Episode 33: Living the Maintenance Life with Anna Loflin and Jill Myers

In this episode of Training Age, hosts Heather Adams and Valerie Lusvardi welcome Anna and Jill for an insightful conversation on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and navigating the mindset shifts that come with it. Heather shares her recent experience with minimalism and a colonoscopy, highlighting the importance of preventative healthcare, while Val gives an update on life as a busy sports mom and how she balances family and personal well-being. Anna and Jill bring their own stories to the table, offering real-life perspectives on the challenges and successes of sustaining long-term health goals.

The discussion explores the concept of “peaceful striving” in fitness, inspired by Jill’s journey. Together, they unpack the transition from fat loss to maintenance, emphasizing the importance of recognizing progress beyond physical changes. Anna reflects on the mental shift required after reaching a deficit goal, and the group discusses how to nurture good habits while making exercise an enjoyable part of everyday life. Using the metaphor of a dimmer switch, they explore the balance between discipline and flexibility, and how tracking can be a valuable tool in achieving sustainable health.

Heather, Val, Anna, and Jill also dive into the mindset challenges that come with maintenance, touching on body image, self-perception, and shifting from scale-based to performance-based goals. They emphasize the value of embracing maintenance as a lifelong commitment, setting non-negotiable goals, and finding joy in consistency. With the 80/20 rule as a guiding principle, the conversation highlights how intentional living and a supportive community can lead to a fulfilling, balanced approach to health and fitness.

This episode is filled with practical strategies and personal insights, encouraging listeners to reframe their perspective on health, celebrate progress in all its forms, and build a sustainable, rewarding lifestyle.

Episode Summary

(0:00:08) - Women Discuss Health Maintenance & Lifestyle (14 Minutes)

This chapter brings excitement as we welcome special guests, Anna and Jill, to discuss the concept of maintenance in personal health journeys. Before diving into the main topic, Heather shares her recent journey into minimalism, expressing the joy of decluttering, while Val updates us on her bustling life as a sports mom, particularly with her son's involvement in freshman basketball. Heather also candidly recounts her recent experience with a colonoscopy, emphasizing the importance of preventative healthcare for peace of mind. As we transition to our guests, we hear from Jill, a busy mom from East Tennessee, who balances her full-time healthcare career and family life while prioritizing her health. Together, we explore the challenges and successes of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, providing real-life examples and insights from Anna and Jill's personal experiences.

(0:14:30) - Peaceful Striving in Health Maintenance (9 Minutes)

This chapter explores the concept of "peaceful striving" within the context of maintaining fitness goals, as inspired by Jill's journey. We reflect on how striving for a balanced lifestyle doesn't require constant urgency and can positively impact other life areas. Jill shares her experience transitioning from a fat loss phase to maintenance, emphasizing the importance of recognizing success beyond visible changes and embracing steady progress without external validation. Anna discusses the challenges of shifting focus after achieving a deficit goal and the importance of developing habits that support long-term wellness. We highlight the satisfaction in nurturing good habits, making exercise an enjoyable part of life, and approaching goals with intention rather than anxiety.

(0:23:55) - Balancing Discipline and Freedom in Maintenance (8 Minutes)

This chapter explores the concept of balancing health and fitness goals with other life priorities, using the metaphor of a dimmer switch to illustrate how focus can shift over time. We discuss the importance of reducing self-criticism while maintaining accountability, encouraging introspection to understand behaviors and plan for challenges. We address the misconception that reaching a maintenance phase in fitness means abandoning discipline, emphasizing that continued effort and structure, like logging food and sticking to non-negotiables, can lead to a harmonious balance. The idea is presented that what might seem restrictive, such as measuring food, can actually offer freedom and peace by providing a structured framework within which to enjoy life's pleasures without guilt.

(0:32:12) - The Value of Tracking in Maintenance (10 Minutes)

This chapter explores the journey and complexities of transitioning from weight loss to maintenance. We discuss the necessity of learning new skills in maintenance, where tracking plays a crucial role in achieving balance. There's an emphasis on the effort required to make tracking second nature, as opposed to the structured guidance found in a weight loss deficit. We acknowledge that each person's approach to tracking and intuitive eating is unique, highlighting the importance of understanding one's relationship with these practices. For some, tracking can be empowering and liberating, while for others, it may trigger negative patterns. We compare maintaining a healthy body to managing a financial budget, stressing the need for mindful monitoring to prevent chaos. Finally, we share personal experiences on how initial efforts in tracking can eventually lead to a sense of freedom and reduced mental load, demonstrating that mastery over time can result in what appears to be an effortless process.

(0:41:59) - Overcoming Mindset Challenges in Maintenance (11 Minutes)

This chapter focuses on the complex relationship between body image, fitness goals, and self-perception. Jill shares her experience of navigating the transition from a successful fat loss phase to maintaining her weight, emphasizing the challenge of letting go of the association between leanness and success. We explore the importance of shifting focus from scale-based goals to performance-based ones, like increasing strength in specific exercises, and how nourishing the body is essential for achieving these objectives. Anna discusses her journey of self-acceptance, highlighting how she's learned to reduce self-criticism and appreciate her body's capabilities despite some weight regain. We examine how adopting an abundance mindset can foster a healthier relationship with oneself, turning away from self-critical language and embracing personal growth. This chapter encourages a reevaluation of success and happiness at various stages of fitness and body transformation.

(0:53:13) - Embracing Maintenance Challenges and Rewards (5 Minutes)

This chapter focuses on the challenges and rewards of maintaining fitness goals, emphasizing that maintenance is a long-term commitment rather than a quick fix. We explore the mental and physical aspects of maintaining progress, including the importance of reflecting on past achievements to appreciate current progress. The conversation highlights the role of a coach in providing an outside perspective, which can be crucial for those struggling to see their own progress. Key takeaways include the significance of committing to a period of no-transcript, the necessity of letting go of perfection, and the value of flexibility in daily routines. We discuss how setting non-negotiable goals, like daily step counts or meal planning, can aid in maintaining consistency. Finally, the conversation underscores the importance of embracing maintenance as a part of life and recognizing its benefits in fostering long-term health and fitness habits.

(0:58:36) - Building a Successful Maintenance Strategy (7 Minutes)

This chapter focuses on the importance of living at maintenance and how the 80/20 rule—balancing discipline with flexibility—can be beneficial. We emphasize the value of having a coach as a neutral party for guidance and accountability, sharing personal experiences of working with a coach named Heather. We explore how the skills learned in maintenance can enhance success in a fat loss phase, noting the steadiness and non-reactivity that contribute to progress. Personal admiration for clients Anna and Jill is expressed, highlighting their dedication, willingness to learn, and ability to balance personal goals with other life priorities. The conversation underscores how intentional living and striving toward goals can lead to a fulfilling life, emphasizing the power of community, support, and the joy of maintaining good health and relationships.