Latest / Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40 / 18. How to Stay Committed to Your Health When Life Doesn't Go As Planned

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18. How to Stay Committed to Your Health When Life Doesn't Go As Planned · Midlife Glow Up: Simplifying Fitness, Nutrition and Healthy Habits for Women over 40

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: I know some of you listening right now have a story that you're telling yourself.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: And it goes something like this.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, every time I start something new, I just can't seem to continue it.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: I can't seem to finish strong.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Or I start strong, but then I fall off.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Or every time life gets busy or stressful, my health or my fitness is just the first thing to go.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you are inside of our 21-day challenge right now.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: We're on day 18.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And say you've already missed a couple of workouts or you messed up a few meals, and there's this little voice in your head saying, see, here we go again.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: More proof that I just can't follow through.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you're listening to this months from now and you're just thinking about all the times that you started something like a program, a plan, a reset, you had a new goal, and then life happened.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: And work got crazy and the kids got sick and you traveled and you were stressed, and suddenly you were off the wagon again.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Here's what I want you to know today.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: That pattern is not who you are, it's just what happens when we don't know how to stay committed when life doesn't go as planned.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: And that's exactly what we're going to be talking about today.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Midlife Glow Up Podcast, where we simplify fitness, nutrition, and healthy habits for women in midlife.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Joan Dandoneau, your midlife health and wellness coach.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're ready to feel strong, consistent, and confident in this season of life, you are in the right place, my friend.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're talking about how to stay committed to your health and fitness goals, even when life happens, and how to finally break that cycle of quitting that you've been stuck in for way too long.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Here's a thing that nobody really tells you when you start a fitness journey or a health goal.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: The hard part is not starting.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: The hard part is staying committed when life doesn't go as planned.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've been repeating this cycle of start strong and then life happens, then you fall off and then you feel shame and then you start over, this is not because you lack discipline or willpower.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's because you've been practicing the wrong skill.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: You've been practicing starting when what you actually need to practice is staying.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Staying when it's boring, staying when it's imperfect, staying when you miss three days and your brain tells you that you've already ruined it.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Staying when life throws you curveball after curveball and your original plan falls apart.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Staying is a skill and it's one that we can learn.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: But you can't learn it in 21 days.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: You need a longer runway, you need real life practice, and you need time to build trust with yourself.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: And that is what today's episode is really about.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about why this keeps happening.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you keep falling off?
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Our entire culture is obsessed with starting.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's sexy, right?
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: New year, new you, Monday, motivation.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: We have day one energy.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: We celebrate the decision to change.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: We love a fresh start.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: It feels exciting and hopeful, like maybe this time will be different.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: But here's what we don't talk about.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Starting is easy.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Staying is hard.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And staying even gets harder when life doesn't cooperate.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: And we know in this season, after 40, life hardly cooperates.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: There will always be a parent who needs you, or a busy week at work, or a sick kid, or travel, or stress, or exhaustion, or a social event that throws you off your routine.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: And if your strategy is to wait for the perfect conditions to stay consistent, then I promise you you will be waiting forever.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: So what happens when life disrupts your perfect plan?
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: You miss a workout, maybe you fuel your body for great for a few days, and then you totally fall off, you stop showing up.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: And here's where the real damage happens: it's not the disruption itself, but it's actually the story that you're telling yourself about the disruption.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: You say, see, I ruined it.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: I already messed up, so what's the point?
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: This is just proof that I can't stick with anything.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: And suddenly, instead of missing three days, just being missing three days, it turns into quitting entirely.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to understand that this is not a character flaw.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: This is actually just a lack of practice with the skill of re-engaging after the disruption.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: So you've been practicing the skill of starting and starting over.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: But what we actually need to practice is the skill of coming back.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: And the belief that I think is at the root of all of this is that so many of us, so many women, think that consistency means doing it perfectly, doing it whatever it is, every single day, exactly as planned.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: So when life happens and you can't do it perfectly, then you come to the conclusion that you have failed.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've already failed, then what is the point in keeping to keep on going?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's not actually what consistency is.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Real consistency is staying engaged with your commitments, even when life is lifeing.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of doing the full 30-minute workout, you do a 10-minute workout.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of having perfect nutrition all day long, you just focus on getting in protein at breakfast, even if the rest of your day falls apart.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: At least you got protein in at breakfast.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's showing up for yourself even when you didn't follow the plan yesterday.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Consistency doesn't mean all or nothing, it means adjusting instead of quitting.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: And that is the skill we're gonna focus on today.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to make an important distinction here.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mentioned it a second ago, but there is a huge difference between setting goals and making commitments.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: So here's the difference: a goal is an outcome that you hope for, even wish for.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: I want to lose 10 pounds, I want to feel stronger, I want to have more energy.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: But a commitment is actually the action that you take that you can control.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, I'm committed to walking three times a week.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm committed to eating protein at most meals.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm committed to moving my body for 20 minutes a day.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Do you see the difference there?
