++++++++

"At some point you need to just fall in love with what you’re doing and give it permission to work" ---Ignite the Phoenix

Just a little re-visitation to our prior discussions (totally onesided, I admit) about focusing on the positive. I want to remind you to focus not on what you're moving away from (the yucky bad habits), but on what is exciting about what you're moving toward (healthy positive habits yielding results!).

We can perseverate on our nagging feelings about what we are bad at (losing weight, quitting smoking, etc.) or we can find the anti-bad-habit that counteracts or makes those bad habits counterproductive, and focus on that.

After a while, you'll crave the good habit, and when you do the bad habit, it won't feel good anymore. I tend to have to re-remind myself of this over and over....and over and over again.
I ate burgers and pizza for a few weeks straight recently---it was like a highly addictive drug. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I felt really good while I was chewing and swallowing....and I kept some of my good habits like going to the gym. Slowly, I began noticing my lower energy level (it was freakin' hard to get out of bed at 4:30, and I was losing my energy--and productivity--around 3pm). I snapped out of it by making a goal toward the positive side of things. This was after I tried the restriction method-----STOP eating junk, stop eating junk, no more junk....gotta quit the junk......tomorrow I'll quit the junk......

I got a new book, Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life, by Brendan Brazier. I may not do the vegan thing (nope, for sure not....I had sushi last night)....but I got inspired to try new things, a new protein shake, a new strategy for what to eat after I run, new recipes, and a new perspective on how/why to manage stress.

It worked! I just realized today that I haven't thought about missing out on the pizza---but rather, I've thought about how great I feel after a hard run and a delectable superfood laden protein shake and some E3 Live (yes, its algae). Whatever your positive, feel good, food or action is, do that! Think about adding, putting in, increasing whatever it is that makes you feel really good physically and mentally. If you stop thinking about what you're trying to eliminate, you may find it slowly becomes less important (don't freak out) and then less prominent....and then all of a sudden you're reaching your goals.

It won't happen overnight, but practicing your positive mindset will pay off. I promise.