What Did You Do With Jill?Jill Whalen's healthy lifestyle transformation                                               

[Jill’s Note: If you prefer to listen rather than read, please scroll to the bottom of this post for the audio version. See also the corresponding half-hour audio talk on this topic.]

What keeps you from getting fit?

What keeps you from eating healthfully?

When you are fit and healthy, what keeps you from staying that way?

You might answer:

• It’s too hard.
• I’m too lazy.
• It takes too much time.
• I don’t know how.
• I don’t care enough.
• I’m happy the way I am.
• It’s too overwhelming.
• This is just the way I am.

Whatever reasons you came up with, I can tell you without a doubt that there’s really only one thing stopping you from getting and remaining fit and healthy:

Your Thoughts.

Before I explain further, let’s look at some reasons why you may want to become and remain healthy and fit in the first place. Your reasons will have a lot to do with how you think about it, in general.

For instance, you may believe being fit will make you more attractive and therefore more able to find and/or keep a suitable mate. Or you may believe that if you eat healthier you’ll have less pain and/or sickness. And these may very be true. But ultimately whatever your reason, underneath it you probably believe that being fit and healthy will make you happier.

The good news is–it probably will–for a little awhile.

Let’s say you get into great shape, are feeling good about yourself and meet your “perfect” mate. With your goal met, what’s to keep you fit and healthy? How many couples do you know who start out slim and trim when they meet, only to have one or both slide back to their old habits soon after the wedding?

Or what happens when the once perfect mate isn’t so perfect anymore? Why bother being in great shape if your partner doesn’t seem to care (or is a dick, etc.).

In other words, while being fit and healthy may seem to create happiness in your life for awhile, eventually–for one reason or another–it always wears off.

Happiness doesn’t come from anything outside of yourself.

As long as your goal is to find happiness, you’ll continue to struggle with exercise and eating.

Believe it or not, what’s required is to simply let go…

• Let go of all the reasons why you think you should get fit and healthy.
• Let go of your belief that if only you were in good shape things would be better for you.
• Let go of feeling that not being in shape makes you a bad person.
• Let go of your beliefs about what’s good to eat and what’s bad to eat.
• Let go of the image you have of yourself as being lazy or unhealthy.

You can let go of it all because none of it is true.

Beliefs are only self-created thoughts you’ve had for awhile so they seem real. But they aren’t real and there’s no law or person that says you have to hold on to them.

• It doesn’t matter what your mother or father told you about your body or eating habits.
• It doesn’t matter what the kids in school said about you when you were young.
• It doesn’t matter that you’ve “always been this way.”

When you see that everything you believe about yourself, your body and your eating habits are always 100% self-created and are no longer serving you, they can be dropped like a hot potato.

Where do you go from here?

At this point, whether or not you fully grasp or believe what I’ve written above, you might be thinking, “Without external motivation for getting fit and healthy, why would I even bother? Won’t I just keep my bad habits and stay the way I am?”

Not if you have truly decided that you want to be fit and healthy. Not because you think it will make you happy, but because you know your body and soul are a package deal. As long as you are a physical being, you might as well make the most of it!

When you’re not trying to transform yourself for praise, love, happiness or approval, but simply because you want to be fit and healthy, all excuses for quitting vanish into thin air. If your partner doesn’t tell you how good you’re looking, who cares? You’re not doing it for him or her. If you miss a workout or eat some fries, who cares? You’ll exercise and eat better tomorrow. Everyday is a new day providing you with opportunities to listen to what your body needs that day. Some days it might be a run. Others it might be rest. And once in awhile it might even be french fries! You’ll have no reason to beat yourself up, because there’s nothing forcing you to get fit and healthy in the first place. You simply want to–and so it is.

Here’s the best part.

Once you’ve made your decision you’ll be amazed at what happens. At some point people will start to notice and give you compliments. (To which you will simply say thank you, NOT “I’m not there yet,” or “I could do so much better.” etc.) You’ll also find you enjoy your workouts as well as the healthy foods you’re eating. Because of this, you’ll be less apt to skip workouts and eat unhealthy foods–they will simply be your way of life. And while you never set out on this healthy journey to make yourself happy, it’s likely that somewhere along the line you’ll notice just how happy you are. You may even realize that the happiness you are feeling has been there all along–it was just covered up by unhealthy thoughts. -Jill

P.S. If you’re having trouble getting fit and healthy and would like to hear more about what I’ve written in this post, please feel free to get in touch. I know it’s a tough subject to grasp, and am also more than happy to have a quick (no cost, no strings attached) phone or Skype chat to explain further!

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Jill Whalen

CONTACT JILL WHALEN to learn how she may help you be the best you can be.

Jill is the author of Victim of Thought: Seeing Through the Illusion of Anxiety

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For the past 20 years, Jill has consulted with companies big and small, and spoken at conferences all over the world. She is currently a transformational speaker and mentor to businesses, individuals, coaches, leaders, groups and organizations. She helps them uncover their natural well-being and happiness so that they can operate from a clearer state of mind and take their lives and businesses to a higher level.

Jill's blog, What Did You Do With Jill? is a personal account of what she's learned throughout her transformational journey. Jill has many "viral" articles on LinkedIn and is a contributing writer for P.S. I Love You.

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