quit long duration cardio cold turkey, but eased away from it to shorter, more intense workouts. And of course, I started lifting heavy, which has contributed most to the changes in my physique.

So, what does my workout schedule look like now?  Here’s a general idea. It can vary a little from week to week, but you get the idea.

My Workout Schedule Now:

MONDAY
4:30am: Wake up
5:30am: 20-30 mins of some kind of plyos/core
6:00-8:30am: Train clients
8:30am: 20-30 min Chest/Tris with Jill

TUESDAY
6:00am: Wake up
7:30am: 30-45 mins Treadmill Hill Sprint Workout (if 45 mins, then first 15 mins is flat warm-up) OR 8×80 meter hill sprints outdoors with Jill
9:00am: 20-30 min Heavy Legs with Jill

WEDNESDAY
4:30am: Wake up
5:30am: 2.5 mile tempo run (<18 minutes); 10 min core
6:00-8:30am: Train clients
8:30am: 20-30 min back/biceps with Jill

THURSDAY
OFF – SLEEP IN

FRIDAY
4:30am: Wake up
5:30am: 20-30 mins of some kind of plyos/core
6:00-8:30am: Train clients
8:30am: 20-30 min Heavy Shoulders with Jill

SATURDAY
SLEEP IN/OPTIONAL REST DAY
9:00am: treadmill fast 5k race against myself :) / 20 min light legs (ME Video) / Core

SUNDAY
If I rested on Saturday, then will meet Jill at track for 6x200m sprints.

Quite a difference, eh?

I will be honest with you, there are weeks when I do a little more than what I’ve outlined above. But there are also weeks when I do a lot less. I will never go back to the mindset that more is better. I am living proof that it is not! While the physique changes are very nice, I am most grateful for the change in how I feel, physically and mentally. I now pride myself on how little I need to do to obtain the results I want!

If you are stuck in a Cardio Queen rut, and you’re not quite sure how to break out of it, check out the Jillfit Lifestyle site! Everything is broken down for you week-by-week, along with the mindset tools to change your way of thinking :)

Related: How much cardio should you do?

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/10/cardio/

Beating Your Sugar Addiction

Categories:

Nutrition

by


Getting a lot of questions in the JillFit Lifestyle group this week about how to curb cravings for sugar, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite DOABLE tactics.
I’ll admit, I used to be a huge Sugar Queen, and even still at times, I have an insatiable sugar tooth, but I’ve dealt with it long enough to form some strategies around it–enough to stay satisfied, slim and sane.
I know it’s popular to quote all the sources saying sugar is just as addictive as heroine or cocaine or some other drug. And it makes sense–eating sugar can lead to the desire to want to eat more sugar. But calling it an addiction, in my mind, almost gives us permission to not take action. It’s kind of like saying you have “a slow metabolism,” as if we should just chalk it up to bad genes and throw in the towel.
Instead, let’s treat the belief that “I have a sweet tooth” like we can do something about it :) Because like any addiction, there is always a moment of CHOICE involved, and it’s no different than with sugar. In fact, most sugar cravings are the result of HABIT. And when we address it from that angle, we can change BEHAVIORS and learn to control cravings better.

