THE POWER OF AWARENESS
AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Know thyself
Two weeks ago we discussed productivity and planning. Today we will take a journey through some perils of the food we eat and discuss some success strategies that will keep you afloat even at times when you think your ship in sinking. Full speed ahead, my friend!
Quick-start
Take measurements: girth, body fat or a selfie. You may download the picture of the body you want to have and put it somewhere visible. Think about something to look forward as a reward after completing this 2 week habit loop.
Why
Anticipating strategies help you prevent any setbacks that might intervene (most likely to happen) in your progress. Anticipating loss, hardships and failure will ensure that you carry on despite all sorts of struggles. The power of 2 A’s will make you unstoppable on your path to your goals in the face of setbacks,’ life happens’ situations and other adversity that you may face.
How
Your Nutrition, Activity and Mindset Toolkit shall help you achieve the power of TWO A’s. Here is the list of some healthy tips and behaviors you may indulge and start practicing for the next two weeks until you develop a habit loop.
One Ingredient Food
If 50% of the food you buy contains more than one ingredient you’re putting a glass ceiling over your nutrition goals. Familiarize yourself with those types of foods and focus on buying one ingredient produces. Be aware of the health risks that some foods may contain if you eat them in abundance.
Shop for Produce
Your shopping cart must contain at least 1/2 of foods with one sole ingredient in it such as green veggies, colorful fruits, seeds and nuts. If you don’t know what the food is made of and where it comes from — your best bet is to stay away from it. This type of food usually contains various ingredients and it’s most likely highly-processed.
Regard Your Food As Business
Pay your mortgage first, then have fun! Eat good foods most of the time and allow a guilt free meal once in a while. Watch your food intake and observe it mindfully as if you were your own food inspector. Watch what you eat, when you eat, and how you eat it. Consuming the best variety of foods is your high level return on your investment in the long run. If you’re always putting the cheapest fuel into your car don’t expect it to run with high performance. Same goes for foods, if you only feed your body with the cheapest most convenient foods, don’t expect it to run all day at high performance without crashing.
Eat Nutritiously-Dense Foods
Eating healthy nutritiously-dense foods throughout the week and rewarding yourself with some treats on the weekend makes you value your guilt-free foods. You can now enjoy cheesecakes and eat a burger with delight like never before in your life. Remember — you have to deserve your carbs!
Practice the Art of Natural Resting Position
For every hour you spend behind your keyboard make a habit of sitting in a
natural resting position for 1 min. Do it 30 min throughout the day for 30 days. Go down in your natural resting position as soon as you done reading this. Say this affirmation out loud, “The healthier I am physically, the healthier I am in my mind” — Mens sana in corpore sano.”
Plan Your Activity
After picking an activity/ies sit down in front of your agenda in a quiet room
and tentatively set aside 4–6 hours a week to perform these activities.
Make sure to plan your days around your fitness activities!
Get Your Equipment And Outfit Ready
Buy all the necessary gym/fitness equipment or gym attire if needed. Keep it in your car or somewhere handy so you won’t have any excuses. Be ready to hiit your fitness class anytime.
Practice the The Art of Awareness
Imagine your awareness as a ball of light that shines over one thing just like focus light shines on the lead actor on the stage during a high class performance. E.g. Move your ball of light over your muscles when you are working out in the gym as other problems and chores remain unimportant. The main principle is keeping awareness (ball of light) on one thing for an extended period of time. It is normal that your awareness keeps shifting to different things. Acknowledge that and keep bringing your awareness back and keep it focused on one thing at a time.
Anticipating Strategies
Ask yourself this important question “Are your three fitness objectives something you’re genuinely willing to do and stick to for the rest of your life if it means reaching your goals?” Nothing will change in your life if you don’t make sacrifices and trade-offs. You must be ready to sacrifice your time, your old habits, money and other valuable resources if you’re willing to reach your goals. You will have to be ready to make commitments and stick to the regular training as well as healthy nutrition habits. You must be ready to let your loved ones, friends and colleagues know that you are changing your behaviors and it may affect your mood, your opinion to certain things and even your tastes.
Set An Automated Email Response
Delay emails using various tools e.g. Boomerang or followup.cc. Start responding on your emails during designated time. Take no more than 1 hour to respond to your emails. Check social media no more than 2–3 times a day. Switch your status to invisible to some people when you work but want to stay logged in. To avoid distractions you can use software such Self-control, Rescuetime or Emailga.me
Reflect: Are you genuinely ready to make change?
Please answer the following questions sincerely and with zero judgment:
- Do you clearly see yourself pain-free, healthy and active in one year?
- What is your biggest fear?
- On the scale 1 to 10 how willing or ready are you to embark on your new lifestyle habits from now on?
- On the scale 1 to 10 how committed you’re to work on the new habits in the next two weeks?
