Self-Analysis
These next questions will take a bit of self-analysis, and are designed to dig out any negative beliefs or inner conflict. Continue reading “11. Self-Analysis”
13. Identifying Bad Habits
IDENTIFYING BAD HABITS
As we’ve discussed before it is better to spend time analysing what could go wrong before you start, this means identifying bad habits before they start. That way you can have a plan of what to do to overcome any hurdles. Think of any habits that pop into mind. For example do you finish off your children’s leftovers? I did but not anymore.
What other bad habits do you have around food? Do you always finish off your plate even if you are full? Or do you always pick up that chocolate bar when you fill up at the petrol station?
14. The Food Journal
THE FOOD JOURNAL
The food journal is a powerful tool in identifying your habits. As we’ve seen already, many of the day-to-day things we do are unconscious, but if we can shine the light of consciousness on them we can easily change them for the better. Continue reading “14. The Food Journal”
16. Find the Keystone Habit
FIND THE KEYSTONE HABIT
There is usually one habit which when changed makes all the other habits fall into place. With me it was actually getting up earlier! Continue reading “16. Find the Keystone Habit”
15. One Habit at a Time
ONE HABIT AT A TIME
The turning point in my life happened when I finally started to address one habit at a time. I am a voracious reader and collected 100s of new habits to try. I must have spent about 10 years trying to change my life and habits all at once. Like the novice juggler, one ball is easy, two much harder and three? Well they just drop them all. Repeatedly.
Make a pact to change just one thing alone and don’t move on to the next one until you are ready. Another great reason to do one thing at a time is so you know what works and what doesn’t. Carry on doing what works and ditch what doesn’t work.
17. When Does a Habit Become a Habit?
WHEN DOES A HABIT BECOME A HABIT?
When does a habit become a habit? There is no one answer to this, simply put though is you have a new habit if you perform the activity without having to remind yourself to do it.
21 days
In popular self-help literature a lot of authors recommend doing something for 21 consecutive days, for it to be a habit. This comes from Maxwell Moltz and his book Pyscho-cybernetics. This is a good start and the way I do this is that I set myself a reminder for 21 consecutive days to perform a certain task. At the end of that time if I have done the 21 days, I am happy that I can move on to the next habit.
Keep on keeping on
What would happen if you fail at the 21-day exercise. Try again. Start again from day one, but this time tweak something. If this doesn’t work tweak it again. You can now see that you cannot fail. Just keep trying and tweaking.
19. THE BEST TIME TO PERFORM A NEW HABIT
THE BEST TIME TO PERFORM AN NEW HABIT
One thing people ask me is when is the best time to perform a new habit?
What time is best to exercise, or when should I do my breathing and meditation practice? The simple answer to this is that the best time to do a new habit, is the time you can do it. If the only time you can fit in the exercise is, realistically, 9pm at night, I would rather you did it then than not at all or only intermittently.
Once you get started, you will get momentum and you will form a habit. Your body will crave the exercise. Once you have the habit, then you can play about with the timing.
18. Choose the Next Habit
CHOOSE THE NEXT HABIT
When you have completed 21 successful days it’s time to move on to the next habit. Pick one more habit to try. Only one though. Continue reading “18. Choose the Next Habit”
20. Nutrition and Protein
Nutrition and Protein
The fourth pillar in fat loss is nutrition. It sounds obvious but it does need repeating. You are made of what you eat and drink. Continue reading “20. Nutrition and Protein”
21. Carbohydrates
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are one of the three main ways of getting energy into the body, with fats and protein. These carbohydrates can be sugars or starch. The simplest sugar is glucose which, when it reacts with oxygen in the cell, releases energy. The body will ultimately break down all carbohydrates into glucose. This energy is the life force that keeps us alive and we need it constantly. Thankfully nature has provided us with a way of having a constant supply of it – by storing it as fat. That is so it is ready for those times when you need it. When you eat a meal rich in sugar there is a spike in the levels of blood sugar. This can be dangerous, so the body produces Insulin in the pancreas, then converts the glucose into glycogen. It then turns it into fats. When blood sugar drops too low, this glycogen is converted by glucagon (also from the pancreas) back into glucose.
This is the crux of all weight control: if you can control this glucose-glycogen-glucose cycle you can stop weight gain and promote healthy fat metabolism.
Sugars
Sugars are the simplest Carbohydrates– there are many different sugars, which are different combinations of the basic sugar glucose. Sucrose (table sugar), maltose (malt sugar)and lactose (milk sugar) being the most simple. The problem with simple sugars is that they break down to glucose very quickly. There is more than the body needs in too short a space of time. As we saw before too much blood sugar is dangerous. So it’s stored for later use i.e. as fat. Fructose, from fruit, is more complex and so is harder to break down into its constituent glucose parts. This ironically is good because it means it is broken down to glucose slowly. This slow release means that there is less of a spike and so less is stored as fat. That’s why it’s healthier to get your sugar fix from fruit rather than sweets.
Starch
Starches are even more complex types of carbohydrates, such as those found in potatoes and grain products. They are even slower to break down as so, again, slower to convert into fats.
Please do note though that not only are carbohydrates are great source of energy, they also act as appetite controllers.