, I'm a little embarrassed to admit this ... but I'm lazy when it comes to workouts and nutrition.

I am. But what do I mean by that? 

I actually don't like long workouts. I don't like marathon training sessions. I don't like endurance exercise and above all I don't like wasting my time.

See, 4 years ago, I was at the height of my competition days and booking photo shoot after photo shoot to take advantage of the fact that I was "in shape." SIDE NOTE: something you may or may not know is that 90% of those bodies you see in fitness ads or magazines are captured within days of the model doing a competition or dieting extremely hard. And by nature, competition prep is unsustainable. It's extreme dieting with a very specific goal in mind: get up on stage in a bikini and get your body judged. Crazy, right? Who does this voluntarily? Ha!

ANYWAY. 

Four years ago, I was doing up to 3 HOURS OF CARDIO A DAY. I was eating 6 times a day, straight from Tupperwares and I couldn't leave the refuge of my house or my gym for fear of not having something "that I could eat" or missing a workout. 

My entire existence revolved around my physique and my self-worth wholly depended upon if my abs were popping. JillFit, the blog, was not around. I was working 70+ hours a week as a full-time trainer and group fitness instructor and I had no time for friends, family, hobbies or even at times, my husband :-\ 

But I was terrified of cutting back on cardio for fear of blowing up! And I was riddled with hunger and cravings so bad that I was eating tons of sugar-free candy just to keep them at bay, after which I had to do even more cardio to "burn it off." And sadly, I didn't feel like I had anything to contribute if I was not in "show shape." 

HELLO. WTF?

The interesting things is this ... I was anything but lazy back then! But you know what? I was miserable. 

Stuck in a prison of my own making and scared to death to change anything because the perceived control I had over my eating and training was all that kept me sane.

I posted this pic on Facebook last week, and wow, I couldn't believe the response:

On the left: 145 lbs, Nov 2010
On the right: 155 lbs, current

I'm not sure if this is a "reverse progress photo" or not, but the photographer I shot the image on the left with just sent me that pic and it was really interesting for me to see at this point in my journey. It was taken about 3 years ago after a 6-month span of dieting hard & lots of cardio. I was "in shape" for photo shoots but I was killing myself and basically obsessed. 

And though I'm past the point of talking negatively about my body (just refuse to go there anymore), I have to admit I feel way more comfy in my current physique. I feel healthy, strong, sexy and more confident than I did when I was super lean.

Though this is only a 10-lb difference, the lifestyle and approach represented by each are light years apart. 

On the left, I was killing myself doing HOURS of cardio a day and on the right, everything is effortless. I use preemptive cheats daily, I train hard most days of the week because I enjoy it and not because I need to beat myself up, I don't stress or count any cals, carbs, points or macros. I pay attention to how I feel and eat accordingly. 

The left was the last time I consciously "dieted" and I was so miserable by the final photo shoot on my schedule that I vowed to figure out this "healthy lifestyle forever" thing once and for all. And the last 4 years have been a journey of introspection, body love and getting in touch my physical sensations--not to mention just flat-out refusing to be miserable anymore.

And one of the biggest transitions for me was around exercise.

I finally came to the realization that MORE cardio wasn't giving me any MORE results. It was like I had reached a point of diminishing returns and my body simply stopped responding to more and more training time and increased duration. 

I HAD BUILT UP A TOLERANCE TO EXERCISE.

So WTF, I figured, I might as well cut back since the amount that I was doing (hours) was just helping me MAINTAIN my weight. And I was also to the point that I didn't actually care if I *did* gain because I was so over it all. 

And so I cut back. And the I cut back some more. And I monitored my eating and to my complete surprise, my cravings and hunger reduced significantly within a short amount of time. Because of course, that was what I was scared of--if I cut back on exercise and was still trying to manage insane cravings and hunger that I would simply blow up. 

But my hunger and cravings diminished. I started becoming more mindful of my body's sensations and I taught myself how to make moderate choices when it came to food. 

It took 4 years, but FINALLY! I GET TO BE LAZY!!! :)

I exercise less than 30 minutes 3-4x/week now. And I prioritize strength training because I know it gives me the biggest bang for my training buck, and I am actually able to train HARDER because my workouts are so short. They are more intense than ever and they are helping me maintain my weight (and my sanity!) with little effort. I am also no longer wasting my time with a crazy cardio routine that was actually just NOT WORKING.

So, where are you? 

Are you still doing hours of exercise with the hope that more and more and more will get you the results you desire? Are you seeing results or are you adding exercise to "burn off treats" that you indulged in because your exercise routine is raising your stress hormone levels to the point that you cannot stave off cravings??

I always remember something that Jade says, and it's entirely true: "More is not better, better is better."

He's right. 

The best results come from intensity. And shorter workouts allow for greater intensity. It's that simple.

Are you ready to get off the hamster wheel? Are you ready to pull out of your Cardio Cycle and TRUST that you can get better results in less time? Remember--I did it, and I WAS SCARED TO DEATH! But the proof is in the protein pudding :) #sanityFTW

If you're ready to try a new way, grab the Metabolic Aftershock DVD Workout series here. I've mentioned this new training program several times this week, and TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO GET THEM on discount.

I am in the workouts (and they are so intense and awesome, I was sore FOR DAYS) and of course, my favorite trainer is the leading the workouts. Seriously, Jade's received over 100 positive testimonials from women who have already started the 9-week program. Body-weight only workouts you can do in your living room, 15 minutes 3 times a week. The program is awesome. 

Grab Metabolic Aftershock here.

Let me know if you have any questions, and as always, I'd love to hear about your progress and where you are on your journey!

Ox, Jill