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December 28, 2024 13 mins

OUTWEIGH: In this episode of Outweigh we’re tossing out the tired “New Year, New You” playbook. Instead of sprinting into another year burdened by rules, restrictions, and impossible goals, we’re exploring what it looks like to trade stress for self-compassion and external pressure for true inner alignment. Rather than chasing some perfect version of yourself, what if you focused on creating your happiest year yet?

Join Leanne as she talks through why traditional resolutions often fail—and how shifting your priorities from “being better” to actually feeling better can completely transform how you approach the year ahead. Let’s make room for experiences, joy, and nourishment of the mind, body, and soul—no more ‘shoulds,’ just genuine happiness.

HOST: Leanne Ellington // StresslessEating.com // @leanneellington

To learn more about re-wiring your brain to heal from the all-or-nothing diet mentality for good....but WITHOUT restricting yourself, punishing your body, (and definitely WITHOUT ever having to use words like macros, low-carb, or calorie burn) check out Leanne's FREE Stressless Eating Webinar @ www.StresslessEating.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I won't let my body out me outwait everything that
I'm made, don't won't spend my life trying to change.
I'm learning love who I am, I get, I'm strong,
I feel free, I know everybody of me. It's beautiful
and that will always out way if you feel it

(00:24):
with your hands.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
And there fell some love to the food.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
Why they let's say good day and did you and
die out way?

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Happy Saturday out wayh it's leaning in here, and as
we step into this new year, I want to talk
about something that might surprise you, or maybe it won't
surprise you, and it's that new year's resolutions don't work,
at least not the way we've all been taught to
do them. And so if you're tired of starting every
January feeling like you're racing against time or desperate to,

(00:55):
you know, air quotes fix your body or your life
or your habits, I'm here to offer a different way forward,
one that is definitely kinder and more sustainable and actually
align with what you really want. And so right now
you're probably being bombarded by messages telling you what you
should be doing to make twenty twenty five amazing, Like

(01:16):
a new meal thing a new workout regimen, some thirty
day challenge to you know, jumpstart your health or your career.
And it's everywhere, and it's tempting to dive on in,
thinking that maybe, just maybe, this time it'll be different.
But let's get real, Like, how many times have you
done this same dance? Like how many Januaries have begun

(01:37):
with strict rules and grand promises and a surge of motivation,
only to fizzle out by February, really leaving you feeling
more defeated than when you started. And I see it
year after year, especially with women, and I've lived it myself,
Like we come out of the holidays exhausted, We've bent
over backwards trying to make everything perfect, you know, the

(01:57):
gatherings and the gifts and the meals and the stress
piles up. I call it the holiday hangover. When you
hit January already burned out, not energize. Instead of feeling renewed,
you feel drained. And because it's you know, new year,
new you season, we feel compelled to set new goals
and sign up for another program and force ourselves into

(02:19):
a mold that we never really fit in. But let's
ask the big question, Like, since when is adding more
to an already overwhelmed life a good strategy? And when
does piling on more tasks fix burnout? Well it doesn't,
and we know it doesn't, and yet we keep doing
it year after year because we think that that's what

(02:39):
we're supposed to do, and we think achieving more and
doing more and striving more will fix something inside us.
But what if it just makes it worse? And so
today I'm suggesting you do something radical for at least
a week, maybe more. Don't buy into anyone's new program like,

(03:00):
step away from quick fixes and the magical promises, and
instead give yourself what you truly need right now, which
is rest and reflection and a chance to catch your
breath and figure out what you honestly want, not what
the Internet says that you should want. And so a
few years ago I found myself in this exact position.

