Fitness is Forever!

A transcript from one of our podcasts. You can find our podcast, Feel Good Live Better, on all platforms. Hit the link on the picture below to give us a listen! Subscribe and email us show ideas/topics that you'd like to hear us discuss!

Cathy: "Alright so fitness and your lifestyle and how hard it is. Right?"

Jenn: "It is a lifestyle. It won't happen right away. I think a lot of people are under the impression that is should be quick and results should be quick. Especially, when they're finally committing to it. They're hitting the gym or the studio five days a week, they're changing their eating habits and I feel like they expect to see results right away and usually it takes a long time. I think people need to stay the course as it's all about consistency. I know that's frustrating because we all wanna see a change when we're working this hard and giving up something we love or waking up at 5am and getting over all those obstacles. Then it's like why am I doing all of this if I don't even see any changes? But that's where I also think people need to sit down and say 'Ok. Have I truly made changes or not?' A lot of time people do make changes but they don't realize it because the number on the scale doesn't move. Notice little tiny things like has your skin cleared up, are you sleeping better, how's your overall energy level, how do your joints feel, do your clothes feel a little looser? I think there's a lot of feedback people get but it's not always a giant number or a giant transformation. Transformations take a long time. And people think 'transformation' like there is a beginning and an end, but there's not. It's always continuous."

Cathy: "Yes! And I think when people get to this weight or this goal or this event or this place then they'll have it all figured out forever and then they're done."

Jenn: "Right! And then they're done and they end up going back to their original habits that they did before."

Cathy: "And it's never done. You'll have the event. You"ll hit the number maybe. But at some point your number is going to plateau. It's a lifetime of chipping away at an ice block to make an ice sculpture. There is a saying about at 6 weeks you'll feel better, at 8 weeks people will notice but I don't even believe in that. Even if you make a quick change like lessening your carbs and you drop all that water weight then you hit a number and go back to what you were eating, it comes right back on. And that's that yo-yo thing. But it's a lifestyle. It's the consistency. And the consistency is not necessarily 5-6 days a week for 6 weeks. It could be 3-4 days a week for 6 months."

Jenn: "Or forever. Just make that part of your lifestyle. I think it's more the Mindset. People have to not look at it as having an end point. You just have to say 'If I want to be healthy ...' or 'If i want to be a certain weight ...' whatever it may be. You have to work at it forever. You're not gonna say 'Oh well I did it for 3 months.' Boom! Done. You can't do that. Hopefully once you're on this journey you'll realize that's exactly what it is. A journey. Just keep going. Hopefully you feel better because you're eating better. Hopefully you feel better when you move your body. It doesn't have to be at a gym or studio. Go garden or go ice skate or go play soccer or go SUP. As long as you're moving. But I think people will notice changes in their bodies when they do that. Sometimes it's easier to just go home after work or after you run around with your kids and just plop down and do nothing. I get it! I do that too sometimes! But I always feel better when I put better food in my body or when I moved it no matter what it is. Even if it's just 10 minutes. Even if I just take my dog for a walk. It's still better than an extra 10 minutes sitting on the couch eating potato chips or something. Which I am guilty of doing too! We're all human!"

Cathy: "Potato chips are good! Potato chips are good. Patience. Patience is key. Patience is hard to practice in so many experiences in life. It's hard to be patient. It's hard to be patient with your kids. It's hard to be patient with people around you. It's hard to be patient with the car in front of you. And it's really hard to be patient with yourself and your results."

Jenn: "Well a part of that too is our society. Everything is so fast. We can get everything so fast. Information, our food, everything. It's kind of amazing. It's pretty cool. But this is almost one of the things that isn't instant. You can't get it right away. And no matter what, even though we all know that it's simple. It's work. You have to move your body, how many calories in versus how many calories out, it's all that basic stuff. Everyone still thinks there is going to be this magic pill."

Cathy: "Or a magic exercise!"

Jenn: "There's never ever ever going to be. Actually I do think the magic pill is the food. I think that if you eat good food you're going to be ok. But we want it now. I understand that too. Think about it like this. Let's say your goal is to lose some weight. Think about how long it took you to gain that weight. You're not going to gain weight overnight, you know? Or 10-20 pounds. Of course not! So think about that. I always say if you're a mother think about when you were pregnant. You grew a baby and you gained whatever they say to gain 25-35 pounds."

Cathy: "Holy crap I gained 60lbs! All four times!"

Jenn: "Some gain more and some gain less, but the point is you took your time. You gained that weight over 10 months. How long did it take to come off after each pregnancy. I know it took me at least 6 months to get back. If not more! So it's the same idea if you look at it that way. You put on 25-35lbs in a year, it's probably going to take you the same amount of time to get it off! If not more because now you have to wrap your brain around it."

