You guys!  This is my last episode of The Fit Habit.  In this podcast I'm talking about my transition away from food and fitness to dive into more impact areas of wellness - your heart and mind.

I can't wait to take you on this journey with me.  If you have ever experienced emotional or physical burnout, you're going to learn how to take control of your life, become who you truly are and live the life you were meant to live.

Head to my new website CarenMagill.com to join the discussion and if you're ready to step into your future best self, start with my free future self journaling prompts.  This process has been incredibly powerful for me and I think you'll get a ton out of it.

Ready to get started?  Let's do this!

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Today's podcast is a personal story that I hope will resonate with you.  It's my own transformation journey and goes into where my weight problem started, how it got worse, and what happened for it all to change.  This is intended to open your mind to possibilities.  Trust me, if I can transform, so can you.

Click here to get the show notes.

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I'm back with a new season of The Fit Habit Podcast.  Today we're walking through the best of 2018 workouts, recipes, inspiration, blogs, podcasts and more.  I also discuss how to think about 2019 in a way that's less restrictive and more fulfilling.  I also cover lots of personal stuff and we go deep on the meaning of life.

Get the show notes at www.thefithabit.com/bestyear2019

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Emotional eating is tough.  It's something we all deal with at some point and it can take you down a spiral of self-destruction if you don't find a way to manage it.

 

In this episode, I share practical tips for dealing with emotional eating and how you can address the root causes.  If this is something you'd like more support and help with, I invite you to check out my new program on dealing with emotional eating and building better habits for a lean and fit life.

Find out more about the program right here.

Thanks for listening!www.thefithabit.com

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Send us a textVery often we excuse ourselves from achieving what it is we want for ourselves because the cards aren't stacked in our favor.The gym is too far away, so I didn't work out. She doesn't work full time, so of course, she's fit and I'm not. I don't have time to take care of myself, I have a job and a family.If I didn't have to work full time, I'd kick ass at being a professional blogger.I can't get a better job because I don't have a college degree.But let's say you sudden...

Send us a text“Resistance is proportionate to the size and speed of the change, not to whether the change is a favorable or unfavorable one.” ~ George Leonard Said another way, the more you try to change all at once, the faster and harder you will fail at all of it. When it comes to behavior change, less is more. As a fitness coach, I think this is possibly the most critical message I can convey to any client. Just like our bodies have a set point weight that it’s comfortable at (whether this...

After speaking with a client about this, I thought it was worth talking about as I hear it a lot.  Many of us spend our time and energy gaining and losing the same 10 or more pounds every year and every time it gets harder to lose the weight, and easier to put it back on. There are few risks here, not the least of which is extra strain on your heart and joints, but it's also emotional energy wasted because you're never getting past the same hamster wheel.  You also gain more loose skin as your body expands and contracts, not to mention the metabolic damage you're doing to yourself.

So how does one actually get off the wheel of crazy?

Ask yourself  - is what you're doing right now working for you?  If you're unhappy with your results, then probably not.  Then ask yourself - what is that trigger that makes me go downhill?  What is it that flips the switch from losing weight to gaining weight?

Is it stress?  Lack of time? Support?  Motivation?

The key thing you need to consider if you want to stop gaining and losing the same however many pounds, is to focus on adding habits to your life that are supportive and healthy and engrain them in your brain so that when you hit your trigger point next time, you won't be compelled to fall back on bad habits. What habits should you focus on?  These need to come from you, as only you know what you're ultimately willing to stick with.  

Think small, like switching out sugar in your coffee for stevia, walking for 16 mins a day or taking stairs instead of elevators.  If you're open to workouts, build a home gym or start jogging a mile a day.  You have to start where you are and be reasonable with your incremental habit development. If you're looking at weight loss solutions, like shakes, gyms, coaches, personal training or meal prep services, make sure whatever you chose will help you develop healthy skills and habits.  Investing in your health and fitness is great, but there has to be a sustainable element to it or the minute you stop paying for whatever product or service your using, you'll revert back to your old ways again.

If you're looking for help building new habits, I can help.  If you want a more immersive experience, I also recommend the  Precision Nutrition Coaching program.  If you need a more DIY approach, I recommend the book Lean Habits For Lifelong Weight Loss: Mastering 4 Core Eating Behaviors to Stay Slim Forever.   Georgie Fear (the book author) and I were both trained by Precision Nutrition that values behavior change over a specific diet protocol.