Here are some potential tactics, and how they might work for you:
Quit cold turkey. This is the least-reliable option of all because willpower is exhaustible. And the longer we resist and the more we deprive, the worse our cravings become, until we end up binging more and worse later. Usually quitting cold turkey will work for a specific period of time, and then you will inevitably be introduced to the real world again :) In fact, it’s usually competitors who are the most successful (at least short-term), due to the threat of embarrassment on stage. This *might* work for you if you have a specific time frame you want to abstain, like before a vacation or in preparation for a reunion. Just watch for compensatory reactions later!
Address your “habit loop.” In his book, The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg identifies the “habit loop”:
1) The cue
2) The routine
3) The reward
I am sure if you think about it, a lot of your behaviors around sweets stem from a routine you’ve established in your schedule.
Years ago, I used to *need* a sweet every day around 2-3pm when I was working my 9-to-5, as if it was my reward for getting through another day. The cue was the time of day (down-time at the office), the routine was this elaborate walk from my office to the complete other side of the building where there was bulk candy set up–I’d get my bag, fill up with the favorite “usual” goodies, then walk back to my desk. And then the reward–the satisfaction of the sweet and the completion of my routine. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Once you identify YOUR cue, think about how you can change it.
Here’s how I did it: Another example: I used to have a habit loop that revolved around nightly sugar-free frozen yogurt. The cue was my drive home and the fact that it as at the end of a long day of training clients. The routine was driving to the fro-yo place (which has a drive-thru! How easy can it be!?) and seeing what the SF flavor of the day was and seeing the usual people working (…lol, this is getting hilarious as I write it…) and then drive home to “relax” with fro-yo (the reward).
To break this loop, I started changing my routine in certain ways: I wouldn’t come home the same way, or I would go to Starbucks to work and get a huge, hot green tea instead of going right home, or I would make a deal with myself, that I could have fro-yo only after I abstained for 3 nights in a row. All worked, and I hardly ever get it anymore. Think about how you might change your routine to break your loop.
Weaning yourself. This actually works fairly well, and an example is what I did above with the fro-yo–reducing the # of times I had it in a week by making a hard & fast rule with myself.
Another example is what Jillian calls, “Ritualize, don’t habitualize.” When we make something a habit, we do it automatically, without thought or preparation, and usually daily. However, a ritual is a big deal, right? We have to plan and prep for it, get everything just right and make it special. This would be a weekly cheat meal, for example. Instead of eating every sweet item that crosses your path during the day out of habit, have YOUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE thing on Saturday night, and do it up big, and don’t compromise. Have exactly what you want and enjoy it fully without guilt.
Weaning yourself allows your taste buds to resensitize to the taste of sweet. The sweeter we take our food, the sweeter we need to continue to make it over time, to get the same relative sweetness. An example of this would be to slowly cut back on the sweetener you use in coffee. Splenda and Sweet N Low are dozens of times sweeter than sugar (sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol are actually slightly less sweet than sugar). You might not be able to cut them out completely, but try to slowly remove 1 packet from beverages over a 4-6 week span, allowing your taste buds to adjust. And then reduce further when you’re ready.
Practice mindfulness. This is similar to ritualizing. When we take the 2 seconds necessary to think and be aware of what we are doing, many times resisting sweets doesn’t hurt that much. Saying “no” when the waitress asks if you want dessert might leave a momentary sting, but you literally forget about it within a minute. Try it.
Employ preemptive cheats. This is my favorite tactic and keeps me from eating lots of real sugar later. When we deprive, deprive, deprive, we simply ratchet up our need and desire for the very things we are trying to abstain from, until it reaches a fever pitch and we inevitably overindulge. Preemptive cheats are items that don’t have a huge impact on our waistline but can make us feel more satisfied throughout the week so we never reach the point of needing to overindulge. Examples include nuts/nut butters, breakfast meats, sugar-free fro-yo/pudding/chocolate (1-2x/week), avocado/guacamole or a sprinkle of cheese. Do preemptive cheats 3-4x per week.
Moderation. Yep, that thing we don’t want to think works because it’s not hardcore enough. But honestly, staying lean without effort is the MOST hardcore, so give moderation a try! How? Use ME’s “3 Bite Rule” and allow yourself 3 bites of sweet per day, that’s it. Example include 3 bites of dessert, or 3 Hershey Kisses.
Use the Metabolic Effect Craving Tools: unsweetened (baking) cocoa mixed with water, stevia if desired, drank up to 3x/day. Or opt for green tea, up your water intake, increase fiber via veggies, increase protein or add BCAAs to your routine (up to 10-20g/day taken in 5g servings). At JillFit and ME, we’ve found the cocoa drink and BCAAs to be lifesavers when it comes to cravings.
That’s it! Good luck! Ox, Jill
Related: 16 Ways to Curb & Prevent Cravings

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/06/sugar-addiction/

Can Women “Bulk Up?”

