Day 2: Consistency: Input/Output, what we put in matters!

As I wrote yesterday, I’ve been reading a great book by Darren Hardy titled, “The Compound Effect.” Consistency is imperative to our success in becoming the healthier, more vibrant people we wish to be. We cannot go infits and spurts and find the success we want. Today, I am going to begin a discussion on the influences/choices we make that work against our meeting the goals we have laid out for ourselves.

Input/output has a huge influence on us in so many ways. I’m betting that your first reaction to reading that is “She’s going to talk about what I eat.” Believe it or not, I’m not going to discuss food in this article at all. I’m going to discuss what you put in your mind. Our mind is one of the most powerful tools we have to either reaching our goals or falling short. Not just when it comes to weight loss but with ANY goal. How we spend our time feeding our minds can have a huge impact and we need to spend our time wisely.

Celebrity magazines can be one of the worst influencers out there. Yes, they can be fun, mindless reading. The bodies in those magazines are unrealistic, photo shopped, often times unhealthy bodies. When we spend time looking at them our brain adopts a warped pattern of thinking that they are normal, average people. The message isn’t in there at a conscious level – it’s completely unconscious. Our unconscious mind is as big an enemy as our conscious minds. Spend time reading magazines that benefit you in a positive way.

Every year the average American spends over 4 hours watching television. How many of you sit and mindlessly eat in front of the television? Now think about how many commercials you watch that are food or restaurant commercials? Don’t you think they influence your choice to get up and grab some food? Even if you don’t like whatever has been peddled to you during the commercial the “food center” of your brain is flicked on. Solve this by only watching television shows that have been recorded and then blaze through those commercials not allowing them to influence your mind and cause you to mindlessly eat. Bonus tip: if you still find yourself heading for the fridge, try doing a simple exercise like plank or squats during the commercial. Keep your body busy and out of the kitchen.

What we feed our brains is so important. Don’t spend time feeding your brain in ways that just harm your efforts to a healthier life. Tomorrow I will discuss what can be one of the biggest influencer towards meeting or not meeting our goals in life – who we spend our time with. Until then, put down the magazines and limit the television commercials that negatively influence you and derail you from meeting your goals.

Which Diet Should You Choose?

Paleo. Low Carb. Intermittent Fasting. Weight Watchers. Jenny Craig. NutriSystem. DASH. Mediterranean. Ornish. So many diet plans to choose from...how do we pick the best one for us? 

As simple as it sounds, I think the best advice is this: pick a diet plan that you can stick with. Anything too extreme and you're likely to revert back to your old diet pretty quickly. 

Maybe all diet plans feel too extreme. Then try changing only ONE dietary habit at a time. Perhaps you're struggling in several areas such as poor snacking choices, skipping meals, not getting enough protein, too many liquid calories, eating portions which are too large or not eating enough vegetables. Take one habit and exchange it for a good habit. For example, if you're struggling to eat enough vegetables exchange your usual lunch for a salad every day. Or commit to eating vegetables with every meal. It may take a few weeks or it may take a few months but over time you'll find that it gets easier and easier and the norm for your life. And you'll start seeing positive changes in your body. When you're ready, tackle another habit.

Whatever method you choose, whether it be complete overhaul by following a particular diet plan or changing one habit at a time, seeing results takes time. Nothing is a quick fix. Be patient with yourself. Stick with it and the positive changes WILL come.