Last week I had the chance to hang out with fitness guru and Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels for 3 hours. She shared her secrets and beliefs with me on nutrition, exercise and finding meaningful purpose for the life we’re living. Are you impressed?

Ok, ok. “Hanging out” is probably a generous way to describe it. I saw Jillian speak as part of her Maximizing Your Health Tour in Atlanta. Nevermind that I was up in the rafters.

Although Jillian didn’t share any groundbreaking information that most of us don’t already know, her conviction and philosophies were helpful reminders and motivators. Earlier this year, I chose the word “discipline” to define my 2013. Some days I’m more successful at being disciplined than others. Jillian reinspired me to stay disciplined to achieving my fitness mission statement and eating clean.

Here are the key takeaways I learned from hanging out with Jillian:

Jillian on Food

• Will power is like a muscle. The more you control your environment, the stronger it becomes.
• Think through your decisions. Mindlessness gets you into trouble. Don’t sabotage yourself because you’re thinking about what you want now rather than what you really want.
• You can’t do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Making poor choices won’t magically create positive results.
• The secret to losing weight is to eat less and move more. Jillian joked that everyone knows this is the way to get results. “Can you?” is not the question. It’s “Will you?”
• The FDA allows for 56 different names for sugar. If they didn’t have so many unique terms for our addictive sweet substance, it would be the number one ingredient in a lot of foods.
• If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it. Go chemical free, not carb or fat free. Chemicals are “Frankenfoods” – they disrupt your metabolism. The chemicals and fake ingredients that are in some packaged foods are the same ones you can find in bug spray, bleach and antifreeze. Her top 10 list of chemicals and fake foods to avoid at all costs include: transfat (hydrogenated oils), high fructose corn syrup/corn sugar, artificial colors, growth hormones (rBGH and rBST), sodium nitrates and nitrites, BHA and BHT, pesticides, sugar substitutes, MSG and antibiotics.
• Although consistently buying all organic foods can be expensive, Jillian believes that you should always eat organic meat and dairy. (I will spare you the disgusting comparison Jillian showed us between a grass fed and corn fed cow.) When it comes to fruit, she thinks you should choose organic for fruits that don’t have rinds or peels due to higher pesticide levels.
• “If you want to go Paleo, go with God. If you never eat a sandwich again, you are stronger than me.” I laughed when I heard her share this quote. After going completely paleo for 28 days, it really resonated with me!
• Bottom line: Count calories and cut out chemicals. If you are trying to lose weight, avoid carbs (starch and sugar) at dinner to maximize results.
• When you can make the better choice, make it.
• Eat 4 meals every 4 hours. Don’t skip, don’t graze.

Jillian on Exercise

• The only thing comparing ourselves to others brings is making us feel bad.
• Do what you’re capable of doing. Decide that you will do what you want to do.
• Interval training is the best way to lose weight and get fit. It combines short spurts of cardio with strength training to maximize results.
• If you don’t love exercise, do it for the other things it will allow you to do – live longer, be healthier and get more time with the people you love most.

Jillian on Having Purpose: “The why behind your why”

• Anything worth having requires hard work and sacrifice.
• Failure is an integral part of learning to be better.
• Have big goals because you are worthy of big dreams. Set long-term, monthly, weekly and daily goals so you are consistently working toward those big dreams.
• Be more present. Don’t just go through the motions of your life. Set the alarm on your phone for every hour for a week. When it goes off, ask yourself what you’re doing and how it makes you feel. This will help you be more present and aware of your actions and feelings so that you aren’t just going through the motions.
• Trust in the purpose of your purpose.

What resonates with you the most from Jillian’s thoughts and messages? Do you feel like you’re present in your life? How do you make sure you aren’t just going through the motions of relationships, exercise, eating, work, etc.?