Categories:

Exercise, General Heath, Nutrition

by


Let’s just get this out of the way right now–under no natural circumstances can a drug-free woman EVER look like this:

Bodybuilder Jay Cutler

So the idea that any woman will blow up the point of looking like a man is truly absurd–especially considering even MEN have a hard time putting on legitimate muscle, and women naturally don’t have the same muscle-building hormonal profile.
So the question is not whether or not women “bulk up,” but more aptly, Can a woman put on muscle and as a result appear larger?
The answer is yes.
But it is not because somehow her hormones masculinize and she morphs into The Hulk. It’s simply because when you add muscle without regard to simultaneously losing fat, you will appear larger. This is like putting on a jacket over two sweaters–if you don’t burn fat, your muscle won’t “pop” as readily, and you may appear larger.
The math:
Fat + Bone = skinny fat
Excess Fat = overweight or overfat
Excess Fat + Muscle = a more fit look, but can still appear bulky
So the key lies in being able to lose fat while also building lean muscle. This distinction is often the difference between a “toned” look and a “bulky” look–how much muscle you can actually see. The less fat, the more cuts and definition will show.
And burning fat comes down to nutrition, mostly.
When you eat excessive carbs, especially of the high sweet variety, not only will you put on muscle like a champ (yay), but you’ll put on fat too, and retain water (insulin causes water retention at the level of the kidney). This is a more “puffy” look–or like a competitor might look in her off-season. There’s certainly visible muscle, but with a little coat of fat and water on top.
And so, to maintain a fairly lean look and have visible muscle tone, it’s advisable to follow a higher protein and high vegetable/greens diet (minerals also help maintain an favorable electrolyte balance so you don’t retain water). Use carbs strategically–earlier in the day and post-workout only. Eat enough so that you are building lean muscle, but not too much that there’s spillover into fat storage. I recommend finding your Carb Tipping Point, via Metabolic Effect.
Hormones are an important consideration too.
There’s also a strong hormonal component that I won’t get into too much here, but the bottom line is that some people are more sensitive to insulin than others and will naturally stay leaner and more “cut.” Those who are operating in a higher cortisol state may appear more puffy, and those with a more PCOS-type profile will also have a harder time looking more defined.
The hormonal component is an interplay between insulin, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone and catecholamines. And each person’s relative hormonal levels are unique to them. For example, if you are naturally more puffy, you might need to get more strategic with your eating frequency and monitor carbs more closely. A lot of this is trial and error. Try something for 4-6 weeks and monitor progress.

Photo by MacFoto

You can adjust your training too.
You can also adjust your training to increase its metabolic component so that you are moving more quickly, and getting breathless and burning at times. The key is to train in a way that puts on muscle in the right places via progressive overload, but also eliciting a cardio effect. I prefer Metabolic Physique Conditioning (especially Metabolic Chains) for this. The workouts tend to be shorter, faster, and use a moderate weight.
Contrary to popular belief, building muscle is not all that easy for most.
One last thing to remember is that many women have a really, really hard time building muscle. It’s not as if you lift regularly for a few weeks and turn into a man. The women (usually competitors) who are able to build considerable muscle have been at it consistently FOR YEARS (we actually require our figure competition clients to have been weight training intensely with heavy weights for at least a year before we will take them on).
Putting on considerable muscle takes time, dedication and consistency with heavy weights and proper nutrition. So don’t make the mistake of not lifting because you are scared of your physique drastically changing right under your nose. Not gonna happen.
So should you still try to build muscle? Absolutely, and here are the reasons why:
  • If you don’t have any muscle, there is nothing to “tone”–building muscle is key in being able to bring out more cuts and definition. Fat alone does not have definition.
  • Building muscle boosts your metabolism–this is not a huge amount, but the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn both during exercise and at rest.
  • Building strength increases your stability, functionality and reflexes. Especially for older women, the amount of muscle you have directly impacts your health. Staying active with weights as you age is paramount in maintaining your living independence and ability to react physically in the world.
  • When you don’t have muscle, you only have fat. Which would you rather? :)
  • Physical strength begets mental strength. Something magical happens when you start to see muscle on your frame–it’s almost as if physical accomplishment begins to permeate the rest of your life, and empowers you to take risks and see possibilities in other areas. It’s a huge confidence builder.
  • Muscle is sexy. That is all.
Just remember to pay attention to your nutrition (high protein, high vegetable + strategic carbs) and increase the tempo of your weight training workouts at times. Good luck! ox, Jill