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: Goals are about results.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Commitments are about behavior, actions.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: And why this matters is because you can't control the outcome.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: We really have no direct control over the outcome at all.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: But you can control your actions.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: So when you make a commitment, then you're actually building trust with yourself.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: You're saying, I'm going to do this and I'm going to follow through.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: And every time you keep that commitment, even if it's imperfect, even if it doesn't look exactly like what the original plan was, you're still collecting proof that you are someone who does what they say they're going to do.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that is what we're looking for because that is identity level change.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: So as we move through the rest of this episode, I want you to think in terms of commitments instead of goals.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: What are you actually committed to?
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: What actions are you going to take regardless of the outcome?
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: And that is where your power lies.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so for those of you who are in the challenge with me right now, or if you've done any kind of challenge or program, 21-day, 30-day, whatever, I want to reframe what you are experiencing inside of that.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because I'm guessing you're thinking, like inside of that program, I didn't do it perfectly.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: I missed some days, I didn't hit all my commitments.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to hear this: that that is totally normal, that what we're practicing inside of a program or a reset or a challenge, we're not practicing perfection.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: We're not trying to get it all right.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: All we're doing is collecting proof.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, inside of our 21-day midlife reset that we are about to finish, we are collecting proof that one habit at a time actually works.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: That relying on structure beats relying on motivation every single time.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: That you can show up and make yourself proud even when life is busy, that consistency doesn't have to mean all or nothing.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that you are capable of adjusting the plan instead of abandoning it.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to share some real examples from women inside of our challenge right now.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: There is a client inside of our challenge who put this into words on our call and also put it into words inside of our chat community.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: And she said she's been feeling guilty about taking time to exercise after she's been at work all day.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: Like focusing on her body is just one more thing to do that takes time away from her family.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: But we reframed it, and the gift that she's giving to herself is this new realization that taking care of herself is not selfish.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually the best gift that she can give her family.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: The gift of a healthy her, a mom who is calmer, who is stronger, who's more regulated, she's more present.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Because the truth is, she's worth it.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Her health matters, not just for her, but for everybody who needs her to show up fully for them.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then another client, she set out to walk six days a week.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: That was her original habit for fitness.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: And she quickly realized that that was wishful thinking, that it was not realistic.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of quitting, she decided to decrease that to three days a week and continue to make herself proud because three days a week she can definitely do.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: And once she gets into the rhythm of the three days a week, it'll be a lot easier, more doable, more realistic, not just wishful thinking, to add a fourth day.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe by the end of the year, she'll be up to six days of walking.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: But instead of starting out with that big goal, she is decreasing it to increase the chances that she's actually going to follow through.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: So note that she didn't quit.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: She just adjusted.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: She didn't say, Oh, I failed, so I'm just done.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: But what she did say was, this plan isn't working.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: Let me make it simpler so that I can actually follow through.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: And that is the skill.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's what staying in the game looks like.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: And one more example.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so week one, we focus on fitness, week two, we focus on nutrition, and then week three, we focus on mindset.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: And another client inside of our challenge realized that her nutrition habit was challenging.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_00: Her plan was to add in a protein-rich snack in the afternoon.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: But the time frame that she's trying to add a habit in is very chaotic in her house.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: And she kind of just gets busy and kind of forgets what that that was her habit.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so she decided to set an alarm on her phone to remind herself to fuel her body.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: So this is simple, it's practical, and it is sustainable, and it's going to help her follow through when she might have otherwise just simply forgotten.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: So when the newness of a plan or a challenge or a goal starts to wear off and motivation just naturally fades.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: And when life is lifing, that is the exact time when we need to practice coming back to our goals, coming back to our commitments after that disruption.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: So for the challenge that we're finishing up, we're on day 18 of 21.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: We're so close to the finish.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: And what I want to share is that I created this challenge to help people get started, to help people practice these really important skills.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: But it was never meant to be a finish line because the truth is our health, our fitness, our nutrition is a lifelong journey.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: We actually never arrive.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: When we want to create lasting change, the kind where we can actually trust ourselves, where habits begin to feel like routines and not just constant battles, we need more time.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: So you've probably heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's actually not true.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Research shows that habit formation, the kind where the behavior actually becomes automatic, takes anywhere from two months to eight months, depending on the complexity of the habit and how consistently you practice it.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: 21 days is enough to experience change, to feel what it's like, to get a taste.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: But if you want habits that you can actually trust that stick even when life is really hard, you need a longer runway.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: You need time to practice through real life, not just the I'm so motivated phase.