Years ago, when I worked at a psychiatric hospital, I had a daily routine. At about 2pm, when I had a break from the kids I was in charge of, I would head over (read: run as fast as possible) to get a Diet Pepsi and candy from our CFO’s office. He kept a hearty supply of trail mix (the kind loaded with M&Ms), swedish fish and a variety of other goodies in his office, looking very much like this photo. Stacked beside the bags of bulk snacks were Dixie cups, serving as an invitation to all staff to “Help Yourself.” And I helped myself. Everyday. It was pretty much what I lived for in my work day.
When you are about 6 hours into your workout day, who doesn’t think they need a little pick-me-up in the form of caffeine and sugar?!? You’ve been working hard. You’re tired. Darn it, you deserve a treat.
That’s what I told myself everyday.
These are the kinds of things we tell ourselves ALL THE TIME when we want to justify a behavior. We think, “I deserve it”, “I’ll workout later and burn it off”, “I’ll have some today, but not tomorrow. Definitely not tomorrow”, “This will give me energy to get through the rest of the day” . . . . I know this is as familiar to you as it is to me.
I realized after awhile that this behavior was not helping me. It was actually harming me – even though my diet was otherwise pretty healthy at this point and I worked out 5-6 days a week. This “treat” didn’t give me energy. It didn’t help me with my goals of becoming a better triathlete. It was just a habit that I thought I needed. Everyday.
I had to make a mental shift.
After months and months of this behavior, I decided to apply a rule I had used years earlier, when I set out to lose 30 pounds. I changed the conversation in my head. Instead of telling myself I deserved this “reward” each day, I told myself, “I don’t do that”. I didn’t tell myself, “I can’t do that,” because that would leave me feeling like I was depriving myself. Instead, I reminded myself each day, “I don’t do that.” I had to make my commitment part of me – not some sort of temporary sacrifice. It had to be part of my identity – the same way I had told myself, “I don’t eat that” every time I walked by donuts years earlier.
How you talk to yourself about your food choices hugely influences how successful you are with in maintaining your habits. If you set up a head space that is all about deprivation, you will feel deprived and frustrated and like you have given something up on a very temporary basis. If your self talk is about you, as a person, what you do and don’t do to be your best everyday, it is totally different. If you tell yourself “I don’t do that” or “I don’t eat that” it makes you feel strong and powerful – because you are taking control of the situation and making a conscious choice to empower yourself.
So, think about some of your food habits – the ones that frustrate you the most – the ones that make you feel weak and powerless. How can you change the conversation in your head to make it empowering?
What is one habit you can change by changing your self talk? Comment below and let me know.
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