The Diet Diaries

I am really excited about today’s episode because its all about what I see as one of the biggest blocks to creating a sustainable relationship with food and our bodies. 

And that’s the “on track/off track” approach  we have been taught to use with nutrition, exercise and really any major habit or behavior we’re trying to create positive change with.

Here’s the thing. If you feel like you need to actively go “off track” on vacation, at parties, out to dinner-then your “on track” is way too restrictive.

And the flip side of this is that on the days when you do eat more, eat something that doesn’t fully align with your goals, eat something that doesn’t make you feel good-those days aren’t off track. They’re just life. 

Because even if you’re trying to lose fat-you can 100% be eating food you love, feeling satisfied, feeling full. Feeling great. You don’t need to be hungry all the time, searching out the lowest calorie foods and micromanaging every piece of food that goes in your mouth. 

Because you’re human, not a robot. Because you’re not aiming for perfection. And on track/off track is about perfection. And rules. And good vs bad.

Learning how to move away from this binary mindset is really hard work-no question. But its the work that will change your relationship with food for life. No more good/bad, clean/dirty, on/off track. Which means no more stress, guilt and shame. 

I think that’s worth the work, don’t you?

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Connect with Jordana
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You’re not a snacker. You’re just not eating enough at meals.

That’s the topic of today’s episode.

There are a lot of implications to this in terms of your relationship with food, fat loss, body image and more. 

When we eat, one of the goals is to get full. To satisfy the feeling of hunger. And by their very nature, snacks are not filling. Which means you’re walking around in a constant state of hunger.

Or you’re snacking because you’re bored. For comfort. Out of habit. Because its something to do. 

Either way, there is work to be done here. 

I talk through some actionable, simple tools you can use to figure out why you’re snacking and what to do about it so you can make the progress you want to make towards your food and wellness goals. 

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Sign up for my Monday newsletter with lots of nutrition, exercise and mindset tips
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Connect with Jordana
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Listen to more episodes of The Diet Diaries

Before and after photos are EVERYWHERE.

And they are slowly but surely stripping away our confidence, self worth and happiness.

Because an after photo tells you nothing. Nothing about how that person is feeling. How they’ve eaten and exercised to get to this place. Whether they’re happy or confident. Whether they can sustain what is is they’ve done to maintain this body. 

All it does is make you feel ashamed and frustrated because your body doesn’t look like theirs. 

Today’s episode is talking all about why before and after pictures are a huge issue in the wellness industry and even more importantly, why the look of your body is not the answer to your problems. And if that’s not the answer, then what is.

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Find me on Instagram
Sign up for my Monday newsletter with lots of nutrition, exercise and mindset tips
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Connect with Jordana
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Listen to more episodes of The Diet Diaries

Today I’m talking with dance teacher Stephanie Penn-Virot about her experience transitioning from dancing during her childhood years into navigating the world of fitness and movement as an adult.

This is truly one of my favorite episodes because of how easy the discussion flowed and connected into movement, food, body image, confidence and more. 

Stephanie talks about the impact of her childhood dance teacher’s commentary on her body, her struggles after gaining weight during pregnancy and the journey she’s gone through to find acceptance of her body in her return to dance as an adult. 

We dive into so much good stuff including:

-destructive practices around using exercise not only to earn food, but to earn external love, approval and validation.

-how what we see our entire lives impacts how we think we need to look

-the extreme measures we go to to look a certain way

-why finding the joy in movement and exercise is essential

-why putting yourself first makes the rest of your life better

If you live near Maplewood NJ you can take class with Stephanie at Studio 509 (they also have online offerings!)

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As someone who spent half of my life believing that a number on the scale or a certain clothing size would bring the happiness and confidence I could never find, I can tell you with complete certainty that is not how it works.

Wanting to make a change in your body needs to come from within-from not feeling comfortable, not feeling confident, not feeling like YOU. But its often really hard to draw the line between saying oh being a size 8 will make me confident and finding confidence because you feel great in your own skin from the inside out.

I believe you can want to change something about your body but also love and appreciate your body at the same time.  But we need to put that into practice every day.

