December 7, 2016
We live in a society where we are bombarded with advertisements on what to eat, how to live and who to be. We’re told to eat healthy to avoid diseases yet extra sugar, salt, GMOs and other chemicals are added into almost every processed or packaged foods.
We live in a society where burgers cost near a dollar and salads cost three times as much, where we skip the organic section because it’s too expensive yet buy $200 name brand shoes. Our priorities are confused with mixed messages from the media. We’re bombarded with beauty advertisements but we’re also bombarded with chips, chocolate bar, fast food and beer ads. So it’s no wonder why it can be so hard to drop a bad unhealthy habit.
I love chips…there I said it…I love chips!!! I do, but I hate that I do. Especially now knowing how truly bad they are for me. I mean, I knew they were not healthy. Growing up I was only able to have chips on special occasions as I was told they were unhealthy. But the ‘treat’ aspect made them even more special to me. Chips became a staple for treating myself. Every time a special occasion would arise such as a birthday gathering or a friend’s BBQ or even the weekend after a good workout, I would get excited to treat myself with chips! I have always worked out and ate well overall so I would justify my chip indulgence.
There is the word….justify.
We will find all excuses in the book to indulge our unhealthy cravings. But now I know that chips are not just simply unhealthy but they contain trans-fats and other chemicals that increase your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. Even eating them once in a while is bad! I try to remind myself of the true facts when the devil on my shoulder whispers “time to treat yourself”.
Now…immersed in this course, I am applying what I learn and I try to live, eat and breathe good health. Through my trials and tribulations, I have learned that there are some fundamental rules to live by in order to truly kick a bad habit:
Align actions with goals
If we want to lose weight, be healthy or save money, we need to align our actions with what we want our end result to be. You need to send the right message to the universe. It’s impossible to achieve our goals if our actions contradict them. For instance, if you want to lower your cholesterol but you continue to eat fried foods, you will perpetuate the problem and thus worsen your condition. Instead remind yourself why you made the decision in the first place to lower your cholesterol… you want to live a healthy long life, and with that in mind, you will go for a nice salad with chicken breast instead of the fries or burger.
You will feel better and the more you do it, the more you will crave the good things!
No more excuses
We live in a busy and demanding world. At times, everyone is busy, tired or frustrated. We would never get anything done if we all surrendered to our excuses. There will always be an excuse so again, we need to stand up for our purpose and grab life by the horns! There were times when I felt so discouraged and tired and thought I could not get up and go for that run but I pushed myself up, put on my running shoes and just left. During the run, I felt so alive and afterwards I felt so accomplished. The feeling was overwhelming and I was so proud. I did it despite my excuse and I realized that my goal was more important than my excuse. So it goes to show that we can all make that extra effort to just get up and reach for the healthier alternative.
The positive outcome outweighs the effort. I know it can be difficult to find the motivation during the down times, but it’s during those times that we truly need to lift ourselves up. Exercise and a wholesome diet are both key to a healthy lifestyle which lifts your spirits and increases your energy. Let’s also remember to reach out to each other for encouragement.
Get rid of associations
We need to change the learned associations that we have created in our brains. Examples are the ‘treat’ association; “I’ve been good, I can treat myself to that bag of chips”, or the ‘I always’ association; “I always have a beer when I go to a ball game!”, or the ‘break-up rule’; “I’m sad, I deserve to eat this ice cream, it’s my comfort food”. There are so many more associations that people have created in their minds to justify their actions. We now need to make a stand and break the associations. Find something else to substitute the conditioned action to grab the bag of chips, beer or ice cream.
Sometimes just being present and appreciating the moment is all you need to rid the association. The movie will be just as good without the popcorn and the ball game will be even more fun without the beer. And if you’re sad, grab a bag of kale chips or fruit instead of ice cream or go for a nice walk. It’s amazing how fresh air and a beautiful day can brighten your mood. Next time you’re sad, you will associate the feeling with a positive outcome.
The more you continue to substitute a bad habit with the positive or healthy alternative, the more it will become second nature.
They say it takes only 28 days to break a bad habit! Give it a try! 🙂
