Latest / Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40 / 35. You Don't Have a Nutrition Problem - You Have a Mindset Problem

Transcript

35. You Don't Have a Nutrition Problem - You Have a Mindset Problem · Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Most of the women that I work with do not have a nutrition problem.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: They have a mindset problem.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: They know what to eat.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: They have read the articles, they've done different programs, they've fought the meal plans, they've saved all the Pinterest and Instagram recipes, and yet they still feel stuck, still finding themselves grabbing whatever's easiest by midweek and still feel like they're starting over every Monday morning.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: And the real reason, I believe, comes back to the way that they are thinking about food.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: The stories that they're telling themselves about what kind of eater they are, these beliefs that they've been running on, most of which they didn't even choose, they just absorbed from years of diet culture or all or nothing thinking, and the idea that eating well requires some kind of special effort or magic or sacrifice.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: So today we're gonna change that because before any strategy will work for you, before meal prep or protein goals or any of it, the mindset shift has to happen first.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get into it.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Midlife Glow Up Podcast, where we simplify fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits for women over 40.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Joan Dandano, your midlife health and wellness coach.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are ready to feel strong, consistent, and confident in this season of life, then you are in the right place, my friend.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: I am so glad you're here.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: If my voice sounds a little different today, it is.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yesterday I almost completely lost my voice, so I was happy that it was somewhat back today for this episode.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: I have been thinking about this episode for a while because this is a pattern that I tend to see over and over again.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: The women who are doing everything right, but something just is not clicking.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: And when I dig into it with them, a lot of times it comes down to mindset.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: And here's what I mean by that.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Mindset is the collection of beliefs that you hold about yourself and about food.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Things like I'm someone who tends to fall off track, or I just can't be trusted around certain foods, or I'll start again eating healthy on Monday, or I just don't have the time for this, or the discipline for this, or the motivation for this, or the willpower for this.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Those beliefs are running in the background and they are shaping every food decision that you make, even if you don't realize it.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: So today I'm going to walk you through four mindset shifts that I have seen genuinely transform the way that women approach their nutrition.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: So these are not tips or tricks, but these are actual shifts in the settings in your mind that relate to food, your relationship to food, that will finally help you become the healthy eater that you aspire to be.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: The shift number one is nourishment over restriction.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: The old belief sounds like this: food is something I need to control, something that I have to limit or earn or avoid.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: I can't have this, I shouldn't eat this, I need to cut back on this.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to notice that entire framework is built around subtraction, like taking things away, avoiding things, and making food the enemy.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: And the shift is this food is fuel.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: And you get to eat it in a way that helps you feel strong and energized and well.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: And this isn't just a feel-good reframe.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: It is actually a more effective way to approach nutrition overall.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you're focused on restriction, your brain is constantly fighting you.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: You're having to white knuckle it.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: You're thinking about what you can't have.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: And eventually, because you're human, you give in, you feel guilty, and then the cycle starts over again.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: But when your focus shifts to nourishment, to giving your body what it actually needs, then your relationship with food can change completely.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: And the energy shifts from what can I get away with to what does my body actually need right now?
