It’s Not about Willpower; It’s a Habit

CHANGING YOUR EATING HABITS ISN’T A MATTER OF MIND OVER FOOD. RATHER, IT’S LEARNING HOW FOOD AFFECTS YOUR MIND. YOU’RE WATCHING HEALTHY LIVING IN THE FOUR CORNERS, BROUGHT TO YOU BY HABIT. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE. LOSING WEIGHT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WANT TO LOSE A LOT, CAN SEEM LIKE AN OVERWHELMING TASK. WILL YOU MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES? WILL YOU SUSTAIN THE WILL POWER TO KEEP AT IT? WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU SLIP OFF YOUR DIET? CHANGING YOUR DIET ISN’T ABOUT WILLPOWER, SAYS PROFESSIONAL NUTRITIONIST JOLIE ENSIGN. IT’S ALL ABOUT TAKING LITTLE ACTIONS, LEARNING STRATEGIES, AND ADDING SMALL HABITS TO THE GOOD HABITS YOU ALREADY HAVE. IF YOU BRUSH YOUR TEETH EVERY MORNING, GET INTO THE HABIT OF TAKING YOUR SUPPLEMENTS OR OTHER MEDICATIONS AT THE SAME TIME. WHEN YOU FIX YOUR MEAL, USE RICED CAULIFLOWER INSTEAD OF MASHED POTATOES TO BUILD A MENU OF PROTEIN, COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, AND DAIRY FAT. ENSIGN SAYS ONE ACTION THAT CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR SUCCESS IS TO CREATE A SUPPORT SYSTEM.ANOTHER ACTION WOULD BE HAVING A FRIEND, COWORKER, DO IT WITH YOU OR WORKING WITH A COACH. SO YOU HAVE THAT ACCOUNTABILITY AND THAT SUPPORT TO KEEP YOU ON TRACK. KEEP CHECKING IN. IT DOESN’T ALL HAVE TO COME FROM INSIDE AND BE HARD WORK IF WE’RE JUST TAKING BABY STEPS AND AGAIN, KIND OF STACKING THOSE GOOD HABITS TOGETHER.DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF YOUR NUTRITION REBOOT, YOU WILL BE ELIMINATING PROCESSED FOODS, SUGARS, AND HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS, AND YOUR BODY MAY EXPERIENCE WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING A GENERAL SENSE OF MALAISE AS YOU ADJUST TO A DIET WITHOUT THE QUICK ENERGY FIX FROM SUGARS. MORE RARELY, YOU MAY EXPERIENCE NAUSEA AND HEADACHES FOR A FEW DAYS. THAT’S WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ADD ANOTHER SMALL HABIT BY LOGGING WHAT YOU EAT AND HOW IT MAKES YOU FEEL.LOGGING YOUR FOOD, TIME OF DAY THAT YOU’RE EATING, AMOUNTS, WHAT YOU’RE EATING, HOW YOU WERE FEELING BEFORE YOUR MEAL. WHERE WAS YOUR HUNGER AFTER YOUR MEAL? WHERE’S YOUR HUNGER AT? HOW’S YOUR ENERGY, HOW’S YOUR MOOD? SO WRITING THOSE THINGS DOWN, CREATING THAT CONNECTION, THAT AWARENESS, AND THEN, ALSO NOTING ANY LOW-CARB FLU EFFECTS, NOTICING WHEN THEY STARTED, WHEN THEY ENDED, THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER AND THE MORE YOU NOTICE HOW FOOD CAN AFFECT DIFFERENT THINGS IN YOUR LIFE, YOU’RE MORE LIKELY TO STAY ON PLAN AND CREATE THIS LOW-CARB NUTRITION EATING STYLE JUST AS YOUR WAY OF LIFE. AS YOU BEGIN TO FEEL YOUR BODY RESPOND TO YOUR NUTRITION REBOOT, YOU’LL ALSO WANT TO RECORD THE AMOUNT AND QUALITY OF SLEEP, A KEY COMPONENT OF LOSING WEIGHT.ARE YOU GETTING SEVEN-PLUS HOURS OF SLEEP? IS IT IN A NICE, DARK, COOL ROOM? MAYBE USING WHITE NOISE OR EARPLUGS TO HELP YOU SLEEP, PRACTICING DEEP BREATHING. IF, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE PRACTICING DEEP BREATHING TO HELP YOU SLEEP, USING DEEP BREATHING ALSO TO MANAGE STRESS, BECAUSE STRESS IS A BIG FACTOR, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT. IF YOU’RE ASLEEP AND STRESS IS POOR QUALITY, THEN YOU AREN’T GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT. YOU HAVE TO GET THOSE THINGS DIALED IN. THOSE THINGS HAVE TO DO WITH YOUR HORMONES. AND IF YOUR NUTRITION IS POOR, THEN YOUR HORMONE SIGNALING IS POOR.WITHIN A FEW WEEKS, YOU SHOULD START FEELING A GREATER SENSE OF WELL-BEING. YOU WON’T FEEL THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF ENERGY RUSHES THAT SUGARY FOODS GIVE YOU, YOU WON’T EXPERIENCE ‘HANGRINESS,’ AND WITHOUT HUNGER PANGS, YOU’LL FEEL LESS STRESS.AGAIN, IT’S GOING BACK TO JUST THE CONNECTIONS, THE AWARENESS, FEELING, THE BENEFITS WITH SWITCHING UP YOUR DIET TO LOW-CARB, HIGHER PROTEIN, HEALTHY FATS. YOU’RE GOING TO NOTICE THE IMPROVEMENTS, SLEEP, LESS STRESS, BETTER ENERGY, BETTER SKIN, LESS JOINT PAIN, LESS INFLAMMATION, BETTER GUT HEALTH. IT JUST KEEPS GOING AND GOING.IF YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ADOPTING STRATEGIES AND STACKING HABITS TO CHANGE YOUR NUTRITION HABITS, CONTACT ENSIGN AT HABIT DURANGO DOT COM. THANKS FOR WATCHING THIS EDITION OF HEALTHY LIVING, BROUGHT TO YOU BY HABIT AND THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE.