Hey there! This is Rick Taylar! Welcome to the Weight Loss Mindset podcast, where I hope you’ll find the answers you’re looking for!
Ever feel like you’re not in control of your own life?
Do some of your habits have you firmly in their grasp? Many of us struggle with bad habits that hold us back from living our best lives. The good news is—you have the power to break free!
Habits may seem harmless, but they can spread like parasites and take over our minds and lives if we let them. But when we take time to identify our habits—both good and bad—we can start to regain control.
The first step? Awareness.
Take a cold, hard look at your daily routines. Which habits serve you, and which ones no longer spark joy? Once you’ve shone a spotlight on your habits, you’ll gain clarity on what to keep, and what to change.
Ready to ditch what’s holding you back and start living life on your terms?
With a little self-reflection and commitment to change, you can master your habits before they master you. The path to freedom starts today. Let’s look at simple, practical ways to get started.
With a bit of effort, you’ll be well on your way to developing habits that help you achieve your biggest goals and live your best life!
Take Back Your Power
Just how much power do our habits have over us?
Research shows a whopping 40% of what we do every day is out of habit, not conscious choice. Crazy, right?
Without realizing it, many of us walk through life on autopilot, falling into habitual loops and routines day after day.
Ever catch yourself snacking when you’re not hungry? Checking your phone when you should be working? Bad habits can creep in and take over before we even notice.
Do you feel like some of your habits have invaded your mind like a parasite?
You start each day determined to eat healthy, only to find yourself reaching for a donut by 10 am. Or you want to meditate daily, but you never seem to find the time. Our unexamined habits have a way of controlling our behavior like stealthy ninjas!
The good news?
Once we shine a light on these sneaky habits, we can start to take back control. Are you ready to reclaim your power? Keep reading for simple tips to get started.
Not All Habits Are Created Equal: How to Tell the Good from the Bad
What really makes a habit “good” or “bad”?
It all comes down to the effect it has on your life. Positive habits move you forward; negative ones hold you back.
But bad habits have a sneaky way of disguising themselves as harmless.
Take junk food. You might tell yourself it’s just a small treat and couldn’t really hurt. Or you rationalize health issues as “just genetic”, rather than connected to diet and lifestyle.
Do these excuses sound familiar?
Bad habits use clever tricks to hide their downsides from us.
But we can’t let them fool us! To reclaim control, we need to cut through the rationalizations and get real about which habits serve us, and which ones sabotage us.
Ready to tell the difference once and for all?
Here are some simple ways to distinguish your good habits from the bad…
First, take a look at the hard evidence. What tangible effects is each habit having on your health, energy levels, mood, finances, relationships, and other areas of life?
For example, let’s say you love grabbing fast food lunches because they’re quick and tasty.
But how do you feel after eating them? Sluggish? Bloated? You may notice weight gain and frequent headaches too. These are clues this habit isn’t serving your best interests.
On the flip side, habits like exercising, meditating, and preparing home-cooked meals probably give you more positive outcomes like better health, reduced stress, and more energy.
The evidence doesn’t lie!
Another great way to distinguish good habits from bad is to tune into your emotions.
Pay attention to how certain habits make you feel in the moment. Do you feel guilty after hitting the snooze button for the 5th time? Does scrolling social media leave you drained?
Or do habits like taking a morning walk or learning a new skill make you feel uplifted and empowered?
Your emotions are powerful messengers you can rely on to reveal which habits bring you joy, and which leave you feeling blah. So check in with your feelings to guide your way!
Armed with these tips, you can now confidently identify the habits that deserve a spot in your life, and which ones need to go.
Trust the wisdom within you. Then use it to start making positive changes, one small step at a time.
Beware! Your Bad Habits Are Lying to You
Bad habits are master deceivers.
Don’t believe me? Let’s look at some examples.
Take soda drinking. You might think gulping down a Coke with every meal is no big deal. But all that sugar can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other health issues over time. Are a few seconds of soda-fueled refreshment worth shaving years off your life?
Or take late night snacking. Grabbing those chips or cookies seems harmless in the moment. But over time, those extra calories add up to unwanted weight gain. Before you know it, you feel sluggish and your clothes don’t fit right.
It’s easy to ignore the creeping consequences and tell ourselves little lies to justify our bad habits.
But the truth will eventually catch up. The real question is—do you want to learn the hard way? Or will you see through the deception now and break free?
The choice is yours.
Keep reading to equip yourself with the knowledge you need to outsmart your sneaky habits once and for all!
