- Brittany Runs A Marathon shows you how to work smarter
- 3 key messages the diet industry DOESN’T tell you
- yes, change IS possible!
Brittany Runs A Marathon is a new drama-comedy.
As soon as I read the title I was hooked.
I’m guessing “Brittany” has the whole rags-to-riches thing going on… a common story line that’s catnip for Type A Personalities like me.
I love when a hot mess gets her shizzazzel together. I LOVE stories about dramatic change.
And I’m not alone.
Amazon acquired this movie for a whopping 14 million dollars, believing this film would find it’s people. And it did!
Brittany Runs A Marathon won the audience award at Sundance.
It’s just so inspiring to watch someone realize they’re not living to their potential and then actually DO something about it.
That’s why I clicked the little white arrow on the Brittany Runs A Marathon trailer:
(You’ll get the most out of this post if you do too!)
So far I’ve only watched the Brittany Runs A Marathon trailer
But from those 2 minutes I think:
Brittany decides to lose weight.
Brittany starts running.
Our girl Brittany loses weight.
…Am I a genius, or what?
The Brittany Runs A Marathon trailer teaches us unpopular truths
Aside from what already makes Brittany Runs A Marathon a winner (it takes place in New York and I’d watch paint dry in New York) there’s tons of rarely talked about weight-loss messages.
So I’m focusing on 3 ideas that the diet industry DOESN’T talk about enough; 3 key bits of brilliance for anyone who wants to improve any part of their life.
1st thing I love about Brittany Runs A Marathon:
Brittany wants to change
Brittany’s transformation begins when she takes herself to the doctor.
Initially it appears she just wants Adderall… but there’s something that made Brittany actually take her doctor’s advice RATHER than go to a 2nd doctor and try for Adderall, again. So I still conclude that Brittany was ready for REAL change.
In order to evolve, the desire must begin within yourself.
You don’t have to do it on your own.
You just need to decide on your own, that you’re done being a caterpillar.
…Like a parent can buy all the hockey equipment in the world, sign their kid up for the best coaches and drive them to the rink… but if their child isn’t interested in hockey, it ain’t going to happen.
As someone in the trailer says:
“You changing your life was never about losing weight. It was about taking responsibility for yourself.”
– someone who seems to be a key player in Brittany Runs A Marathon
Then… after you decide to make a change, tell someone about it!
Once you open up, the world’s your oyster.
What brings you in today?— Doctor
I have a hard time focusing.— Brittany
Connecting with other people, especially those who’ve been there and back, will give you answers.
Brittany Runs A Marathon is realistic in that Brittany didn’t go to the doctor’s with all her ducks in a row.
She simply:
- knew she needed to make some kind of change
- listened to her doctor
- & was willing to try something new
Yay Brittany!
You had a burning desire to make your life better.
My Brittany Runs a Marathon moment
My first turning point was when I realized that all my attempts to lose weight were interrupting the rest of my life. So I went down to the Student Health Services at my university and made an appointment with a doctor. By then, all my (self-defeating) weight-loss methods had caught up with me. (I punished myself after every failed attempt to stick to my diet perfectly via not handing in assignments, cancelling plans with friends, etc.) Hitting rock bottom gave me a moment to press pause and take stock of my life…
I’d fallen so far behind in everything that mattered to me and I had no idea how to fix my situation. But no matter how hard I tried things kept getting worse. Finally I was able to loosen the grip I had on my weight-loss approach and ask for help. My doctor quickly diagnosed me with OCD and helped me break down all the MISINFORMATION I had collected over the years about eating and exercise. At last I understood that asking for help was a STRENGTH.
2nd thing I love about Brittany Runs A Marathon:
We learn how to make the oh-so seductive idea of Dramatic Change happen
Brittany takes baby steps.
When you want to make a huge change in any area of your life, the most important thing you do sounds counter intuitive.
But it works!
Baby steps create the biggest improvements and even better, baby steps make change l-a-s-t.
This quote came from a Brittany Runs a Marathon cast interview:
“We all have things we want to improve on. But we always say I’ll start tomorrow. And we keep putting it off. Putting it off. Putting it off… But [this movie is about] what happens if like Brittany just starts. And you learn [change happens with] progress not perfection…”
– Utkarsh Ambudkar, possibly the love interest in Brittany Runs a Marathon
So often people think weight loss is all about food! ...one block...— Brittany, Brittany Runs A Marathon
But along with having good eating and exercise information you also need an effective strategy to build those healthy habits.
Taking baby steps is half of the life-changing strategy I share in my book.
My Brittany Runs a Marathon moment
I was stuck on immediate reinvention. I believed I could muster the determination to do everything different tomorrow. It took me 10 years to understand change isn’t about willpower. It’s about getting used to small changes and building on them. Then you discover what works for you rather than taking a total stab in the dark. For instance, a diet will say “eat 7 almonds at 8 pm for a snack.” But picking a random, precise amount to eat is a shock to your system that you can only keep up for so long. That’s why diet’s don’t work. Building healthy habits made it easy for me to lose weight and keep it off for the last 20 years (without ever feeling deprived).
Building healthy habits looks like this:
“So usually I eat 3 cookies after dinner. Tonight I’ll try to eat 2. And I’ll do that for a while before I make another change.”
