As we continue to challenge ourselves in all things, we must be mindful of balance. We got an earful and learned a thing or three when we chatted with Jillian Michaels to be properly motivated.
There are some people that inspire and it has nothing to do with their path in life but the way that they go about just getting it done. The method to
their madness and how they apply it to all facets in their life are great takeaways for how you can do the same.
As a health guru, Jillian Michaels never stops and knows how to stay focused on her goals. This Terminator that we love can motivate masses of people to stay on the path of eating right and exercising, while she continues to embrace opportunities that come her way. The Celebrity Trainer,
author, TV personality, fitness designer, consultant, mother of two and partner to Heidi Rhoades is a powerhouse as a brand and individual. She pushes her boundaries means through hard work and keeping it real. With each lane that she takes on, we get the opportunity to learn more about her insatiable drive as well as the woman behind the system.
Later this month, the E! series Just Jillian, gives access to the driven (this we know) and softer side of Jillian through her home life, appearances,
adding more layers to her dynasty. It’s the inner workings of the woman who essentially works every day to figure it out through the day to day and challenging parts of life. At the end of the day, it’s about making it happen and staying even keel in the process. Jillian is certainly no stranger to reality TV by any means as we all know her from NBC’s Biggest Loser and last fall, she was the co-host of Spike TV’s Sweat Inc which was a Shark Tank for those creating fitness systems/methods. In this show, she challenged, motivated and questioned participants on what they created and how it was applicable within studio fitness systems. In addition, she personally worked out each method providing ample feedback.
She took this same approach when she collaborated with Kmart on her fitness line, Impact by Jillian Michaels. This came out of a need to have an athletic line that she notes as “progressive and cool” while being accessible to the masses. In true Jillian style, she shared that it had to be functional and performance driven with fun style. In addition, true to her brand she stands behind the fact that it can be worn multiple times without falling apart, is at a moderate price point and every item is wear-tested by her.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | JILLIAN MICHAELS
We know that all of this is merely a drop in the bucket within the world of Jillian Michaels in terms of her day to day. The Athleisure Mag team will definitely set our DVRs to check out the golden nuggets of truth on her show as she’s a straight shooter. But what can we do right now to be healthy, crush our responsibilities and find time for a friends, family and ourselves.
2016 is a blank canvas to our health vision and she gave Athleisure Mag her no nonsense answers to eliminate any excuses that you may attempt to utter when you need a little encouragement. With the New Year comes the commitment of many who are ready to get fit (seriously); however, some lose their way. Jillian explains that she has, “heard every excuse in the book for why people can’t make the time to work out or completely fall off track”. “There are few things you can do to ensure you don’t lose focus. First off, set a specific, realistic goal. It can’t be ‘ I want to lose weight,’ “ she says. Make the reason, I want to get into a dress or get in shape for a vacation. This goal is achievable as it is anchored into an experience that you want o be in. “Once you have that, make sure to write it down in places that you will see it and for an added dose of accountability”, she suggests “to place it on Facebook”. We all know that once you post, it’s officially a thing and you’d be surprised at the amount of motivation that you will receive from those within your network.
With the initial motivation set, the fitness guru has an interesting piece of advice, “don’t let one slip up completely derail you. It’s OKAY to miss a workout, we all get off track some times — just make sure you find your focus the next day”. Coming from her, it’s easy to see that she understand
that no one is perfect; however, we have to get back up if we are truly committed.
The decision to work out and to stick with it is one of many steps that you’ll take on the road to fitness. But there are so many options out there and many are fads within dieting as well as fitness trends. We had to ask what she thinks about this. “Fads are considered fads for a reason - they go out of style just as quickly as they came in.” By trying all of these options, it can be really confusing and can cause your body to get off track!
Jillian keeps it real. “I’m old school in the sense that hard work - regular strong interval training, eating right, tracking everything you put in your mouth and burning more calories than you consume - is the key to losing weight and getting fit”. As a side note when it comes to weight loss and eating, she is a less is more kind of girl. Her 80/20 rule focuses on eating healthier foods 80% of the time and having treat foods at 20%. In addition, “avoid fake foods and chemicals” when you can.
Jillian is focused on the whole body, she reminds us that we should build a better life overall and not just a better body. It is important to have good health as well as to connect and cultivate your passions.
Read more interviews, features and see our editorials in our inaugural Jan issue.
