What a whirlwind week, huh? My in-person classes switched to virtual learning, and I was stuck at my computer for several days transferring my lectures to an online platform.
What snuck in were old habits of stress eating and unnecessary snacking. I'm a grazer, meaning I nibble throughout the day. But when I nibble constantly, including eating full meals, my body stores every single calorie. I haven't trained for my Ultra Marathon, didn't go on walks, nor did I eat balanced meals this week. And I haven't written in weeks. Ughhhhhhh!
Instead of beating myself up, however, I'm calling it what it is: a week of old habits.
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg taught me about what triggers (or cues) habits I don't like. For instance, I sit and sit and sit at my computer, then I want coffee or tea. What goes great with a hot beverage while there's a constant Seattle drizzle splattering against my window? Something sweet, of course! So I eat, and eat and eat and eat.
Image Source: The Blogazine
One of my triggers or cues that activates my snacking is coffee or tea. What triggers that is rain. While I obviously can't control the weather, what I can control is my response. And another thing I can control is the reward for changing my response.
Therefore: If I eat an apple or orange instead of a cookie with my hot beverage, I'll reward myself with a 15-minute non-work activity, like walking, reading, or writing.
Of course this is easier said than done, but I highly encourage reading the book and watching the video below.
Food for thought: What are your habit loops? Describe the environment of your habits. What triggers undesirable habits? And how can you break your habit loop?
Video: Here's How to Break Habits
Comments