Related: Muscle on Women: An Acquired Taste?

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/04/bulk-up/

Am I Taking Crazy Pills??

Categories:

Best of You Coaching, Introspection, Mindset

by


Ever feel like your insecurities are hijacking your rationality? I have. In the throws of emotion, I’ve felt like a legitimate crazy person, just like Mugatu:
It’s funny. When we are caught up in our emotions—our insecurities—it is difficult to see outside of that cloud. It’s difficult to pull back and see that in perhaps other circumstances, we may not have gotten as riled up or defensive.
I used to take everything personally. Someone could tell me it was raining outside, and I would feel like I needed to defend myself by saying, “Well! I did check the weather and it was SUPPOSED to be sunny!!” Perhaps that’s a little extreme :) But, it certainly was as if I felt I was always doing something wrong, was at fault or was not good enough—even when no one was telling me that—my sense of self-worth was not developed enough to handle confrontation, disagreement or challenges.
In other words, I had zero resiliency. I couldn’t take the idea that I didn’t have everything figured out. All I knew was how to defend.
And that’s no way to live :)
I began an in-depth journey into my introspection and mindset about 2 years ago. If you have been reading JillFit for a while, you may have noticed that our conversation has shifted over time. We certainly love fat loss, fitness and healthy lifestyle, but we believe that physique accomplishment, in order to last, needs to start in the mind.

The outside begins on the inside.
For me, I endured a tough few months a couple years ago, where all of my old tactics of coping–defending, blaming and deflecting–no longer worked. Life was giving me a swift kick in the ass, and I was forced to stop looking outside myself, and take a hard look at my own BS.
And it was hard! Ha!
But, what I’ve learned is that the toughest moments and the shittiest situations are always the most transformative. And in knowing that, I can feel GRATEFUL for the opportunity that challenges give me to learn, grow and get better.
We can cultivate a “growth mindset” instead of doing what I did for 30 years–deflecting, staying small and defending myself in a world I perceived to be “out to get me.”
Here are 3 key insights I have used to cultivate a GROWTH mindset, after life forced me to give up my old way:
  1. Have the courage to ask yourself, “How might I be responsible for what’s going on?” It is hard when we feel “wronged” to think that we might have played a part in it. Besides, we might feel hurt and angry. I get that. But the alternative is to continue blaming other people for our unhappiness. Which, is a losing battle–because it takes away our own power to create happiness for ourselves.
  2. Take 100% responsibility for everything. Yes, everything. How you feel, how you act, and even how other people interact with you. One of the most impactful things my mentor, Rachel Cosgrove said to me was, “If someone is treating you in a way that you don’t like, it’s your fault.” In other words, we teach people how to treat us. And here’s the secret…if you want to be treated with kindness and respect, you have to treat others with kindness and respect. It begins with you. And yes, that means a bit of pride-swallowing and giving other people the benefit of the doubt. But, once again, the alternative is wait for them to change–a tactic with a terrible track record!
  3. Make the CHOICE to take action. We’ve talked in the past about complaining–and you know it’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Complaining and action are mutually exclusive. When you are complaining, you are actively choosing to remain the victim, instead of taking action to change your circumstances or happiness. When you choose action, you are able to immediately improve your circumstances and see possibilities. For many reasons, we choose inaction, and I get that. It can feel good to sit tight, stay small and blame others. But I can tell you this: It really does feel a whole lot better to take action and make stuff happen for yourself :)

