Mindset & Habits

Have you tried over and over (and over) again to lose weight + get in shape, and lasted only a couple of weeks or even months? I can almost guarantee that the problem lies with your mind and habits.

You can have the most dedicated thought in your mind, be so determined to succeed this time, that you can’t imagine failing!

But then you do fail. Again.

Maybe you get motivated again, perhaps by something you read, perhaps because you really don’t want to give away your favorite pants but you can’t fit into them.

So you give it a go again! You’re REALLY determined this time, and nothing is going to stop you. And maybe you make it a little longer this time.

Maybe you get to your goal weight/size and the jeans fit for the first time in years! Yay you!

And then, little by little, the weight comes back, the old habits start to overpower the new ones that were barely cultivated sprouts. They wither up and die on the vine.

There HAS to be a better way!

And there is. It’s your mind and your habits. Our brains evolved processes to keep us safe, and to desire as much food as possible in case we couldn’t find any for a while.

There were dangers lurking all around. We needed to conserve as much energy as possible in order to ward off all these dangers. Consequently, your “primitive” brain conserves this energy by defaulting to tried and true habits that keep us safe.

Keep us safe….according to 10,000 year-ago life. Back when we foraged for food all the live long day, and had mean animals foraging for US.

But for the most part, modern humans don’t have these problems. We have way MORE food and leisure time around than ever before–really than before about 100 years ago.

So, what are we supposed to do? Surprising as it may seem, we kind of have to do the exact opposite of what our primitive brain wants us to do.

You see, your brain wants to avoid pain, but experience pleasure. Pain could be not eating the donut you so desperately want right now, and the pleasure could be actually eating it.

But those are the exact sorts of things that have gotten you into this mess. Eating everything you want when you want it and not depriving yourself. Sounds like just what the brain has in mind.

But that was then. This is now. The current real world as we live in it. This doesn’t work anymore.

We need to shift gears and just grind it out, right? No, no no! This is what you’ve been doing endlessly all these years and where has it gotten you?

Best case is nowhere. Worst case is that you completely shut down and just give up.

“Failure is only the opportunity more intelligently to begin again.”

― Henry Ford

It doesn’t have to be this way. You can actually CHANGE the things you desire. Yes, I said that. You can change from wanting to eat donuts to NOT being interested in eating donuts.

You can change from disliking vegetables to LIKING vegetables. It all has to do with your mind and habits. Can you do this instantly? No, it takes some time and practice.

But what worthwhile thing doesn’t? And even if you start and it takes you a year to get where you want to be, won’t the year go by anyway? Wouldn’t you rather reach a goal you’ve been striving for all your adult life than stay stuck where you are?

So, if your biggest challenge is your own mind (and for most people, it is), read the posts in the mind category. I’ll be continually adding to them as time goes along.

And don’t forget to join my Facebook group!