You Are Not Your

YOU ARE NOT YOUR UNHEALTHY THOUGHTS

12 BY KATHLEEN TROTTER

We all — to varying degrees — experience self-sabotaging thoughts. Everyone’s internal dialogue is capable of churning out “negative brain propaganda” strong enough to rationalize almost anything. We all have days when we don’t want to work out. We all have cravings. But even though we may think about something, we don’t necessarily have to follow through with it. Thoughts are not facts. Thoughts are not actions. You can think, “I want to skip a workout,” but not skip. You can think, “I want to eat that entire cake,” but not eat it. Thinking about something doesn’t make the indulgence unavoidable.

The healthier and the less healthy among us all have the same human urges; but it’s the ways in which we manage our desires and negative brain propaganda that matters. Train your “say no” muscle. Train your brain not to succumb to your negative brain propaganda. Train your brain to say, “My future self will be happier if I don’t give in to this craving and work out instead.”

TIPS ON STRENGTHENING YOUR “SAY NO” MUSCLE

EMBRACE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE NOT YOUR UNHEALTHY THOUGHT! We all have unhealthy thoughts. Just because you have an unhealthy thought doesn't mean you have to act on it.

ADOPT MY NOT PROTOCOL OF IMPULSE CONTROL N stands for no. Train yourself to be aware. Note the unhealthy urge. Then tell yourself, “NO, I will not do that. I am not my unhealthy thought. This craving or urge is not what I do, who I am or who I want my future self to be.” O stands for being open to change. Work to understand what is driving your craving. Do you feel sad, bored or tired? If so, figure out why and work to change those feelings. For example, if you’re drinking an energy booster because a lack of sleep has left you exhausted, modify your priorities so that you are able to get more sleep. Ask yourself, “Where has my current thinking gotten me thus far?” If you are not happy with the answer, then ACT to solve. Take small steps if needed, but make sure that some type of progress is being made. Don't just wish for better health—make a plan. Health is an active process! T stands for time. Make yourself hit the “pause” button on your craving. Distract yourself. Break free of destructive thoughts. Play a game, go for a walk, get involved in a fun conversation, or put together a puzzle.

Ideally, don't put yourself into situations where you need the NOT protocol—e.g., don't keep junk food in the house; that way you can't overindulge when depressed.

EMBRACE THE “REFRAME” Too many of us give in to the “this workout isn’t worth doing if I can’t do it perfectly” or “I can indulge just this once” negative brain propaganda. Missed workouts do matter. Indulgences do matter.

These choices often snowball into bad weeks or bad months. Negative spirals can hurt you more than good days can help you! Time for a reframe. Reframe “bad” workouts as “critical workouts”! Reframe “resisting the craving” as more important than “finding the perfect diet”!

Doing a partial workout when you can’t do your full workout and resisting the urge to go full-on crazy with your splurge will help you do three things: maintain your healthy momentum, maintain the compound interest of healthy habits you have accrued through previous healthy choices, AND teach you that you are the “type” of person who follows through.

FINAL THOUGHT I am not arguing that you should only eat vegetables. Just use my “love it” rule for indulgences — mindfully consuming a small portion of something you love. Don't eat something just because it’s there. Pick a treat you will really enjoy and savor it. You aren’t a robot. You will fall off your health horse from time to time. When you fall, recourse as quickly as possible — don’t let the less-than-ideal habit happen twice. Don’t let being human be fodder for negative spirals. Don’t miss two workouts. Don’t enjoy multiple treats. Also, learn from the experience. When you fall, get up, learn and grow. You wouldn’t miss work just because your negative brain propaganda said, “I don’t feel like it.” So, find ways to show up for your health even when you don’t want to.