OR
“I usually purge 17 times a week. This week I’m going to aim to purge one time less (16) and work down from there.”
3rd thing I love about Brittany Runs A Marathon:
We witness the magic of momentum
The Brittany Runs A Marathon trailer highlights all the incredible things that happen when you focus on health.
I want to run the New York City Marathon...— Brittany, Brittany Runs A Marathon
Like Brittany seems to:
- have more energy
- be more present
- feel more peaceful
- go after more goals (getting a job & running a marathon)
- make more meaningful connections (looks like there could be a romantic subplot… I love me a love story! Especially one that starts as a friendship.)
And losing weight is another positive outcome Brittany experiences.
Making health a priority pushes over the first domino between you and everything wonderful your life can become.
The first (baby!) step is the hardest—whether it’s running one block or walking one block or any other tiny change.
Everything gets easier after you start because all the incredible ripple effects (like those listed above) keep you motivated.
My Brittany Runs a Marathon moment
I lost weight FOR GOOD when I finally started focusing on being healthy instead of being thin. Focusing on health simplified all my decisions which gave me more time to focus on school and life. It was so FREEING to stop being preoccupied by trying to lose weight. (I truly had what I now know is the classic “OMG… I hear birds singing…” experience.) And it was so fun to start to enjoy fashion rather than dress to camouflage my weight as I’d done for the previous decade. But the greatest thing of all is I met my best friend and partner Alex.
A few more things I love about Brittany Runs A Marathon
This is all speculation of course, but the trailer seems to share some other key ideas, like:
1. Pick a bigger goal than losing weight
Deciding to run a marathon gives Brittany an event to work toward rather than fixating on weight. A 5km is also exciting. (If you want to lose weight and get healthy, avoid getting obsessive about exercise and focus on building a healthy exercise routine first.) Other goals could be lowering your cholesterol or saving money. Like each week you binge one time less or drink less diet pop, put some money in a jar to put toward something meaningful.
2. Open up, it helps you face fears
Brittany confides to someone on the phone:
My whole life the world told me I was lazy because of the way I looked.
Sharing this concern allows Brittany to work through those negative thoughts and see herself differently. For the 10 years I was overweight I also worried that everyone thought I didn’t care about my health or that I loved food. The reality was I just needed the right information to turn my life around. I just needed to work smarter, not harder. Connecting helps you feel less alone and get good information.
3. You don’t have to join a fancy gym
I love that the Brittany Runs A Marathon trailer hits this point home. There’s so many ways to move your body without an expensive gym membership.
4. Humour makes everything better
There’s lots of comedy in Brittany Runs A Marathon. For instance I love when Brittany starts pet sitting and says in a nasally “top-drawer” kind of way:
“Alright, I’ll stay.”
5. Your life can transform
Brittany Runs A Marathon is based on a true story—which is encouraging! As Brittany’s maybe landlord (?) says near the start of the trailer:
Believing this truth makes all the difference.
Make Today Count
What baby step can you take TODAY?
What unhealthy habit can you adapt to make healthier?
Consider:
Eating a balanced snack when you’re hungry between meals.
Using full-fat cream cheese instead of low-fat cream cheese.
Eating a whole egg instead of just the white of an egg.
Build healthy eating and exercise habits. A healthy weight will follow.
Next Steps:
What’s the most unhealthy thing you’re doing? When I worked on slowly breaking down the BIGGEST weight-loss mistake it helped so many other healthy choices fall into place. Sign up below and you’ll INSTANTLY get the fix to the biggest mistake. It’s the most UNHEALTHY thing I did (for years, sadly without realizing) when I was trying to lose weight. Even if you’re only doing a mild version of it… making this change makes ALL the difference.
Ok… so I’m on me way (as the Brits say) to watch the full Brittany Runs A Marathon movie.
I was going to say “I’m going to run there…” but I have bad knees from years of over-exercising so I’m going to bike.
Scotiabank Theatre… here I come!
Special thanks to HUME Media who sent me the cinema vouchers I used to watch the full Brittany Runs A Marathon movie (after writing this post.) Hume printed my book and working with them is a dream! They’re so much fun and so professional.
Have you seen Brittany Runs A Marathon?
What did you think?
What do you love about this film or trailer? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you.
These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
You'll also be subscribed to my newsletter. Don’t like it? Unsubscribe in one click
These kinds of meals and snacks unlocked my HAPPY weight 21+ years ago (I lost 30 pounds without dieting!)
You'll also be subscribed to my newsletter. Don’t like it? Unsubscribe in one click
Sharing what I learned makes the 10 years I STRUGGLED worth it
I look forward to seeing this movie, Kelly! Thank you so much!
It’s such an inspiring film Kathy! The movie theater was full of a diverse group of people from super young to seniors! And there’s some interesting plot developments I didn’t expect from watching the trailer. xoKelly
Thanks so much for your this inspiring article. I found this article after watched the movie. Regards from West java, Indonesia.
After I watch a movie I always Google it too! LOVE knowing all the behind-the-scenes details. Thanks for your comment Wilfrid. Are you planning on running a marathon or building a new exercise routine? 🙂 Kelly