Cathy: "And maybe you have a newborn so you're not sleeping or eating well probably in the beginning and you're just a hot mess!"

Jenn: "And you know even if you're not pregnant, think about it. We all see it. We see women go through this in their life. We see them put weight on because they're growing a baby and then they need to take it back off. But even if you're not pregnant, or never have been and don't want to be or whatever, it's the same idea. Most people get physicals and see their weight every year. How much has it changed? That's a lot of information right there. People might realize that they are 15lbs heavier in a year. Well you're not going to lose it in a week no matter how hard you work. And you shouldn't! Because it's not safe."

Cathy: "And it's hard. You mentioned the work. It's not easy. I was just talking to somebody the other day about nutrition. Every time you're hungry, it's a choice. It takes a concerted effort sometimes not to eat the potato chips. And then sometimes it's a choice, "I'm going to eat these potato chips because they're really good, but then I won't do that again tomorrow.' So it's hard and that's ok. And I think people are very comfortable on their couches and we're comfy in our beds and we're comfy in our clothes and it's not comfortable to be uncomfortable."

Jenn: "No not at all. I always say that's where the magic happens. You have to get uncomfortable. I know both of us have been saying that for years with our clients. You have to get out of that box. You have to get a little uncomfortable if you want to make changes. I'm not saying you have to do it every day. You don't have to do HIIT workouts every day and go crazy. Break it up! Do some strength workouts, do some cardio and find whatever feels good for you and you'll see changes. You know? What's the option? You can stay home, you can sit on the couch or whatever you doing or you can choose to move. I know we're all super busy and a lot of moms and dads say to me 'Well my kids have practice every single night. I work all day and then I have to run my kids to practice.' And I'm right there with you. Every night we have practice and every weekend we have tournaments for soccer. What I say to that is 'You know what? While the kids are practicing move your body. Even if it's cold. Go for a walk around the field. I have been known to do push ups and squats and burpees and things like that. Who cares if people are watching? You might even motivate people to start moving with you. Go for a run if your kids are running."

Cathy: "I drop and go to the gym."

Jenn: "I'm one of those moms who doesn't think parents should be at practice. Personally. So I usually don't stay either but there were times when they were younger that I had to. There are options. There are things that you can do. You don't have to just sit there."

Cathy: "And I think what's helpful too is to find a tribe. Find a buddy or two. Somebody like minded so that you can share in The Suck. You can share in how hard it is on a hard day. You can show up with your buddy and be like 'This sucks but we'll do it together'

Jenn: "Because it does suck a lot of the time. So many other things come up! You have other obligations, you"re tired, you're hungry."

Cathy: "But doing it with a friend and finding a place or a routine or a thing that you enjoy can help you stay consistent."

Jenn: "Exactly! And I think once you do become consistent ... I mean I know for myself I have to move my body. I love to move my body doing whatever. I mean it can be just going outside and walking for 20 minutes, it can be on a paddleboard, it can be down in my basement riding my spin bike, whatever. I have to move my body. It's become like brushing my teeth. And my point in saying that is people that aren't used to moving a lot because they don't have the time or whatever I think once you start and make it part of you routine and it is a habit, then it will become that. A habit! And you'll actually look forward to it. And I think we do the same thing ... I schedule my workouts. If I have a specific workout I'm doing or if I schedule a class, that is on my calendar. And I don't have to necessarily tell anyone what it is like family or coworkers or whatever, that's an appointment. Just like going to get your teeth cleaned or something. I won't break it unless it's an emergency. So I think people can find ways and I think that once they're into it then they'll want to do it."

Cathy: "I think so too and I think that for me personally I look at my movement as my medicine. I do have issues and injuries and sometimes things hurt and some things are hard for me, some things aren't available to me right now."

Jenn: "I think that's a lot of people. Even someone who is healthy. There are things my body doesn't do either."

Cathy: "So I have found what works for my body. I love to be outside walking. I love to walk my dogs when my arms allow me to hold the dog leashes. Motion is lotion. When people find what activity works for them to look at it as medicinal. It will help you feel better if you do it. That can help you do it and then the Feel Better after motivates you to do it again next time."

Jenn: "And then you combine that with making healthier food choices because you want to support that movement. Like we said our food is our fuel and we want to be able to move our bodies in an efficient way and feel good."

Cathy: "And again, that never stops! For me it's an every day thing. I wake up and say 'What hurts today? What can I do? What can I not do?' It's a concerted effort every day. A conscious choice every day. It's never easy. It's always hard. Hey, you guys out there! What's your activity that you like to do, that feels good to you and that helps you stay consistent? If you're looking for something maybe hit up one of our events, check out our website. Hit us up with questions at feelgoodlivebetterpodcast@gmail.com"