OLD HABITS DIE HARD - TAKE TIME YOUR TIME

"Old habits die hard” – yet we all want to make drastic changes in our lives fast. Slow down! Acting on an impulse is what have gotten many people out of shape or in trouble in the first place.  It probably took you years to develop habits that are now a part of you and your subconscious. They are simply a part of who you are. Some of those habits might have been even with you since you were a child and since you subconsciously absorbed them from your surroundings and your family. Others were a part of your own doing.  Bottom line is that the habits you formed as a child would live on with you forever if it were not for the fact that you have decided to change them. So how can you be successful in changing your old habits?

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Take time to examine the patterns that have shaped you in a negative way, so you can understand where they come from better, and what you will need to do to replace them with positive ones.  Understand that this will not happen overnight. There is actually a part of our brain that is responsible for habit formation and addictions. It is called basal ganglia. In order for you to develop a new habit that will stick with you like the old ones, you need to fire that part of the brain on until it forms the same long- lasting connections the habits you want to change had formed over time.  If some of those habits include your eating habits, you will need to work on breaking them down mindfully and replacing with new ones one step at a time. There is  really no short cuts to forming new habits.


Experts say that for a new habit to be fully integrated, 60-90 days must pass. This is why, during this time, you will need to be truly mindful of what you do, so you do not fall back to your old habits that negatively impact your health and your life. This will take lots of self-awareness, honesty to be able to look at yourself, and mindfulness. All three are so important  in order to transform for life, and not to fall off the wagon. 


Here is a task that will help you gain self-awareness, and lay foundation for your transformation. Take time to examine your bad/unhealthy habits you would like to change. This exercise is about honestly and self-awareness. It is about whether you are ready to face the challenge from the inside out by taking an honest look at yourself.  Here goes your task: 


Be honest with yourself and brainstorm all the bad habits that you think you have that prevent you from reaching your goal.  Let's say: weight loss.  Put as many of those bad habits you think you have that have led you  to become overweight.  Be specific in trying to address the habits you would like to transform, improve or get rid of  and why. For example, if you want to lose 50 pounds, focus on  writing the habits you think you need to change in order to lose them. It is because these habits got you in the first place. 
 

For example:
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        MY BAD HABITS & what I’d like to do with them: 
 
·       Eating late at night - not eat after dinner and eat only within 12-hour window.
·       
·      Not getting enough exercise – I feel like I do not exercise enough. I need some direction on what is it
       that I need to be doing because it is confusing.  Maybe I should hire a coach or a trainer. 

·      Overeating to the point of feeling nauseous – I’d like not to ever do it. I always feel so bad after I overeat.
       Every time I want to overeat, I will take 10 deep breaths and have a glass of water. 
·       
·       Always having a dessert – this makes me gain weight. Not sure what I can do. Maybe just have it
       once or twice a week instead of every day or switching to something healthy and do not know what.
·        
·      Processed foods like salami or deli meat – needs to go because it is unhealthy. Need
       healthy substitutes. Maybe I can work with a trainer or browse healthy recipes instead of watching a
       lot of Netflix.

         
        Your turn!

        The above is a part of a workbook I am working on and "52-week long total wellness transformation"
       
        Yours in Health & Wellness
        MAR 

                                                                                                                                                                       

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