Have you experienced this issue?  Tell me what your triggers are and how you've dealt with the weight loss/gain cycle?

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I listened to a short video today that talked about how our personal narrative determines how we evolve and who we become as people. It’s also a frighteningly accurate measure of how successful you’re going to be at pretty much anything, including:

Career

Romance

Health and fitness

Finances

I actually did my master’s thesis on the development of personal identity through blogging. How and what we share in social media can influence who we are because we become what we focus on, but we can hinder that process if we don’t truly believe we’re worthy or capable of becoming that what we desire.

In my own life I’ve struggled with every aspect I’ve listed above. I was never a good student so I felt as though I wasn’t destined to be much (and I’m pretty sure my parents felt that way as well). It wasn’t until I went back to school as a mature student did I surprise myself by actually being academically inclined and a gifted writer.

I never thought I’d find a quality guy, especially when I was much younger and heavier. I was never treated well by men, and I gave too much of myself because that’s what I thought I had to do to be loved. I am sad to admit, I was well into my 30’s before I learned my own value and power in romantic relationships. On a more positive note, I’ve been happily married to the same wonderful man for close to 10 years now!

Finances was a tricky one for me to learn because growing up we didn’t have a lot. I never knew what living a comfortable life meant, and I often still struggle with the idea of having more than enough financially. It’s been a lifetime of work believing that I’m worthy of the money I make and the things I’ve accumulated. I am still a work in progress on this one, as I still tend to seek out the cheapest options, hoard things that are on sale, and obsess over saving money for fear of being out on the street someday.  Weird, but true.

But health and fitness has been the journey of internal narrative transformation that has taken me the longest to get through. From being an overweight teen who NEVER wanted to do sports, I had a narrative that I just wasn’t athletic from a very young age. It’s taken me years to overcome this idea.

I was also a smoker, binge drinker, over 200lbs for a long time and ate the crappiest food I could find. That took 20 years to fix. It didn’t have to, but I’m a slow learner and I didn’t have the personal development, social support or role models that I have now.

From where I stand now, I’m a completely different person. I’m healthy, fit and I prefer good food over junk. I choose to take care of myself because it’s my preference, not my obligation.How did I get there? Literally, one step at a time.

Here’s what I’d recommend if you simply don’t’ believe you can change (and you know who you are).

Take any action you can – take a walk, buy running shoes, read fitness blogs like this, follow three new people on social media who emulate who you’d like to become (and don’t make you feel bad about who you are right now) and go to bed early tonight. None of these things are going to move the needle much at first, but anything you can do to start adopting the behaviors of a fit person, (or whatever person you want to be) is going to start to accumulate. Eventually, no matter how unnatural it feels to behave in these new ways, you will eventually lean into it. The key here is baby steps!! If you do too much at once, you’ll snap back to your old internal stories quickly.

Find a supportive community. This probably won’t be in your immediate circle, because they clearly haven’t influenced you to grow yet, but it’s not as hard as you think to find a new tribe. Facebook groups are awesome. Search groups on Facebook that reflect where you want to go. Running for low carb eaters? Weight lifting for vegans? It’s all out there. Just search for it.

Invest in something. Put your money where your mind is. If you want to grow, find a coach, take a class, join a group, buy some new clothes, sign

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Motivation is a tricky thing.  You have to find a reason to do hard things, and it has to be a good enough reason to get you through the lows.  Because the lows suck, and that’s where we all want to quit and believe me - no one escapes the lows.  No one.

So if you’re looking at a weight loss goal in 2017 and you’re thinking - “oh, I just want to get healthy”.  Well guess what.  The first time you don’t feel like getting a workout in or choosing a salad over french fries, You’re. Going. To. Fail.

Why?  Because what does “getting healthy” even mean?  There’s zero emotion in that goal.  There’s no visceral attachment to getting healthy.  It’s arbitrary and vague.

You know what’s not vague?

I want to get into the best shape of my life because my ass of a husband left me after 15 years of marriage and 3 kids because he found someone hotter.  I will show him what hot looks like. 

I want my evil “friend” who is always putting me down to eat my sparkle dust this year.  She thinks I can’t lose weight.  That I’ll always be big and I should just “be okay with that”.  I will show her what I’m capable of.

I want to find a man and be in a relationship where I don’t feel like a welcome mat.  Where I don’t feel like I’m just a last resort because he couldn’t find better.  Where I’m a-okay being naked and feeling sexy in my own skin. 