Today's episode talks about one of the most important practices we can do to stay connected to what really matters when it comes to wanting to lose weight or make any kind of aesthetic change to our bodies.

Find me on Instagram or sign up for my weekly email with relatable personal stories and practical tips around nutrition, exercise and wellness. 

Connect with Jordana
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Listen to more episodes of The Diet Diaries

Episode 30 is a super special one because I’m talking with someone who really shaped the course of my career in movement.

Jules Mitchell is a yoga educator focusing on biomechanics within the practice of yoga. She is a teacher’s teacher and her approach to movement is grounded in science but with space and permission to explore and get curious about what works for your own body. 

Jules shares the evolution of her connection with yoga, beginning as a way to deal with the grief of her parents’ passing to teaching teachers all over the world and truly revolutionizing the way yoga is taught and practiced. 

We take a lot for granted in the way yoga (and all movement) is taught and Jules’ work is centered around helping teachers to stop and ask why. 

Because when you ask why and begin paying attention to what feels right for you, the practice can shift away from doing the pose “right” and trying to achieve a certain look to discovering what works for your body and meeting you where you are at.

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Today I’m talking about the language and mindset we’ve grown up with and been conditioned to use around exercise.

Words and feelings like brutal, killer, wrecked, exhausted.

I am going on record to say I will NEVER use those words (or anything similar) in reference to exercise.

Because there is NEVER a time when you need to use exercise to punish yourself. And last time I checked, all of those words imply some level of suffering and punishment.

There is a significant difference between challenging yourself to get stronger, improve endurance and become more physically capable-and crossing the line to using exercise as a way to prove how hard you worked and glorify how exhausted you feel at the end.

So I’m sharing some really simple tips you can use to figure out whether the workouts you’re doing are truly the right fit for you.  So you can begin to dig a little deeper and get honest around what type of exercise will truly make you feel amazing.

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In today’s episode I’m talking with Pilates teacher and strength coach Nikki Naab-Levy.

Nikki is a force in the fitness industry and I am honored to have her on The Movement Diaries.

She holds nothing back and her brutal honesty is refreshing, inspiring and comforting. 

We dive into everything from our personal struggles with body image, how and why strength training changed Nikki’s life and her issues with the long, lean lines marketing in the Pilates industry (even as a longtime teacher). 

Nikki talks about how she came to finally open up about her battle with body image and how achieving a certain physical look is never the solution we think it’s going to be. 

This episode uncovers a lot of uncomfortable, but necessary truths around self confidence, weight loss, the relationship between exercise and food and more. 

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts. 

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Her podcast Results Not Typical
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Today I’m talking about lowering the barrier to entry with exercise (and nutrition too).

Basically this is just about making things easier on yourself. 

Why does this matter? 

Because we’re all so brainwashed to think that exercise has to be a certain amount of time, in a certain location, in certain clothes.

And if any of those conditions aren’t met, then it doesn’t happen.

Which means we miss out on SO much. 

I share some really useful insights from the 5 day walker club we just wrapped up as well as some things I’m trying with my own routine to help get you thinking about how to lower your own barrier to entry and start moving more.


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Listen to more episodes of The Diet Diaries

Today I’m talking with my friend and colleague Michelle Farrell. 

Michelle is a personal trainer and nutrition coach and I’m so thrilled to have her on because Michelle is a true champion for the health at every size movement and offering people a safe space to get support with exercise and food in a world where we’re always being told that being smaller is better.

We both get really candid with our own personal experiences with dieting and exercise and how that’s informed the way we try to help people battling the same things.

Here’s a little bit of what we cover: 

• The myths around food “rules”
• The turning point at a family party when Michelle realized things had gotten out of control
• Why self trust is at the core of feeling comfortable with food
• The actual reason why diets don’t work (it’s not what you think)
• How severely restricting food is actually impacting your entire well being
• What health really is (spoiler alert, its about away more than what size pants you wear)

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Straight Up Strong

Connect with Jordana
Find me on Instagram
Sign up for my weekly letter with personal stories and nutrition, body image and mindset tips
Schedule a free discovery call to talk more about working together
Listen to more episodes of The Diet Diaries