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: You need support because when you're doing this alone and you don't have someone to bounce ideas off of, or if you don't have other people who are kind of in this journey with you, it can get pretty isolating.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: You also need structure so you can know what to do when things don't go as planned.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: And you need guidance to help you to adjust and reframe your mind instead of just throwing in the towel.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_00: So again, I tell you, you don't need more information.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need another meal plan, you don't need another workout routine.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_00: You just need to practice the one you're in when you travel, when you're stressed, how to come back to these things after you miss a few days, how to make a plan B choice that still counts, and how to build trust with yourself over time.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: And you can't do all of that in three weeks.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's just not possible.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: But you can in eight weeks or 12 weeks or 16 weeks with the right support and the right structure.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have been stuck in the start and stop cycle for months or even years, it begins to become not just about habits anymore.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: It becomes about your identity.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, you're probably walking around with the identity that sounds like, oh, I'm just someone who can't stick with things, or I always fall off when life gets busy, or I'm just not disciplined enough.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: But every time you start and then you quit, you're collecting more evidence for that identity.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: So here's what I want you to consider.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: What if you're not someone who can't follow through?
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: What if you're just someone who hasn't practiced staying long enough to build a different identity?
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: Because there is another identity available to you.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it sounds something like this.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm someone who shows up even when it's hard.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm someone who adjusts instead of quits.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: I don't need perfect conditions.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: I trust myself to stay committed anyway.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: That identity does not come from one good week or from 21 days.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: It comes from staying in it, by coming back to it, practicing re-engagement over and over until it becomes who you are.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the beautiful thing: every time you stay, even imperfectly, you are voting for that new identity.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: You're collecting proof that you are, in fact, someone who follows through.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_00: And over time, that truth becomes part of you.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: When you make commitments to yourself, you must start with baby steps.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: Not because you're not capable of more, but because you need to build self-trust along the way.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're someone who's been breaking promises to yourself for years, you can't suddenly expect to just make a massive commitment and follow through perfectly.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: You have to start small.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: So small that it almost feels too easy.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: Just like my client I mentioned earlier, she went from six days a week to three days a week.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: That is baby steps.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: That is smart.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Because here's what happens when you keep those small commitments to yourself.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: You achieve something.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: You stop and you pause and you say, dang, I did that.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: And you make yourself proud.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that feeling is actually what helps to build more momentum to get into even more action over time.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: That's what builds trust with yourself.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: I say this all the time in my FitZone workout classes, my online live and uh on-demand workout classes.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: I say, we're gonna finish this class strong.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to make yourself proud.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: I say, how you finish this workout is how you start the rest of your day.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: And the same thing applies here.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: How you finish this challenge or this week or this commitment, that's how you start the next one, or that's how you start like the rest of your life.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: So don't rush through it, don't minimize it, don't brush past the winds.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: Pause and acknowledge yourself and let yourself feel proud of yourself.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because every time you keep a commitment, no matter how small it is, you are becoming more aligned with the person that you want to be in the future.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I want to get practical here for a moment because I don't want you to leave this episode feeling inspired, but not really knowing what to do next.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so here are three strategies that I work into all of my programs that I want to share with you now.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_00: They are going to help you stay committed even when life doesn't go as planned.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_00: So, first one is plan B.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: Most people have a plan A.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then when plan A falls apart, they quit.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: But what if you had a plan B?
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: And even a plan C.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: For example, plan A, 30-minute workout.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: Plan B, 10-minute workout.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: Plan C, I'm gonna do five push-ups before I get in the shower.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like there's something that you can do to still make yourself feel proud instead of quitting.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe a nutrition example.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: So your plan A is four sources of protein before 4 p.m., right?
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: The four by four method.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: Plan B might be two sources of protein, and then make sure dinner has a protein forward element to it.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: Plan C might be, I had a protein shake today, right?
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_00: Plan B is not failure.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: Plan B is just wisdom.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: It's how you actually stay engaged with your commitments, even when the circumstances aren't ideal.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, the second one, make your commitments.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, we are no longer setting goals.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: We are making commitments.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_00: And when we do make those commitments, we want to make sure they are specific and they are not gigantic, right?
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: So don't say, I'm going to eat healthier.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what does that even mean?
