During my running workouts I frequently listen to downloaded podcasts instead of music. They keep my mind off the pavement pounding below my feet, and I learn lots of cool stuff too. Recently I have been listening to a lot of Jillian Michaels’ podcasts (thank you Linda for pointing these out to me), which I download from iTunes. As with all “health experts,” you have to take what she says with a grain of salt and take responsibility for the information you accept as fact. But what I do think she does exceptionally well is talk to people. She has a great ability to get to the bottom of someone’s eating issues and help talk them through them. And she is very good at directing behavior modification.
A recent podcast called “Bob and Jillian on the Radio” (Date: 4/22/11) featured Bob from the Biggest Loser. The two were back in action and talking about all kinds of health and fitness facts. They also spent a long time chatting with one woman who called in with a question. She’d lost a significant amount of weight through diet and exercise. She wanted to know when her fear would go away – when would she stop fearing that the weight would come back. When would she stop worrying about how many calories she took in that day and whether she got in a workout? She still craves all of the bad foods that she did before her weight loss. When would it get easier? I loved Bob’s response. He explained that worrying about those things never goes away. Bob noted that he himself worries about all that stuff. And it doesn’t get easier. It’s a lifestyle change for the long haul.
I loved his response because it was absolutely true. It never gets easier. Being healthy in this day and age, within this sedentary society we now live, is not easy. I think there is a notion that “skinny” people have it easy. That they never worry about what they eat, how they look in the mirror, or how to motivate themselves to get to the gym every day. But the fact is it isn’t easy for skinny people either, at least not the ones I know. Now let’s take a moment to clarify: when we are talking about “skinny” people, we are talking about fit people – people who successfully manage their weight through proper nutrition and exercise. These people have to work really hard to maintain what you see when you pass them on the street. It’s hard work.
There are a lot of people, fat, thin, short or tall, who have a fear of gaining weight. It eats at the back of the mind and whispers to you as you eyeball a piece of delectable chocolate cake. And there are some days when skinny people just don’t feel like working out either. The difference between a fit person and an unfit person is that the fit person has learned how to win the battle against her inner demons. Those voices that try to derail her from her goals. It isn’t that the journey is any easier; it is just that she has mastered that hardest battle of all – the one in her own mind.
Secrets of Fit People
1. They don’t make excuses – I hear excuses 8 hours a day 5 days a week. Fit people know how to take their excuses and squish them in their fit little hands. Do you talk yourself away from your goals with excuses?
Try this exercise: write down every excuse you can think of and next to it write your strategy for overcoming it. For example:
EXCUSE: I don’t have enough time
FIT PERSON SOLUTION: I will ask my husband to take the kids on Saturday morning so I can go to boot camp
EXCUSE: It is hard to eat healthy at work
FIT PERSON SOLUTION: I will pack my lunch
EXCUSE: I am too busy during the week to eat right
FIT PERSON SOLUTION: I will spend 2 hours on Sunday prepping my meals and pre-packing my snacks into serving size containers so during the week I can just grab what I need and go
2. Create “me” time – Fit people realize the value of placing themselves at the top of their priority lists. The fitter you become the better you will feel, the more energy you will have, the more productive you will be and the more equipped you will be to handle life’s stresses. But it all begins by accepting the notion that it is ok to take away from ________ (insert kids, spouse, work) to make time for you.
3. Jump right back on the wagon – We all have our bad days. The days we just say “heck with it” and indulge in a complete smorgasbord of inappropriate food and beverage. But fit people know how to mentally get past those days. They know that one bad day is not going to derail their entire weight management strategy. The next day they just get back on track, do an extra workout or two during the week, and they are on their way.
If you have trouble getting past those bad days, try this exercise: Write down everything you ate that day on a piece of paper. Then write how you felt while you ate it and then how you felt after. Then crumple up that piece of paper and throw it away. Throw it away and then don’t think about it again. It is a symbol of a clean slate, a way for you to start fresh again.
4. Find something they love – whether it’s hiking, swimming, Zumba, running, karate or weight lifting, fit people find the activities that inspire them to move. Find what inspires you.
5. Don’t skip meals – fit people know the importance of eating every 4-5 hours. They start their days with a healthy breakfast. And they always carry healthy snacks with them so if they are caught off guard they have a healthy nibble and can bypass the drive thru.
So start now! Start thinking like a fit person. And decide to make the changes necessary to be fit for the long run. Accept the fact that it will never be “easy.” But since when are the best things to accomplish in life easy? That’s what you tell your kids right? It’s time to start listening to your own sound advice! Live with the lesson that it won’t be easy…but it will be worth it.
