Jillian Micheals Maximize your Life!

You need to sit back and get comfy as this will be a LONG post.  I'm just warning you now!

My wonderful husband bought me a VIP ticket for Jillian Micheal's speaking tour Maximize Your Life.  It was on Tuesday April 9th and was billed as being a 2 hour conversation with Jillian Micheal's.  Well if that was two hours, they were the longest,  best two hours of my life!  Jillian took to the stage at 730, broke for her intermission at 9pm, went back on stage at 915pm and spoke until 11pm.  Then once the theatre emptied out, she came back out for the VIP Q&A session which lasted about 40 minutes.

The first part of her talk was about fitness, nutrition, weight loss and weight maintenance.  I love the way she presented herself on stage.  There was a stool for her to sit on, but she didn't.  Instead, she paced the stage back and forth and honest to goodness she was looking you in the eye as she was speaking.  She was connecting with every single person who was there.   

It really and truly was a conversation.  People called questions or comments from the audience and she would stop what she was saying and answer them or respond or repeat her self if that was what they wanted.  A friend of mine tweeted "It's like sitting in Jillian's living room talking with her" and that is exactly what it was like.  It was fantastic.

The second part of the evening focused on Maximizing your life.  In this part,  I saw a different side to the tough edged trainer from the Biggest Loser.  I saw the daughter who wanted to have a better relationship with her father.  The daughter full of love and respect for her mother.  The life partner struggling to ensure the relationship stays strong and the new mother trying to keep all of the balls in the air.  It's like she said, when referencing having enough time;  You have to choose your priorities, it's all right to ask for help and it's all right to say I can't do it all! 

We are often the hardest on ourselves and it's our own guilt and shame that tears us down and belittles us for what we're perceiving ourselves of doing wrong.  Communication is key, knowing what you truly want is key. 

One of the biggest things I took away from the evening was "know your WHY?"  Why?  Why do you want to be healthy, why do you want to lose weight.  You have to KNOW what the WHY is before you can succeed.  Don't just say I want to lose weight, I want to be healthy, know why you want those things.  What do they truly mean to you.  What does losing weight mean to you?  10 pounds, 50 pounds, and what is your plan for it?  What does being healthy mean to you?  Is it wearing skinny jeans or bouncing your grandchildren on  your knee.  What is your why?

If YOU believe it, YOU can achieve it!  Don't be a self doubter, say I will instead of I'll try.  I CAN instead of maybe.   YOU can do anything YOU let yourself do!

If you make a poor choice get back on track the moment you realize it.  If you have a flat tire you don't shoot the other 3 tires do you?  You fix the one that's flat.  Pick up and carry on if you make a mistake!  Don't CHOOSE to blow it!  CHOOSE to get control of it!

Weight loss - What is the secret to weight loss?  "It's math people!  Calories out have to be more than calories in.  It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound."  It really is that simple.  Keep moving, stand instead of sit, pace the room when you're on that conference call or phone call.  Stand on the bus instead of sit.  Move your body.  You use more calories standing than you do sitting...and no chewing gum isn't going to be burn more calories!

Nutrition
Fat Free or Calorie free - Forget the Fat Free and calorie free(what truly is besides water), and go with chemical free.  Often things that are labelled as fat free contain chemicals to make it fat free.  Go with the fat in MODERATION and cut out the crap!  If you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't be eating it!

Organic livestock and dairy - yes organic is expensive and no not everyone can afford it, but if all else fails, go organic with your livestock and dairy.  Spend the extra dollars there so you aren't consuming the antibiotics and hormones that go hand in hand with a booming market.  A real cow will take 4 years to get to slaughter, a cow that has been given antibiotics and hormones goes to slaughter in 6 months.  That's the difference! 

Organic Vegetables - again they are expensive but choose your organic veggies carefully.  If you're purchasing fruits and vegetables with a thick peel (ie. Banana's, Oranges, melons etc.) they don't need to be organic. Their rind/peel is too thick to absorb much if any pesticides.  The fruits and veggies you need to purchase organically are: Spinach, celery, cherries, peaches, plums, apples carrots etc.  Things with a think or no skin that get sprayed.    Try to find 20.00 a week and you will be able to afford the organic fruits and veggies you need.   When you're shopping at the farmer's market ask them if they spray, and what it is.

Sugar - In the USA ( not sure about Canada) there are 58 different ways to say sugar on a food label.  Look at your labels, read them, if they have more than one form of sugar in them, leave them behind if you can. 

Labels - read your labels!  Read the serving size on the label.  Is that bag of chips one serving or two?  Is that bottle of iced tea or juice one serving?  Two servings?  Two and a half servings?  Make sure that you're counting the calories for what you really and truly are consuming.

Fitness
Get moving, move your body...the more you move the better you feel!  Google your BMR and AMR and use the knowledge, that will guide you as to how many calories you need to consume and will help you figure out the amount of calories you need to burn.

Stop using the machines at the gym that isolate a single muscle.  They do nothing for you!  That's not how we move in real life so it's not going to help you.  You need to use free weights and use them correctly.  Pay someone to teach you how to do something properly so that you have the right form.  You don't need them all the time, just to get you started.  Whether you're doing strength training or cardio integrate High Intensity Interval Training.    The best way to train is with body weight exercises  Google them and do those rather than using a machine.

You can't spot reduce an area of your body.  If someone tells you they can do it, they are lying to you!  It can't happen.  Cellulite has nothing to do with your weight, it has to do with the connective tissue in your body.  There's nothing that can help it that's all there is to it! 

You don't have to spend hours and hours working out every day unless you actually like it.  You need to have 30 minutes of activity a day.  Get your best bang for your buck out of it.  Move when ever you can, however you can!

It was a fantastic night!  It was worth not getting home until 1240AM  It was worth the 3 hours of sleep I got, and how tired I was the next day.  Would I see her again?  In a heart beat!  I left feeling good about myself, my journey and what I'm doing to get to my WHY!