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: Say instead, I'm committed to eating protein at breakfast five days a week.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: Don't say I'm gonna work out more.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Say I'm committed to moving my body for 20 minutes three times a week during my lunch break.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: Do you see how specific that is?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: And we're starting out small, two to three times a week, right?
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: Or five days, but we're only focusing on breakfast.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_00: We're not saying I'm going to eat protein at every single meal for the rest of my life because your brain will hear, whoa, not possible.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure I'm I'm committed enough to follow through with that, right?
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then third, we want to build in reminders and systems, just like the client I mentioned earlier, setting an alarm to remind herself to fuel her body in the afternoon.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: That is smart.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's just smart planning because we can't always rely.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: Our brain has so many different things going on up there.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's like a tangled web.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_00: We can't rely on our brain to just remember all these little things.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_00: So we need to put systems in place to make it easier for yourself to keep your commitments.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: So this might look like workout clothes laid out the night before, prepped protein in cute little containers in your fridge, maybe a walking buddy who holds you accountable.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: I promise you, you don't need more discipline.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: This is not a discipline problem.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: You just need better systems.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are in the challenge currently, I want to ask you something.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Do you want day 21 to feel like an ending?
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you want it to feel like the end of the runway where the plane is just about to take off?
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like you've built the momentum and you're getting up to speed.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then what comes next on day 22?
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: Do you just stop?
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you actually take flight?
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: Because here's what I've seen happen over and over and over again throughout my 30 years of coaching women.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: They finish the 21 days or the 30 days or six weeks or whatever, and they feel good.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: They've made progress.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: And then they're on their own again.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: And within a week or two, life happens.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: They don't have the structure anymore, they don't have the accountability anymore.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: And slowly they drift back into old patterns.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it's again, not because they don't have the discipline to keep it going.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: It's because they didn't give themselves a long enough runway to build lasting habits.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are someone who has realized that consistency is what is actually missing, it's not a lack of information or a lack of willpower or lack of discipline.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's actually just consistency.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: That is the actual key to health goals is consistency.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: If you are realizing that you like structure and accountability, that you could feel the difference in focusing on one commitment at a time and you don't want to lose your motivation.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: You want help adjusting your plan when life gets busy instead of quitting every time.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you're done with extremes and quick fixes and you finally want to build trust with yourself, then I really want to invite you to think about what is next.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: Because 21 days is a really awesome start.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: But if you want lasting change, the kind that you can trust, the kind that sticks around even when life is hard, you need more time.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: You need a program that is designed for real life and for this season of life, not the perfect conditions like textbook perfect, right?
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: You need support that helps you stay committed even when motivation fades.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: And you need to give yourself permission to take the time it actually takes to build habits that last.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, I want to encourage you, invite you to give yourself grace.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: Grace for not being perfect.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: We are humans and we are actually incapable of perfection.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: So let it go.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: Grace for the times that you have fallen off in the past.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: Grace for the fact that change takes longer than we want it to, always.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: We live in a culture that promises quick fixes, like lose 10 pounds in two weeks or transform your body in 30 days.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's just not real and it's not sustainable.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: Real lasting change, the kind where you're not white knuckling it, the kind where habits actually feel easy because they're part of who you are, the kind where you trust yourself, it takes time.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: It takes practice, it takes support, it takes adjusting your plan A a hundred times.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: It takes coming back after you fall off the wagon.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: It takes building a new identity, one choice at a time.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just not going to happen overnight.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: So wherever you are right now, whether you are finishing the challenge and thinking about what's next, or you're just tired of starting over on your health journey, I want you to ask yourself: am I willing to give myself the time and the support that I actually need to make this last?
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because you are worth it.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: You're worth the investment, you're worth the time, you are worth showing up for.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about never falling off.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's about learning how to get back on.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's not about waiting for the perfect conditions.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: It's about practicing staying committed even when life is messy.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_00: And just remember, how you finish one thing is how you start the next.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: So finish strong.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: Make yourself proud.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: And if you want help with that, you don't want to do this alone, I am here for you.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever you decide, I am proud of you for being here.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm proud of you for not giving up.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm proud of you for considering what's next instead of just letting this fade away.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: I am rooting for you.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_00: If today's episode resonated with you, please make sure that you are following and subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss a future episode.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have another sister in midlife who could really benefit from this message today, would you take a moment and just share this episode with her?
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: I am just so grateful that you are here.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: We're 18 episodes in, and I have loved every minute of this.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like I don't know if I'll ever run out of things to say.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: But if you have feedback from me or you just want to pop over to Instagram at Jones BitSound and say hi, I'd love to hear from you.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, my friend.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, progress over perfection and consistency over intensity.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, keep growing, keep glowing, and bye for now.