Wake Up – Bad Habits Are Destroying Our Health
Think your personal habits only impact you?
Think again. Bad habits have created a global health crisis affecting millions.
The numbers speak for themselves: 1 in 5 deaths worldwide are linked to poor diet. 1 in 4 adults don’t get enough physical activity. Obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1975.
The culprit?
Largely preventable bad habits like inactivity, smoking, excessive drinking, and eating processed junk foods loaded with sugar and fat.
These habits don’t just shave years off our lives – they destroy quality of life while we’re living.
Yet we continue to rationalize them. Are a few moments of convenience worth feeling tired, sick, and overweight for decades? Is shaving years off your life to avoid a little discomfort now worth it?
The choice is ours.
Stay silent while bad habits devastate our health and shorten lives? Or take control and create better habits for ourselves and future generations? The power lies within us.
Ready to be part of the solution?
Keep reading for simple starter steps. Together, we can build a fitter, healthier, happier world – one habit at a time!
Want to Change Your Habits? Start by Understanding Them
If you want to change your habits, you first need to understand what makes them tick.
That’s why ideas from experts like James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, are so valuable.
James Clear’s research shows habits form through 4 key stages: cue, craving, response, and reward.
To change a habit, you must break the cycle. Spot the cue that triggers your habit, understand the craving driving it, substitute a better response, and ensure you still get the reward.
For example, let’s say you want to stop your nightly ice cream habit.
The cue might be finishing dinner. The craving is a desire for something sweet. You can substitute fruit for ice cream to meet the sweet craving. And you still get the reward of a satisfying dessert!
See how it works?
Once you understand what makes your habits persist, you can hack the habit loop to change them for good.
Other experts like Charles Duhigg and BJ Fogg also provide invaluable insights on the psychology and science behind habits.
If we want to master our habits, their wisdom shows we must first understand them.
Ready to get started? Keep reading for more habit-hacking tips you can use right away!
Shine a Light on Your Habits Through Self-Reflection
Want to break free from your bad habits?
Start by taking a long, hard look in the mirror. Self-reflection allows you to see your habits clearly and objectively.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to reflect on your daily habits:
1. Set aside 15 minutes each evening for reflection. Find a quiet spot, get comfortable, and focus inward.
2. Walk through your day from start to finish. What habits did you engage in, both good and bad? How did you feel physically and emotionally after?
3. Jot down notes and observations in a journal. Writing things down gets them out of your head so you can see them clearly.
4. Look for patterns. Do certain habits happen at the same time each day? What cues or emotions trigger them?
5. Ask yourself: Which habits served me today? Which didn’t? What changes do I want to make?
Make self-reflection a daily ritual.
It only takes a few minutes but provides invaluable insights into your habits. You can’t change what you can’t see – so shine a light on your habits today!
Become Mindful, Take Control
The daily habit of self-reflection leads to greater mindfulness.
And mindfulness gives you power over your habits!
When you reflect consistently, you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in the moment. You notice habit cues and can consciously choose to break the cycle.
For example, let’s say you have a habit of snacking when bored. Reflection helps you spot this. When boredom strikes, you can now make the mindful choice to go for a walk or call a friend instead of reaching for food.
See how it works?
Self-reflection builds mindfulness muscle. The more mindful we become, the better we resist autopilot habits and make conscious choices aligned with our goals.
Why stay stuck in self-sabotaging routines when you can cut the leash and take control? Make the commitment now to become more mindful. Your future self with thank you!
The power to change is within you!
Start Now! Take Back Your Power
We’ve covered a lot of ground. Let’s recap the key takeaways:
• Our habits – both good and bad – drive up to 40% of our daily actions.
• Bad habits disguise themselves as harmless to persist. We must cut through the deception.
• Self-reflection builds awareness of habits and mindfulness to change them.
• Understanding your habit loops gives you power to hack them.
• With knowledge, self-reflection, and mindfulness, you can master your habits!
Are you ready to stop letting your habits control you? Are you prepared to take back power over your health, your time, your life?
The resources you need are at your fingertips.
Use the habit tracking worksheets and journaling exercises provided to uncover your habits. Put the habit-hacking strategies from experts like James Clear into practice.
You have everything you need to start living life on your terms!
The time for change is now. No more excuses, no more rationalizing. Recommit to your goals and take control of your habits TODAY!
Imagine how incredible you’ll feel when you have the habits that propel, not hold back, your success.
You absolutely can make it happen!
Now get out there, be mindful, and own your habits before they own you!