2727: Coming Clean - Or, Not So Much by Jill Coleman of JillFit on Positive Self-Perception & Fitness Motivation

[00:00:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep?

[00:00:29] [SPEAKER_00]: That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily,

[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_00]: is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations. And these

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[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: pick the one from Optimal Living Daily. This is Optimal Health Daily, Coming Clean,

[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_00]: or Not So Much by Jill Coleman of JillFit.com and I'm Dr. Neal Malik, your host.

[00:01:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey there, welcome back to Optimal Health Daily or welcome for the first time if you're new

[00:01:18] [SPEAKER_00]: here. This is the podcast where I act as your very own personal narrator and read to you

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_00]: from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online. Alright, and with that,

[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_00]: let's get right to it as we optimize your life. Coming Clean or Not So Much by Jill Coleman of

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_00]: JillFit.com. Okay, so like most of you, I set some goals for myself at the first of the year.

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I've been wanting to drop an inch from my waist and bring up my upper body muscle a little

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_00]: bit. I laid out the steps I was going to use to get there and planned out how I would progress.

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Literally about two weeks into the new year, something occurred to me. I didn't really want

[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_00]: to change up anything. I actually really liked how I did things. I liked how I ate. I was

[00:02:09] [SPEAKER_00]: comfortable with how much exercise I was doing. And the whole eating and exercise plan I was on

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: seemed effortless. Above all, I was not dissatisfied enough with my current physique

[00:02:19] [SPEAKER_00]: to make myself want to stir up the pot all that much. Could I be leaner? Of course, more muscular,

[00:02:26] [SPEAKER_00]: yes. But at what cost? What mental effort would it take me to make some big changes? Would

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: the effort be worth it? Would it take significant time away from my business, my friends and my

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_00]: family and my personal time? My preoccupation with my workouts would certainly increase

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: and I would be stressing more to make sure I had all of my food prepped, cooked and tupperware

[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_00]: it up. Just to lose an inch or two? To be completely honest, I didn't know if it was worth it. If

[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_00]: you've been following Jill Fit for long, you know that I actually dislike prepping and cooking

[00:03:02] [SPEAKER_00]: food. In fact, I probably eat every third meal out at a restaurant or get takeout.

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_00]: So what would it cost me in sweat equity and mental effort to drastically change what

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_00]: A is easy for me and B keeps me at the same body composition. A lot. And I realized a few

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_00]: weeks into the new year that I was not ready nor willing to do it. Okay, plan B? So what did I do?

[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_00]: I kept things much the same, yet slowly implemented a couple new changes. And here's

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_00]: what I've done since January 1st. Move to one cup of coffee per day instead of

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: two or even three. This was a goal of mine and I have attained it. I moved to four days per week of

[00:03:48] [SPEAKER_00]: regular weight training. Consistency with this was a goal of mine and I have attained it. And

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_00]: increased my leisure walking. This has helped me lower my stress hormones, which was a goal of

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: mine. Many days my partner and I will get in two 60 minute walks now. And that's it. A couple

[00:04:06] [SPEAKER_00]: small changes over the last few months. The changes were easy to make because I met my

[00:04:11] [SPEAKER_00]: efforts with understanding and patience. Implementing one single practice at a time

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_00]: has helped me to make the changes permanent. I shun massive changes in complete overhauls now.

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't work for me. And I would argue that it doesn't work long term for many others either.

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_00]: I hardly ever stress about food anymore. I hardly think about it. Does that mean I eat

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_00]: everything I want? Of course not. I use moderation 24 seven using two to three pre-emptive cheats

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER_00]: throughout the week and a single cheat on Sunday night. If I don't grocery shop for the week,

[00:04:46] [SPEAKER_00]: it's okay. I allow myself to wing it for the week, trusting that I am always able to make

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_00]: a fat loss choice wherever I end up. And the thing that makes me the happiest is that my

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: mental energy is more in my business and in my personal fulfillment pursuits now, less on food

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_00]: and workouts. If you've been reading the blog you know that I struggled with food for

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: many years. So this has been a practice and I am still not perfect by any means. But I do feel

[00:05:14] [SPEAKER_00]: more in control than ever before. And it feels good. I am not at my leanest. I am not at my most

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_00]: muscular. But I am okay. It's all good. And I pretty much look the same as I did in January.

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: No big changes, but I'm not sweating it. If I ever have the urge to throw myself back

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: into the physique game with hardcore ambition again, I will. But until then, I will be okay with how I

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_00]: am. I will work to stay fit, healthy and fairly lean. And I will have fun. I think a lot of my

[00:05:47] [SPEAKER_00]: lack of desire to drastically change up my routine and get super shredded has to do with my mental

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00]: game. At Jill Fit, we talk a lot about body acceptance and how to be grateful for what

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_00]: you have and how that doesn't mean you just give up. In fact, it means you still strive for more,

[00:06:05] [SPEAKER_00]: but you do it in a way that you get to stay happy. It's okay to eat a cookie and still like yourself

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00]: after. But it's also okay to kick butt in the gym and still want more. It's all good.

[00:06:18] [SPEAKER_00]: That's the beauty of choosing your attitude. You literally get to decide how you feel about

[00:06:24] [SPEAKER_00]: yourself right now. There is no right or wrong, only the choice of positive self-perception or

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_00]: negative self-perception. When I choose positive, I'm not only happier, but I also am more motivated

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_00]: to keep working hard. Negative self-talk just discourages. It's all a choice that you get

[00:06:44] [SPEAKER_00]: to make for yourself about yourself. Isn't that refreshing? You just listened to the post

[00:06:55] [SPEAKER_00]: titled Coming Clean or Not So Much by Jill Coleman of JillFit.com and I'll be right back with my

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: commentary. Dr. Neal here for my commentary. I've had a lot of clients and patients tell me that,

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_00]: to them, it seems hypocritical to enjoy a cookie for dessert while they're trying to lose weight.

[00:07:14] [SPEAKER_00]: They feel as though by enjoying that cookie, they're slowing down their progress or stopping

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_00]: their progress altogether. It means somehow they've given up, but that's not true. You can have all of

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_00]: those things. They wonder how is it possible that I can have a cookie and still promote weight loss

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_00]: and not feel like a hypocrite? Well, to use today's author, Jill's words,

[00:07:39] [SPEAKER_00]: having a cookie doesn't mean you're giving up. Weight loss and overall health

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER_00]: are still priorities. You're still working towards both of those goals,

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_00]: but choosing to enjoy life at the same time. And again, yes, doing all of these things is possible.

[00:07:56] [SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't have to be all or nothing. All right, that's another edition of Optimal Health Daily.

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for sharing this show with someone.

[00:08:07] [SPEAKER_00]: I hope you're having a great weekend and I'll see you back here tomorrow as usual

[00:08:11] [SPEAKER_00]: where your optimal life awaits.