June 05, 2018
The Importance of Habits and Why You're Already Winning
“We are what we repeatedly do.” Aristotle
So what is it we do - over and over again? Wake up, walk the dog, go to work - you know the drill. Certain activities are already programmed into our minds because we do them so often, and usually in a similar order. In surveying your own daily activity, how much is spontaneous and how much is habit? According to --- % of our actions are habitual. Therefore, the makeup of most of my day is the residual of a choice I made (maybe years ago) and repeated enough, it became a part of my muscle memory, my routine, my habits. And diving deeper, why does this matter? It matters because over time, the seemingly small choice I made to snack on cheezits instead of an apple has resulted in 15 extra pounds over the course of a year, or in the opposite direction, when I made the choice to consistently wake up 30 minutes earlier, I was able to accomplish more during the workday and accumulate the time freedom to take a vacation with family. Both outcomes were spurred by a moment of choice, repeated frequently. Both outcomes became habits and defined the course of my life. In The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy says ,“your biggest challenge isn’t that you’ve intentionally been making bad choices. Heck, that would be easy to fix. Your biggest challenge is that you’ve been sleepwalking through your choices.” In surveying current life circumstances, we can reflect on which choices turned habits we value as positive or negative in accordance with our own life vision. Which habits are compounding toward the life you want to be living? Toward the person you want to become?Chances are, you have a fair share of both positive and negative habits, we all do.
And I have good news - changing our habits (changing our choices, changing our lives) can be simple, with a plan, a process, and understanding.And I have even better news! You are already winning.
Why? Because you are here. Open to learning, open to growth and most likely you have the Skinny Up! Products and Protocol which serve as a beautiful interruption to these deep rooted past poor habits. How is the protocol supportive in new habit formation? Let’s walk through the process and compare.- Awareness: “The first step toward change is awareness. If you want to get from where you are to where you want to be, you have to start by becoming aware of the choices that lead you away from your desired destination.” (Darren Hardy). After completing the Protocol myself, I’d say one of the biggest takeaways was my newfound awareness - of myself and my own body, how food and my body interact, what to avoid, what new choices to make, what cause and effect look like personally regarding health and nutrition.
- A plan of action: “The truth is, the brain can be reprogrammed. You just have to be deliberate about it.”2” (Charles Duhigg). The protocol serves as an extremely clear guide walking you through the formation of new positive habits. You know when and what to eat, how many drops to take, and what to expect. When you transition from the Reduce Phase to the Retrain Phase, clear steps are outlined. You’ll know what foods to avoid and with repeated action, you’ve already implemented wonderful habits into your life during this process.
Habit Strategies:
- Replace bad habits with good habits
- Habit stacking
- Synaptic pruning