(03:21):
And I'd spent way too many New Years writing out
goals and resolutions that revolved around, you know, changing my
body or expanding my business or hitting certain milestones. And
so every year I told myself like this would be
the year I'd finally become that perfect, more accomplished version
of me. But it never led to lasting fulfillment. Instead,

(03:43):
it brought stress and self judgment and this sinking feeling
that no matter what I accomplished, it wasn't enough. And
then one year I decided to try something different. I
sat down with a piece of paper and I wrote
at the top my best year. Yeah, okay, my best
year yet. But I started staring at those words, and

(04:04):
I realized that the word best implied more striving and measuring,
because more of the old same pattern. I'd measure my
best by external achievements or you know, pounds loss or
money earned or projects completed. And I knew where that
road led, right to just more stress and shame and
never feeling good enough. And so I scratched out the

(04:25):
word best and I wrote the word happiest, like my
happiest year yet. And so just switching that one word
opened up a door in my mind, and suddenly I
wasn't thinking about what I needed to do to impress anyone,
not even myself. I was thinking about what would make
me truly happy, not what should make me happy or

(04:48):
what others say is success, but what actually brings me
joy and peace and ease. And so happiness, I realized,
is deeply personal, like it is not a metric on
a scale or in a bank account. It is an
experience and a feeling and a state of being. And
when I focus on my own happiness, I'm forced to

(05:09):
turn inward and to ask myself what matters to me
at a soul level, instead of comparing myself to others
or chasing arbitrary milestones. I become my own compass, and
I measure my life by how I feel rather than
what I produce. And so this shift changed everything. And
so suddenly the noise and the chatter of resolutions faded,

(05:33):
and I no longer needed to force myself into another
thirty day challenge that would leave me feeling deprived and
rebellious at the end. You know, no more step in
on the scale daily to see if I was air
quotes on track, and no more starting the year already
feeling behind. And so when I chose my happiest year yet,
it meant asking me things like what brings me joy

(05:55):
and what relationshifts lift me up, and what activities calm
anxious mind? And how can I move my body in
ways that feel nourishing and not punishing. And it meant
focusing on reducing stress and not adding more tasks, and
it meant consciously stepping off that hamster wheel of self
improvement that really never seemed to go anywhere good. And

(06:18):
so think about it. If every year you vow to
get in shape by doing something extreme, you might lose
weight for a month, but what happens after that, Like
the weight usually comes back because you never addressed why
you turn to food in the first place, and you
never healed your relationship with your body or eased the
mental anguish fueling your patterns, And so by February or March,

(06:40):
you're overwhelmed and again feeling like you failed. And this
cycle repeats year after year, eroding your confidence and your
trust in yourself if you don't flip the switch and
change the pattern. And so what if this year, instead
of trying to become the air quote's best version of yourself,
you try to be the happiest version of yourself. Like

(07:02):
what if health and fitness becomes supportive elements of your
happiness rather than tasks to earn your own worthiness. And
when happiness guides you your approach to food and movement
and self care, it naturally just shifts. And it's not
about forcing yourself to eat salads and hate everybodye It's
about discovering that certain foods make you feel light and

(07:25):
energized and that that feels good. And it's not about
punishing yourself with grueling workouts, but it's about finding movement
that brings a smile to your face, like maybe dancing
or a walk out in nature. And so happiness also
encourages you to set boundaries, like if your calendar is
jam packed and leaving you frazzled, happiness will tell you
to say no to extra obligations. And if you're staying

(07:49):
up late doom scrolling social media and comparing your body
to filtered strangers on the internet, happiness will whisper that
it's time to unplug and protect your peace of mind.
And so this doesn't mean that you'll never set goals again,
like goals can still be a part of your life,
but let them come from a place of self love
and excitement, not fear or pressure. And instead of making

(08:12):
a list of what you must accomplish this year, just
ask like, what would make me happier? And maybe that
means scheduling a weekly t date with a close friend
or investing in therapy or coaching to address old emotional wounds,
or maybe it means simplifying your meal planning so cooking
feels like an act of care rather than a chore
that you hate. Right, this approach allows you to break

