Need a New Habit? Try This...

I have to tell you, yesterday I was in a funk ALL DAY. I don’t know what my problem was...actually, that’s a lie, I know why. The day before I ate foods I normally don’t eat and had a couple of sugary cocktails. These things combined are a recipe for a moody Brianna (Sorry husband!). I felt like a cartoon character with a cloud over my head. It was an unfortunate day to be crabby pants because Sunday is my time to food prep for the week and yesterday I was just NOT having it.  

I have a point.  

I food prep because I want my week to go smoothly and I want to eat food that agrees with me. When I don’t food prep, I end up eating things that make me feel horrible and then I feel horrible...and I turn into a monster. So, I’ve worked hard to create a good habit around prepping food on the weekend. And yesterday, I did NOT want to food prep...but I did.

You know why?

Because now, it’s a habit and I’m here to tell you, good habits will get you through the storm. When you have created a truly automatic, good habit, you don’t need willpower, you just do it (willpower...that’s a whole other blog post).  All I have to do is think of the stress it causes during the week when I don’t prep, and how I might feel if I eat something bad. THAT is the kick in the pants that pushes me into auto pilot.

When we try a new way of doing something, we are usually seeking to change our behavior because we have a goal in mind. Unfortunately, many people jump to the change and don’t do this REALLY, REALLY important step.  Ready?  

You have to take time to actually understand your current behavior.

And I don’t mean assuming you know what it is, I mean studying it, being aware of it.  Hang with it for a week and pay attention to how you feel before, during and after the behavior.  Are there obstacles that always get in your way? Mine: I have to go grocery shopping immediately after I go to the gym. If I go home first...I am WAY more likely to not want to leave again. Then, I food prep while I cook dinner. It just makes dinner a little bit longer and doesn’t feel like an extra step.

Write down your observations and at the end of the week take a look at what you wrote. Do you see hurdles? Do you see a theme?

There are so many hidden factors that influence our behavior that we won’t ever recognize unless we are looking for them.

Knowledge is power and once you KNOW your behavior, you can change your behavior.

Have a killer week.

Livin’ & Lovin’

B