Speaking of taking action–I am launching my annual Mind, Body & Business Mentorship this week. I will be working exclusively with 10 women, keeping them accountable to reach their goals in 2013. This is a HUGE step in taking your physique, mindset and/or business to the next level! It’s an opportunity to INVEST in your future–to stop staying small, blaming others and feeling like life is out to get you. 2013 is about YOU taking back the reigns of your own happiness, success and creating more opportunities for yourself than ever before. ALL THE DETAILS ARE HERE. Deadline to apply is Friday December 7th. Email me if you have questions :) ox, Jill

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/12/03/am-i-taking-crazy-pills/

Why Negative Self-Talk Doesn’t Keep Us “In Line”

Categories:

Introspection, Mindset

by


By Jillian Teta

We have noticed over here at JillFit that mental transformations can lead to physical transformations, and that physical transformations can lead to mental transformations.

It seems to be pretty universal that we would like to be happier or feel better – after all, that is why we are trying to change our bodies, right? So that we can somehow be happier or set our minds at ease, and then our life will be better. Yet, if we asked a group of competitors in peak condition, or someone who has achieved their goal for fat loss if they were satisfied completely with the way they looked, so many of them would say “no”.  Even with attaining their goals, even with a body that others would kill for, it’s just “not enough.”

We seek that elusive perfection because on some level we feel inadequate or less than. This applies to us whether we are in a size 2 or a size 12.

Is it possible for us to skip the step of the unattainable perfect body and just be happy?

I have noticed when you skip this step, you are able to look in the mirror and see that the body you have IS the perfect body. You are thus powerfully motivated to do all that you need to do to take care of it and treasure it.

By beating yourself up, you are, well, beating yourself up. You’re not fooling anyone, and you’re certainly not fooling us, when you tell yourself that negative self talk keeps you on your nutrition and training and keeps you happy. That negativity isn’t preventing you from obsessing over food, the mirror, the scale, comparing yourself to others and overall feeling miserable – the exact opposite of what we want!

How do we begin to relate to ourselves differently? It starts with our thinking. We actually choose to think we can’t change, in order to avoid exerting the effort required to begin to unseat some of these deep patterns. Once we understand it is a choice, then life becomes a practice.

It is hard to let go of old patterns of thinking. The mind is naturally pulled toward prior experiences as a way of projecting and predicting might come in the future. So, if you expect that any type of change will be hard because in your experience it has been hard in the past, you subconsciously expect difficulty and are actually increasing your chances of creating difficulty.

This is a choice, and you can make a different one!

Karen Casey says, “There is always the choice between hanging on and letting go”. I think this is brilliant. We can hang on to our old, negative thinking patterns – which is easy, because it is what we have always done. Or, we can let those negative thinking patterns go and make a different choice. It doesn’t mean you lay on the couch stuffing yourself to the gills with cupcakes, and it doesn’t mean you are a passive doormat for society, it means you are not so invested in your negativity as a whip to propel you into the future that you completely forget to do what you are supposed to do: be happier, freer.

When we cannot see that our reactions to our thinking are a CHOICE, it allows us to be irresponsible. We can wallow in self-pity, self-righteousness, insecurity, indecisiveness (maybe I need a new coach!), self-consciousness and victimhood. When we stay mired here, we are missing all of the lessons that we could be learning from these very things by CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE.

You will stay stuck in the same cycle until you decide you are ready to break out of it.

To begin this practice, use negative emotions as your alarm clock. When you experience them, simply ask yourself how you could view the situation with a positive spin on it. Ask why these themes are in place in your life. Acknowledge that reactions are a choice, and if we give ourselves a chance, we can choose a way that will ultimately make us freer. If we become freer, everyone we touch in our lives also becomes freer. Can you catch yourself? Give it a try and let us know how you do.

OX, Jillian

Related: 8 Ways to Avoid the “Comparison Trap”

This post has no tag

Permanent link to this article: http://jillfit.com/2012/11/29/negative-self-talk/

Older posts «

» Newer posts