(08:34):
free from the tyranny of external measures, like no more
letting the scale dictate your mood or letting your gene
size determine your value as a human being. When you
aim for happiness, you tap into that internal compass that
knows what truly matters, and you start to see what
truly matters, and that really what matters isn't hitting a

(08:57):
certain number, but feeling at home in your own life
and feeling at home in your body. And so as
this year unfolds, you might find that by prioritizing happiness,
you actually show up better in all areas, Like you
become kinder to yourself when you slip up, and more
resilient when challenges arise, and more confident in making choices

(09:18):
that align with your values. This kind of lasting, genuine
transformation beats any short lived resolution that falls apart once
life really sets in.

Speaker 1 (09:29):
Now.

Speaker 2 (09:29):
I know this might, you know, feel scary to some
of you, but you know we're so used to setting concrete,
measurable goals, and we like ticking boxes and saying that
we achieve something. But happiness is intangible and you can't
measure it in pounds or dollars, but you can feel
it right and you and it's so much more powerful
that way. When you let happiness guide you, you start

(09:52):
building a life that feels good now, not just some
distant day when you achieve you know, air quotes perfect
health or ideal success. Okay, And here's another secret. When
you nurture your happiness, you create an environment inside yourself
that makes better choices, that just feels natural, like making
better choices becomes this natural state, And that's where the

(10:15):
real magic happens. When you're not stressing about perfection or
your body, and you and your brain and your body
can just relax right, and you become open to small
positive changes that stick because they're rooted in self care,
not in self punishment. And so if you're worried that
focusing on happiness means slacken off or ignoring your health,

(10:37):
let me reassure you nothing could be farther from the truth.
True happiness includes caring for your body and mind and soul.
But you do it because it feels right, not because
you feel forced. And you can discover that nourishing foods
can be a gift, not a prison sentence, and that
moving your body can be fun and liberating, not a burden,

(11:00):
and that taking a break isn't laziness, it's replenishing your
well so that you can keep giving to yourself into others.
And so as we stand looking into the start of
this new year, I really just invite you to be
brave enough to choose happiness over hollow resolutions like let
go of the shoulds and the external pressures, and trust

(11:21):
that by taking care of your inner world, like your
emotions and your boundaries and your piece, you're going to
set the stage for everything else to thrive. And this
is how you create a year that's not just different
by a few inches on the scale, but radically different
in how you feel living it every single day. And

(11:42):
so if you catch yourself doubting or feeling like you're
missing out by not joining the latest thirty day challenge,
remember you've done that before and you know how that
story ends, and trying something new might feel uncomfortable, but
that discomfort is a sign that your breaking old patterns
that never served you well anyways. Okay, And so if

(12:03):
as you really like just to try on this new perspective,
don't be surprised if you find yourself naturally making healthier
choices and enjoying your meals more and feeling genuine contentment
in ways that no diet ever gave you. Because when
happiness leads, everything else falls into place without force. Okay,

(12:23):
So that is it for today, ladies. I truly hope
you got something valuable out of today's episode. And even
if it's just a reminder that you don't have to
go down the same dead end New Year's resolution roads
as the years past, well, well that in itself would
make me very happy. And if you want to learn
more about how I teach my clients to turn off
the part of their brain that's obsessed with food or

(12:44):
obsessed with their weight and stop having their brain work
against them, then head on over to stresslesseding dot com
and sign up to watch the Stressless Eeding sneak preview,
where I've literally peeled back the curtain and walked you
through the exact strategy I teach my clients to go
so heal themselves from the all or nothing good bad
on off roller coaster for good, but without restricting themselves

(13:07):
and punishing their bodies, and definitely without spending years in
therapy or opening up an emotional can of worms just
to do it. Okay, So it's there over for you
to access on Stressless Eeting dot com. So that is
it for today, outweigh. Talk to you next week. Bye,
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Hosts And Creators

Amy Brown

Amy Brown

Leanne Ellington

Leanne Ellington

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