Gaelen
03-30-2006, 08:07 PM
April Challenge—Build one positive habit in 30 days
Habits. Routines. They are the things we do every day without thinking. We always park in the same place in the parking lot, do laundry on Thursday night, weigh ourselves every morning, start the day with two cups of coffee, make a list for every task with more than three steps. Some of our auto-pilot habits are the glue that holds our lives together—if I park my car too far from my normal spot, I can’t find it! ;) But while habits can relieve some of the stress of our days, some habits can also make us such slaves to routine that the habit is no longer a positive step in our lives.
This April, the challenge is to focus on the habits--the routines and rhythms--that drive our responses to eating and exercise. For many of us, what we choose to eat is not limited to fuel and sustenance—food is pleasure, family, fun, and sometimes, our drug or vice or passion of choice. But although habit often drives our approach to food and exercise, we can still take positive steps to create or modify a habit into a behavior that is healthier and reinforces our eating plan.
People tend to set too many behavior goals, make those goals too broad, and fail to define realistic measurements and due dates to evaluate progress. But this month, let's choose to focus tightly, and build the groundwork for ONE positive habit--either something new, or a modification of an existing habit. A new behavior won’t become a new habit in 30 days, and no positive substitution for a seriously ingrained bad habit will make that bad habit ‘go away’ forever. But we can take the right steps forward by concentrating on one single positive behavior. All it takes is a clear goal, a way to measure progress, and a month of positive reinforcement to make that desired behavior a real part of our lives.
The Challenge:
Pick a single positive behavior change to make this month. In the 'Positive Steps' thread in this forum (Challenges), tell everyonel what single positive step you'd like to turn into a healthy habit. Then, take this month to build that habit. Pick one thing that builds a more positive attitude about food, increases your self-esteem, or strengthens your support system. Your goal should be specific, positive, active, and measurable. Choosing your new habit is completely up to you, but everyone will be here to cheer you along the way.
Participate in the “Positive Steps” thread in the Challenges forum. This April 1st, let's take the foolin' out of April Fool’s Day. Make sure to introduce yourself and tell everyone where you are on plan (Phase I, Phase II, transition or maintenance.) If you'd like to share your beginning stats, post them or edit them into your signature. Then, in the daily “Positive Steps” thread, update everyone as you pursue your particular new habit--whether you're meeting your goal or whether challenges are getting in your way. Find out ways to treat every small improvement as its own success, and discover why backward steps are part of the learning process. Remember that every step you take can help you reach your goal if you learn from it!
Every Saturday, participate in the weekly poll in the Challenges forum. Each poll will ask you to look at a different aspect of following this plan. You can identify the things that challenge you and reinforce your efforts to stay on plan, pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, and help the moderators understand how to build helpful challenges.
All month, we'll be posting articles and thoughts in the forum “Making Protein Power Work 24/7” on topics that give us all pause--self-esteem, emotional eating, plateaus, family holidays and building support systems. On April 29th, we'll wrap up April with a progress report on your new habit and, if you care to share, your latest stats.
POSSIBLE NEW HABITS
Here are a few ideas, but feel free to focus on a behavior change that is meaningful to you. Remember, to be successful, the habit you're creating needs to be specific, positive, active, and measurable.
I pack a nutritious on-plan lunch and snacks X days of every week in April.
I do (--name the exercise type or program--) X days every week in April, rain or shine or schedule conflicts.
I control my snacking by using snack bags to divide my favorite legal snack(s) into one portion packages.
I keep my pantry clear of (off-plan foods) (transfats) (foods containing high fructose corn syrup) and add one new on-plan alternative to my shopping list every week.
I weigh myself only (once a week) (once a month).
I build better eating habits for my family/myself by making time for a sit-down (breakfast) (dinner) X times a week.
I learn a stress-reduction method (meditation, visualization, etc.) and apply it for (X minutes) per day.
I set aside time for a practice/hobby that recharges me (playing an instrument) (reading a book) (studying a new language) X times per week.
I find and use one new recipe each week in April.
I bring one on-plan dish to this month's family dinners or holiday gatherings every time.
Look for a new poll in the Challenges forum every Saturday (April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29).
Commit to making one small change toward a new habit throughout the month of April...and at the end of the month, you'll have learned how to build the first of many new positive habits. So--who's in? This April, let's get stronger in our positive habits, our commitment and our bodies...no April Fools here!