These may seem like some deviant and pretty fickle goals, but who cares?  If it gets you to make the right choices, then big deal if they are shallow AF.  If it works for you, then it’s the right goal. 

So know what moves you and keep it front and center in your mind.  Meditate on that shallow goal and let it be your mantra. No one else needs to know it’s seeded in revenge.  You do you.

Meanwhile, here are a few other ideas to keep you moving in the right direction.

Schedule your workouts in your calendar.  The rest of your world can revolve around what you need for once!

Partner up with a frienamy - that gal who’s never quite happy about your success.  She will be a way better motivation than your dear sweet cheerleaders friend who will love you no matter what. 

Put skin in the game.  Yes, take out your wallet and pay for that goal.  It will mean something and you’ll be 200% less likely to quit because no one likes to waste money.

Make the process as easy and doable as humanly possible.  At the end of my podcast I share a solution that I think it hands down, the best (and most doable) way to get in shape for ANYONE in 2017.  You’ll be hearing more about that in my next email, so get on my list if you’re not already.

On that note - I want to hear what holds you back.  Why are you not where you want to be yet?  What’s the hang up that keeps you from moving forward?

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I’m the first to admit that goal setting is not something I’m great at. Actually, I’m really good at setting goals and writing them down, but I'm also equally proficient at putting those goals in a file folder somewhere and promptly forgetting about them. 

Now, oddly enough, about 50% of my goals DO materialize anyway. Sometimes that’s dumb luck, and sometimes it’s because they’re just important enough to me that I make sure it happens. An example of a dumb luck goal was finding the job I have now where I’m well paid, love the people I work with and it’s actually work I like doing. That was a goal I wrote down when I decided to end

An example of a dumb luck goal was finding the job I have now where I’m well paid, love the people I work with and it’s actually work I like doing. That was a goal I wrote down when I decided to end Procakes, and it happened quite by accident (or so I think). Meanwhile, there are other things I’ve accomplished that have 110% come from my own stubborn determination, like competing in a fitness show or a half ironman. These are things I thought about quitting on an hourly basis, but I never did. Then there are the goals I write down every year and that shit just never happens. Like being 15% body fat. I write that arbitrary number down every year, and I know it’s unlikely I’ll ever reach it because I know that I’m pretty miserable at 18% body fat and it’s near impossible to maintain without wanting to kill someone, so 15% is just never going to happen for me. I have about 46 other goals just like that one, too.

Then there are the goals I write down every year and that shit just never happens. Like being 15% body fat. I write that arbitrary number down every year, and I know it’s unlikely I’ll ever reach it because I know that I’m pretty miserable at 18% body fat and it’s near impossible to maintain without wanting to kill someone, so 15% is just never going to happen for me. I have about 46 other goals just like that one, too.

So my first thought about setting goals is being really honest about what you’re willing to put your time and attention into. Sure, I’ll probably continue to put that 15% body fat goal on my list every year, but now it’s more like the goal equivalent of an “elf on the shelf”. It’s more about tradition and decoration than execution. Looking back at 2016, I’ve accomplished about 50% of what I set out to do. Maybe that’s a hack - aspire to do so much that you’d be happy if you only got 50% of it accomplished. Genius! But to be honest, this coming year, my goal list will look much different than it has in the past. Maybe it’s age, or maybe it’s acquired wisdom, but I don’t feel the need for

Looking back at 2016, I’ve accomplished about 50% of what I set out to do. Maybe that’s a hack - aspire to do so much that you’d be happy if you only got 50% of it accomplished. Genius! But to be honest, this coming year, my goal list will look much different than it has in the past. Maybe it’s age, or maybe it’s acquired wisdom, but I don’t feel the need for improvement based goals this year. Instead, I aim to stop the self-development cycle and simply embrace and own the woman I’ve worked hard to become. For example:

I don’t have weight loss goals this year. I’m happy with the body I have (although I will continue to build strength through weight lifting).

I don’t have career goals this year. I like the job I have and I’ll continue to do the best work I can, but outside of that, I simply want to enjoy writing my blog, practicing my photography skills and perhaps doing less in social media. I’m also going to dial back on the coaching this year to make more time for my personal life.

I don’t have relationship goals in the sense that I’m no longer actively trying to expand my network or meet new people. This year, I want to focus on the relationships I already have and cherish. I want to be a better friend to the friends I’ve already collected rather than always trying to make more and more.

I do

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