The Brain Game
- LaVon Miller
- Apr 3
- 2 min read
Ever find yourself SUPER MOTIVATED for your health goals one day to just wake up another and feel like giving it all up? Good news. You’re a normal human.
Isn’t it CRAZY that the same brain that tells you that you need to change your health and weight, is the same brain that makes it hard for you to do just that?
We make choices to change usually out of fear, guilt, shame, anxiety, or pressure. The doctor tells us we’re pre-diabetic. Our family member keeps telling us about the next great diet to try.
We go clothes shopping and feel fat and depressed. We see a picture of ourselves we don’t like.
Those persistent negative feelings are UNBEARABLE so we get in a big ol’ hurry to lose as much weight as possible as FAST as we can. So we set crazy ambitious (and sometimes extreme) unrealistic goals. Basically, we go 0 to 60 in one week, and then wonder why we burn out and “lose our motivation” or “lack discipline”!
Guess what? Motivation and discipline is not your problem. It’s your brain.
Our brain is designed to do two things: 1. keep us alive and 2. be efficient and conserve energy.
As such, it automates all the repeated actions we usually do because that is what’s easiest and it doesn’t require much energy to do that. Don’t believe me?
This evening, go to your favorite comfy spot and watch your favorite show you're binging right now. Don’t grab anything to eat or drink while you watch the entire episode. How many times during those 42 minutes did you have the urge to go get something to snack on or drink?
Or try waking up on a work day and flip flopping your usual routine. Eat breakfast first and then shower. Feels terribly wrong and inefficient doesn’t it? That is your brain telling you this isn’t your normal action and we need to go back to doing things the way the usual more efficient way.
No wonder we fail in trying to suddenly change everything we eat and mash out daily 1 hour cardio sessions! We’re not made to change every daily habit in one huge sweeping motion. Our body and brain needs time and PRACTICE easing into the habits we want to change and create.
So here’s how to beat our brain at the game:
Create small, doable goals that are so easy that there’s NO WAY you’ll not be successful.
Gradually build these goals a little at a time. Be consistent but don’t demand perfection.
Re-frame any negative thought into something more helpful. “I'm too tired to go to the gym” to “I”m tired, but I know I can at least walk 5 minutes and every minute counts”.
The end result is less pressure and stress- which equals more of what we perceive as discipline and willpower. With this new approach our brain learns (in a very non- threatening way) that we are adopting new positive habits and its OK to change the less helpful ones.
This is the path to long-term success! If you would like help learning these skills and creating a wellness and weight loss plan that works for you, book a free consultation!
Comments