Habits. Routines. They are the things we do every day without thinking. We always park in the same place in the parking lot, do laundry on Thursday night, weigh ourselves every morning, start the day with two cups of coffee, make a list for every task with more than three steps. Some of our auto-pilot habits are the glue that holds our lives together—if I park my car too far from my normal spot, I can’t find it! ;) But while habits can relieve some of the stress of our days, some habits can also make us such slaves to routine that the habit is no longer a positive step in our lives.
This April, the challenge is to focus on the habits--the routines and rhythms--that drive our responses to eating and exercise. For many of us, what we choose to eat is not limited to fuel and sustenance—food is pleasure, family, fun, and sometimes, our drug or vice or passion of choice. But although habit often drives our approach to food and exercise, we can still take positive steps to create or modify a habit into a behavior that is healthier and reinforces our eating plan.
People tend to set too many behavior goals, make those goals too broad, and fail to define realistic measurements and due dates to evaluate progress. But this month, let's choose to focus tightly, and build the groundwork for ONE positive habit--either something new, or a modification of an existing habit. A new behavior won’t become a new habit in 30 days, and no positive substitution for a seriously ingrained bad habit will make that bad habit ‘go away’ forever. But we can take the right steps forward by concentrating on one single positive behavior. All it takes is a clear goal, a way to measure progress, and a month of positive reinforcement to make that desired behavior a real part of our lives.
The Challenge:
Pick a single positive behavior change to make this month. In the 'Positive Steps' thread in this forum (Challenges), tell everyonel what single positive step you'd like to turn into a healthy habit. Then, take this month to build that habit. Pick one thing that builds a more positive attitude about food, increases your self-esteem, or strengthens your support system. Your goal should be specific, positive, active, and measurable. Choosing your new habit is completely up to you, but everyone will be here to cheer you along the way.
Participate in the “Positive Steps” thread in the Challenges forum. This April 1st, let's take the foolin' out of April Fool’s Day. Make sure to introduce yourself and tell everyone where you are on plan (Phase I, Phase II, transition or maintenance.) If you'd like to share your beginning stats, post them or edit them into your signature. Then, in the daily “Positive Steps” thread, update everyone as you pursue your particular new habit--whether you're meeting your goal or whether challenges are getting in your way. Find out ways to treat every small improvement as its own success, and discover why backward steps are part of the learning process. Remember that every step you take can help you reach your goal if you learn from it!
Every Saturday, participate in the weekly poll in the Challenges forum. Each poll will ask you to look at a different aspect of following this plan. You can identify the things that challenge you and reinforce your efforts to stay on plan, pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, and help the moderators understand how to build helpful challenges.
All month, we'll be posting articles and thoughts in the forum “Making Protein Power Work 24/7” on topics that give us all pause--self-esteem, emotional eating, plateaus, family holidays and building support systems. On April 29th, we'll wrap up April with a progress report on your new habit and, if you care to share, your latest stats.
POSSIBLE NEW HABITS
Here are a few ideas, but feel free to focus on a behavior change that is meaningful to you. Remember, to be successful, the habit you're creating needs to be specific, positive, active, and measurable.
I pack a nutritious on-plan lunch and snacks X days of every week in April.
I do (--name the exercise type or program--) X days every week in April, rain or shine or schedule conflicts.
I control my snacking by using snack bags to divide my favorite legal snack(s) into one portion packages.
I keep my pantry clear of (off-plan foods) (transfats) (foods containing high fructose corn syrup) and add one new on-plan alternative to my shopping list every week.
I weigh myself only (once a week) (once a month).
I build better eating habits for my family/myself by making time for a sit-down (breakfast) (dinner) X times a week.
I learn a stress-reduction method (meditation, visualization, etc.) and apply it for (X minutes) per day.
I set aside time for a practice/hobby that recharges me (playing an instrument) (reading a book) (studying a new language) X times per week.
I find and use one new recipe each week in April.
I bring one on-plan dish to this month's family dinners or holiday gatherings every time.
Look for a new poll in the Challenges forum every Saturday (April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29).
Commit to making one small change toward a new habit throughout the month of April...and at the end of the month, you'll have learned how to build the first of many new positive habits. So--who's in? This April, let's get stronger in our positive habits, our commitment and our bodies...no April Fools here!