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a completely different orientation.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: And it leads to completely different choices.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: The practical takeaway is simple.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of focusing on what you're removing from your plate, focus on what you're adding.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: More protein, more vegetables, more water, more foods that can actually fuel you.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: That mindset shift alone can change the entire tone of your relationship personally with nutrition.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Shift number two is consistency over perfection.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I know you've heard me say this before.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: So the old belief is one bad meal means I blew the whole day.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Or one bad day means I ruined the whole week.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: I might as well start over on Monday.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: I cannot tell you how many women have said some version of that to me before.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it just breaks my heart because what they're doing is throwing away four perfectly good meals in a day because one meal didn't go as planned.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Or they're throwing away five perfectly good days of the week because one full day didn't go as planned.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then here's another thing that I see come up often.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: It'll be when a client says to me, okay, I think the problem is the dessert that I have on Friday nights.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll look at her week and think, that dessert is not your problem.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: The breakfast that you skipped Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, that's where our conversation needs to begin.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's not the thing that you do once in a while.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's the thing that you do over and over and over again.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: We tend to want to point our finger at the indulgence, the fun thing, the thing we enjoyed, but completely overlook the patterns that are actually moving the needle.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: So skipping meals altogether, waiting too long to eat, piecing together lunch because nothing was ready.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Those are the habits that are worth examining.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: The dessert that you have once a week is not the issue.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Your health is not built on any single meal.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: It is built on the overall pattern with your nutrition, what you're doing most of the time.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: There is just no such thing as a perfect eater.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: I have been in the health and fitness industry for nearly 30 years, and though I eat well, I do not eat perfectly.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody does.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because we go out to dinner, we travel, we get tired, we grab whatever's easy.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: That is normal.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: What separates women who feel good in their bodies from women who are constantly starting over isn't that one group is eating perfectly and the other one is eating poorly.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's that one group doesn't let an imperfect moment turn into an imperfect week.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: When something goes sideways, which it will, they get right back onto their next healthy choice.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: They're not drowning in guilt, they're not spiraling, they're not dramatically saying, well, then never mind, I'll start over again on Monday.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: Just, okay, that happened, and here's my next healthy meal.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: That is the practice.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: And the more that you practice it, the more automatic it becomes.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: One meal or one day does not define your health, but your overall pattern does.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: And consistency lives in those everyday habits, not whether you had a scoop of ice cream once a week.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Shift number three is preparation over willpower.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: So this is the most practical shift of all four of the ones I'm going to share today.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: And it is the one that I genuinely believe changes everything.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: So the old belief is if I just had more discipline, I would eat better.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: If I just had more willpower, I wouldn't reach for whatever's easiest.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: If I could just try harder, I'd make better choices.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: But here's what I want you to understand about willpower.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I sound like a broken record here, but it's true.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Willpower is a finite resource.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: It runs out.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: And every decision you make throughout the day, every email that you answer, every meeting that you sit through, everything that you manage for your family, it all draws from the same well.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And by afternoon, that well is often running low.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Relying on willpower to make good food choices at the end of a long, full day is setting yourself up to struggle.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: Preparation beats willpower every single time.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: So let's discuss what really is food prep.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I did a whole episode, episode number 32, about the power of food prep in midlife.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: But basically, food prep is just setting yourself up for success in the future.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: So not waiting until the hunger hits to decide what is for lunch, but doing it ahead of time.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: Most women, when they think about food prep or meal prep, they think specifically about dinner.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the thing: unless you're living alone, dinner is probably already happening.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: You're thinking about it because you're feeding other people.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: This meal tends to have some structure around it, even though it might not be perfect.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: But the real gaps that I see, especially with women over 40, are with breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Breakfast usually gets skipped because the morning is chaotic and there's nothing quick to grab.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: And lunch, that usually just gets pieced together, but not intentionally prepared ahead of time.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then that afternoon snack turns into whatever is within arm's reach because you waited too long and lunch wasn't really that filling, and now you're actually starving.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's where preparation really changes everything.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: When a protein forward breakfast is ready to go and you eat it, then you're setting up your entire tone of your day to support your goals.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: When lunch is already thought through and ready to go, then you're not pushing through hunger until you're so depleted that you can't think straight.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: And when your snacks are intentional and ready to go, then your energy stays steady.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that end of day desperation eating disappears.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Dinner will work itself out, but the rest of your day needs a system.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: The women who eat consistently well are not more disciplined than you.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: They are just more prepared.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: They've taken the decision making out of the tired, hungry moments and made those decisions ahead of time when they had the energy and the clarity to do it well.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: When you open your fridge and there's cooked protein ready to go, there are some veggies washed and chopped and snacks that are portioned out, then you don't need willpower anymore.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: You just eat what you prepared.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: That is the power of food prep.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that is the system, too.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: This doesn't have to be elaborate, it just has to be intentional.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: And the shift number four is identity over rules.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: And in my opinion, this is the deepest shift of all of them.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it's the one that makes everything else sustainable.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: So the old belief sounds like I'm trying to eat healthier.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm working on it.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: I'm attempting to be better at my nutrition.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_00: And if you notice, the language using words like trying, attempting, working on it, all of that is external, something that you're doing, not something that you are.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: So the shift is this: eating well doesn't have to be something you're working towards.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: It can just be part of who you are.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: There is a meaningful difference between I'm trying to eat healthy and I'm someone who takes care of myself.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: The first one leaves room for you to stop trying when life gets hard.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: And the second one is actually an identity.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: So when you act in alignment with your identity, it feels right.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: When you act against it, it feels off.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of needing motivation every day to help you make good food choices, the choices that are good for you start to feel natural because they're an expression of who you are.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: Our identities don't just appear magically.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: They are built through repeated action, through consistent choices, and through showing up in small ways again and again until those ways become your way.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do you build your identity?
