I was already a HUGE Jillian Michaels fan, but when those words came out of her mouth, I’m pretty sure I fell in love. (Don’t worry, boyfriend, you’re still my first choice.)
To say I was excited to hear Jillian give the keynote address at BlogFest would be an understatement. I probably said to my roommates 5 times, “We have to get there early, so we can sit in the front row!” They humored me (thanks for dealing with me, gals.), we got to the room early, claimed our seats, and headed to an awesome, sweat-inducing bootcamp workout before hurrying back to our front row seats for Jillian.
I listened so intently, I’m surprised my ears didn’t fall off. This woman is SO inspiring. One of things she said that I think we all need to remember is, “People ask me all the time, ‘How did you get to where you are?’ My response is always the same, ‘Because I think I deserve it.‘”
Instead of thinking about all the reasons you can’t do something or about how you can’t possibly compare to the people that have already done what you strive for, give yourself some credit. Instead of saying, “Why them?” ask, “Why not me?” Then, go after it.
She spoke about fear. In order to overcome the fear that comes with turning a dream into reality, there are three possible outcomes to consider.
- You do it and it all goes right. – YES!
- The worst case scenario happens. – Ok, embrace it. 99% of the things that go wrong are recoverable, so learn from your mistakes and get back out there! After all, if you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t trying hard enough.
- (This is the kicker) What if you do nothing? – This is the most important thing to consider. Will you live with regret? Will you constantly wonder? If it’s important to you, you have to try!
If the fear that comes with a big dream seems overwhelming, find your “WHY.” Why do you want to do this? Why do you want to lose weight or become a trainer or compete in a bikini competition? If you find your reason, you’ll have the motivation to fight fears, stop just dreaming, and start achieving! Here’s a clip from the talk. (Look how close I am!)
Now, Jillian is a tough cookie. She gets a lot of flack for how she was portrayed on the Biggest Loser, especially the most recent season, but there is a reason she is so tough on the show. She said the Biggest Loser is a different world because it operates on a ticking clock. Any one of her “clients” could go home in a week, and she has to hope that they’ll take something away to be able to keep the weight off and maintain the healthy lifestyle they only got a glimpse of. She said in the real world, it would take her AT LEAST 6 months to build up a relationship with a client before confronting them like she confronts people on the show. In reality, she always tries to find things in her client’s learning zone. They have to learn to crawl before they can stand. Stand before they can walk. Walk before they run, etc. On the show, they have to amp up that process. It’s tough, so she’s tough.
She went on to talk about how she teaches her daughter to lead a healthy lifestyle and to stay away from overly processed sweets and temptations at school. One of my favorite things she said on this topic was:
Speaking of her daughter, do you know she attends a school that is modeled off of Avatar‘s Pandora? For real. James Cameron’s wife started it! I digress…
Back to that very first quote that made me fall in love: “The best fitness regime is one that is holistic.” She said that and I said (to myself, in my head, as I continued to listen intently), “YES! That is me!”
There are so many fitness and food trends out there that it’s easy to be confused. Should I be a runner? Should I do crossfit? Is yoga the best? Is paleo healthier than raw? Is raw healthier than vegan? Carbless, let’s go carbless!
The truth is, we have to stop wondering what we “should” do and just do! Experiment. Switch it up. Study different fitness techniques and nutrition philosophies. Try them and see how you like them. New things are what challenge the body and motivate positive change. That’s why I LOVE trying new things. I consider myself a runner, but I also consider myself a strength-trainer, a spinner, a yogi, and a lover of anything that gets my blood pumping and my energy up. The same goes for food. I did the vegetarian thing until I felt too constricted by it – until I felt guilty for wanting to not be vegetarian anymore.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have a speciality. If you’re a die-hard crossfitter, I’m impressed and inspired! If eating a raw-food diet is what’s best for your body and mind, I’m all for it! But strict fitness and eating philosophies aren’t sustainable for the masses – and that includes me. I like to dabble. I like to experiment, and I like to share my trial and error with you!
I’ve felt pangs of guilt for not doing yoga everyday or not running everyday. I felt pangs of guilt when I started eating meat again. Jillian Michaels reminded me that that is all ok, and for that, I am forever grateful!
Love this thought from @JillianMichaels: The best fitness regime is one that is holistic.
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Are you a Jillian fan?
Who is your health/fitness roll model?
What quote inspires/motivates your healthy lifestyle?
