It’s about that time of year...Fall is at our doorsteps!
The squirrels in my neighborhood are already busy collecting their nuts to store up for the winter months?
I TOO have apparently begun to increase my own supply of stored up energy for Winter. Unlike those squirrels, I store MY EXTRA energy for Winter on the inside. I’ve noticed there is an increasing layer of fat around my midsection and thighs in these last few weeks. I don't need to get on the scale to notice the change in the mirror or the increased tightness of my clothes.
This has me ANALYZING some of MY OWN recent habits. Over these past few weeks, I have noticed my HUNGER ramping up. I have slowly been increasing my intake in response. Some VERY HIGH ENERGY foods are appearing more often in my diet. My use of yogurt and nuts has increased. I have also significantly increased my cheese nibbling habit.
This recent penchant for cheese led me to purchase about 10 blocks of cheese on my last grocery shop. I possibly bought more cheese in one shop than I have bought in the last 12 months put together. As I stared at the cheese filling up my refrigerator, I thought....Hmmmm.... something's up!
This has me thinking. Perhaps the primitive part of MY brain is not so different than the brain of that squirrel in my yard,,, I mean, it is the end of summer, soooo maybe the end of bathing suit season has me just making MORE ALLOWANCES in my diet... BUUUT, this is a familiar feeling I get nearly EVERY FALL... which makes me think, there may be something more deeply BIOLOGICAL driving me to STORE UP.
While I have been working to preserve my health with the BEST EATING HABITS, my primitive brain has been RAMPING UP IT"S EFFORTS to keep me ALIVE and ensure I make it through the upcoming Winter. While HEALTH and SURVIVAL seem as if they should be on the same page, on a primitive level, they are at odds.
My healthy habits are the habits that keep my excess storage in check...whereas the part of my brain that keeps me ALIVE is the part that keeps my heart beating, my lungs breathing, and my energy storage supply as high as possible at all times. All of this is done on an UNCONSCIOUS LEVEL in my brain. This part of my brain is VERY HAPPY WHEN I'M FATTENING UP... this means it is doing it's job!
I share this to remind you how important it is to be ANALYZING and QUESTIONING your own behavior ALL THE TIME. Any pattern you see developing that is pulling you off track needs your attention. Staying on track is JUST AS HARD FOR ME as it is for you and everyone else in our community. The people who make this look easy have IMPLEMENTED SYSTEMS to continually UPGRADE and ANALYZE THEIR HABITS! This just means THEY ARE IN THE HABIT OF ANALYZING THEIR HABITS!
Is there something you are doing HABITUALLY (daily or weekly) that is working against your health? Some examples:
-Allowing your carb intake to creep up
-taking in exorbitant amounts of high calorie food and drink like nuts, butter, oils, dairy, or alcohol
-snacking throughout the day in addition to your meals
-eating late into the evening prior to sleep
You likely have already identified the habits that are working against you currently! It’s time to call them out and put them on notice. You can't just HOPE to reduce these negative behaviors, YOU MUST INITIATE A PLAN OF ATTACK:
For me personally, my plan of attack going forward in the Fall looks something like this:
-My over-abundance of stored cheese will be SHARED at holiday parties
-I will re-institute my healthy habit of nighttime hot lemon water or tea, rather than nibbling on high calorie TREATS (cooler nights make this more attractive)
-I plan on increasing my fasting hours on my own while I'm getting psyched to join The Fall Group Holiday Fasting team at the end of October (I LOVE my fasting regulars!)
Now is the best time of year to get any BAD HABIT you have developed under control and get the hunger in check. Doing this well in advance of the holiday season is important!
Touché SQUIRREL BRAIN!! I AM RUNNING THIS SHOW!
P.S. If you want to brush up on ways to develop NEW healthy habits or strategies for dropping bad habits, check out this BLOG post: https://www.emergencyhealthfix.com/post/how-to-create-and-break-habits
This was created by my EHFix LIVE! Team. We are always discussing the best ways to keep ourselves and family members on track! Joining the team is one of the BEST WAYS to keep yourself in check! Sign up here: https://www.emergencyhealthfix.com/product-page/ehfix-live-monthly-subscription