Goalbits

  Like 40% of the American population I should lose some weight. As someone who likes to follow proven advice I started reading up on scientific studies concerning weight loss. I found that there are been THOUSANDS of studies in to weight loss with varying conclusions. The science suggests that there isn't one weight loss method that works for everyone. Some diets work brilliantly for certain people but when others follow the exact same diet they dont get the same results.  What they all the studies do generally agree on is people who are successful in losing weight eat more fruit and vegetables, consume fewer calories overall and exercise more. Seeing as this is a blog about habits, I have turned these findings in to 3 habits.  1. Eat primarily plants. The diet voted the healthiest year after year is the Mediterranean Diet. The primary ingredient in this diet is fruit and vegetables. The USDA's "My Plate" which was created by scientists and dietitians recommends fill

  "Don't touch the stove, it's hot." "Don't run in to the road, there are cars." "Don't mess this up." "Don't trip as you walk down the aisle with everyone watching." We have a bias for the negative. Partly it is your brain trying to keep you alive. The amygdala has two thirds of its neurons wired for negative inputs. Studies have found that people are more likely to make a decision based on avoiding something bad than to get something good. It is also partly social conditioning too. All our lives we hear negatives. Our parents tell us not to touch the stove. Our teachers tell us not to talk in class. Our bosses tell us not to be late. Here is the problem - after being told "don't do that" people don't actually know what they should do. You can't do a "don't." Telling someone "don't" isn't actually helpful. It is actually unclear. So what can you do? My first suggestion wou

  Numerous studies have shown that expressing gratitude on a regular basis will measurably improve happiness. When you start a practice of gratitude it can be hard to think of things to be grateful for. As with everything in life, the more you do it the easier it becomes. Here is a list of things you can be grateful for to help you get started.  1. Health.  If you are healthy, be grateful for that. If your health isn’t perfect, be grateful for the ailments you don’t have. 2. Hearing.  Be grateful you still have your hearing. 3. Sight.  Be grateful you can see. 4. Waking up.  Be grateful you woke up today. 5. Healthcare.  Be grateful you live somewhere with access to healthcare. 6. Children.  Be grateful for your children. 7. Friends.  Be grateful you have friends. 8. Parents.  If your parents are still alive, be grateful for them. 9. Pets.  If you have a pet, be grateful for the unconditional love they give you. 10. Weekends.  If you get the weekend off, be grateful for that. 11. Money

  What is a good weight loss diet First of all, I don't like the idea of "going on a diet" because (lots of) studies show that people who "go on a diet" eventually "go off a diet" and end up weighing more. If you want to lose weight for the long term you need to make lifestyle changes. You guessed it - you have to change your eating habits. There are many, many, weight loss diets out there but the good ones, the ones recommended by medical professionals help you eat healthy food in reasonable amounts. There are many ways to make sure you eat healthy food in reasonable amounts. Weight Watchers uses a point system and Noom uses food colors and densities. The Scandi Sense Diet uses your hands. Incidentally, the best diet is the one you can stick to.  Scandi Sense Diet The Scandi Sense Diet is the simplest approach I have heard of. The one line summary is you eat three meals a day, each consisting of two handfuls of veggies, one handful of protein and one

  Goals Goalbits are GOAL-based habits. The goal part is as important as the habit. Your goal should give you a "why" or a reason to persevere with your habit. Your goal should be something YOU want to change not something someone else thinks you should change. Your goal could be to lose weight, or get fit, or save money. But why do you want to do these things? Because you think you are too heavy, too unfit or dont save enough. I would say these are the little "whys." They are certainly objectives you want to meet but weight, fitness or money are not the real “Big Why.” Bigs Whys Believe it or not, behind every goal is the same Big Why. That Big Why is to be happier. You think you will be happier then you are thinner. You think you will be happier when you are fitter. You think you will be happier when you have more savings. The truth is this may or may not be true. If you lose your goal weight and say, well I if I could just lose a little more weight then I will be

Every habit has 3 parts. The Reminder. The Routine. The Reward. The reminder is what triggers you to do the habit. The routine is the actual habit you want to do. The reward is what makes you want to do the routine again in the future. When designing a new habit it is important to include a good reward at the end. A good reward is something that makes you feel good. It’s the immediate payoff for completing your habit. Psychologists talk about instant and delayed gratification. Instant gratification is wanting immediate results. Delayed gratification is being able to wait for the results. Generally the results of delayed gratification are bigger. The results of your habit, for example doing pushups, usually wont be immediate. To help build your habit it is important to build in some form of instant gratification. The type of reward that will be most effective will depend from person to person. For some people the satisfaction of putting an “X” in a chart showing you have done your habit