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: How do you build consistent choices?
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: It's built through systems, through having support that keeps you anchored when life gets busy and motivation fades.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: Community can really help reinforce your identity because motivation fades.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: Reliably, it is unreliable.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: But your identity is steadfast.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly what I want for you.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Not a period of eating well and then going back to your old unhealthy choices, but a way of being that actually makes healthy eating feel like the truest expression of who you are, and also at the same time the path of least resistance.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: So let's recap what we covered today.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: The first shift is nourishment over restriction.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: Food is fuel, and you get to eat in a way that makes you feel strong.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_00: Shift two is consistency over perfection.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's that overall pattern that builds your health, not any one single meal or day.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: Shift three is preparation over willpower.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: The women who eat well consistently aren't more disciplined, they're just more prepared.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: And that final shift, number four, is identity over rules.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: So healthy eating stops being something that you're working towards and starts becoming part of who you are.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: And here's what I've seen over and over again.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: Women get this far, they understand these shifts, they feel ready to make these changes, but they still really struggle to make it stick without a system.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because motivation fades and life is lifing.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: And without something to come back to, the intention stays an intention.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: And even though I swore I would not create anything new in my business this year, I just couldn't help myself because I know that you need this.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: For years, I've been leading in-person food prep demos in my kitchen.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: And pretty early on, I noticed a pattern.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: Women would leave feeling inspired and ready to go.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then Monday would hit and life would kick in and the overwhelm would take over.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: And the two hours of information that they absorbed was just too much to even act on.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: What they needed wasn't more information.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: They needed a way to learn it and then do it step by step with support along the way.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so, drum roll, please, I built Joan's Kitchen.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Joan's Kitchen is my monthly food prep membership for busy midlife women who are tired of winging it with nutrition and ready to build a simple, sustainable rhythm that makes healthy eating feel automatic, not like another thing on your to-do list.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: Inside Joan's Kitchen, we work on exactly the kind of system that makes shift three, the preparation over willpower one, possible.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you know what to prep, when you have the tools and the recipes and someone walking you through it, showing up for yourself with food becomes something that just fits into your week.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Here is what is included inside.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited about this.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Every month we will have a food prep theme.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: So you'll know exactly what we're working on.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: You'll have coaching and teaching videos from me, usually five to 10 minutes tops, so you can understand the step-by-step of how to create the recipes.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: We'll also have live cook with me sessions once a month.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: So you can cook right alongside me in your own kitchen or watch the replays if that fits your schedule better.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: You will get simple protein forward recipes and meal ideas that actually taste good and don't require a culinary degree.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: You'll get printable checklists and cheat sheets and planning tools to help you stay organized and prepared.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: You'll get access to a growing recipe and replay library that you can go back to again and again.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, in my opinion, one of the most important things, you'll have a community of women on a similar journey.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Women in midlife who get the struggles, who are building the same habits, who are cheering each other on and showing up consistently.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: Jones Kitchen is a system that you learn and then it becomes yours.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's a rhythm that fits your real life and holds up in the busy seasons.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: The goal of the membership is simple.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of asking what should I eat today, you start asking what is already ready.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that shift changes everything.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, Jones Kitchen is open for enrollment for a limited time and with very limited spots.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're listening to this episode, nodding along and thinking, yes, this is exactly what I need, then this is your sign.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: Head to the link in the show notes to learn more and join us.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you have any questions, feel free to message me on Instagram at Jones FitZone or send me an email and I'll put that in my show notes as well.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: I would absolutely love to have you inside of Joan's Kitchen.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: That is a wrap on episode number 35 today.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode landed for you, I'd love if you shared with a friend who needs to hear it as well.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: And as always, thanks for listening, my friend.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, progress over perfection and consistency over intensity.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep growing, keep glowing, and bye for now.