I've talked a lot about mindset in a number of past posts. The nutrition program I follow is in fact called the 2B Mindset. Your train of thought can control many things in your life. Your brain can paint pictures and tell stories that can completely alter any situation. Your perception can be vastly incorrect as it relates to reality. This is just human nature. I have recently began reading the book coincidentally titled "Mindset" by Carol Dweck. I am only about a quarter of the way through, but I am already captivated by the concepts outlined in this book. Just days after I began reading, I was e-mailed an article highlighting the concepts of the book. Today I wanted to share that article with you. Below is the link to read the article, and though I am only part way through Dweck's book, I am comfortable recommending it as a good read for all of you as well. You can check it out here. Enjoy the article, and perhaps the book. I hope this is yet another affirmation that having the right mindset can drastically change your outcomes in life. Why Attitude is More Important Than IQIt is easy to say that in order to improve your situation, you should find what is causing you the most trouble and eliminate it. If you find yourself spending too much money going out to eat, stop going out to eat. If you find yourself eating too many sweets, keep them out of your life. If you do an activity that makes you hurt, don't do that activity any more. Simple right? Of course not! Most of the things that tend to derail us, are the things we enjoy doing the most. Cutting them out completely would be extremely difficult. Except for the activities that hurt you. That one you should probably consider stopping. But sweets? C'mon! Anyone who knows me well enough, knows that I enjoy my doughnuts, cakes, cookies, and really just about any dessert food. But, they also know that I eat pretty well most of the time as well. Unless it's a matter of safety, or life and death, completely eliminating things from your life is not something I encourage. You can enjoy the "bad" stuff every now and then, as long as you can reign it back in when needed.
The most obvious example for eliminating "bad" stuff that just about everyone can relate to is food. There have been countless diets and nutrition programs based around the idea of eliminating whole food groups or nutrients. Fat-free was huge for a while, then it was sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and so on. I understand there are some instances where eliminating specific foods due to allergies is necessary, but that is between you and your doctor, and is not the type of elimination I am referencing. The attempt to rid yourself of these foods simply for weight-loss purposes is where it gets tricky. For the purpose of this post I'll focus on sugar, because there is plenty of research out that claiming that it is the main culprit for many preventable diseases, and has actually been shown to be as addictive as certain drugs. It is also one of the toughest foods to to avoid, as it is everywhere in some form. And let's face it, it tastes good! Anyone can make the argument that it is a good idea to eat as little sugar as possible. But, completely eliminating anything from your diet has been show to increase your craving for that food. Many people try to cut out sugar, and begin craving it so bad they eventually give in and binge. This then leads to you feeling horrible, both physically and mentally, swearing off sugar from that point forward, only to get trapped in the same vicious circle. So, what if instead of completely cutting sugar (or anything) out of your diet, you just limit it. If you want to treat yourself every now and then with those foods you crave, you should be able to without feeling guilty about it. You do not need to binge, but simply have a serving of your favorite dessert, satisfy your craving, then be done with it. This is a much healthier relationship with food, and you get still get to eat the foods you love. I do want to caution you that giving in once in a while is not the same as just eating it whenever you want. You may have to plan your "treats" based on your schedule, social gatherings, and other plans to avoid overindulging. And, if you do have a bad day, night, week, whatever, get up, dust yourself off, and hop back on the wagon. You have not failed yourself, or sabotaged your health and fitness through a single lapse of self control. Sometimes we all need to just let loose, and that's ok. It's not ok to see that as an opportunity or excuse to continue down an unhealthy path because "what's the point? I've already ruined my diet anyway so I might as well keep going." So in conclusion, I strongly believe in moderation over elimination. Extreme restriction so often leads to overindulgence. Not to mention, if you are depriving yourself of the joys in your diet, there is far less chance that you will stick to it. I may have said this before, but if eating is constantly a drag, you're not doing it right. Give yourself a break and treat yourself now and then. You deserve it! |
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