Hey there,
Here are 3 things I’ve learned and/or expanded on this week.
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Show Up For Others
When you show up for other people on a regular basis, your own personal life satisfaction can be improved massively.
As a paramedic in an urban city, I get to meet and speak to a wide variety of different types of people. One patient I transported to the hospital told me a story which reinforced a belief I’ve had for a long time now. A belief that when I take the emphasis off of myself, my purpose and meaning and the fulfillment I derive from life becomes much stronger.
I treated a patient in his late 70’s who was feeling weak and dizzy after finishing work. When I asked why he was still working at almost 80 years old he told me that it allows him to make a little extra money and top up his insurance to keep wife, who has pretty progressive dementia, home with the best quality of life that he can provide.
This is the type of person that you should want to be.
When you focus more on showing up for other people, you’ll develop a greater sense of compassion, gratitude, purpose and meaning, coping skills, and resilience.
I am all for “self-care” practices within your personal development journey. But give this some thought and take some emphasis off of yourself.
Make Unhealthy Eating Harder
Most people can go on a diet and be successful at losing the weight that they want to lose. The problem is that most of these people will quickly rebound back up to an undesired body weight.
A lot of the time this is due to choosing “quick-fix” or fad diets that are not sustainable long-term for most people. We are in a world of food abundance these days. Not just food abundance, but abundance of super calorie-dense and highly processed foods.
In order to make your weight loss sustainable and lasting you have to make healthy eating easier and unhealthy eating harder.
Here are 3 practical tips:
- Have a plan and meal prep. If you choose the meals that you’re going to eat ahead of time you’ll be more likely to only shop for foods which make up that plan at the grocery store. Meal prep is a game changer for most people. You don’t have to go crazy and make 7 days worth of meals at once. Simply cooking extra for the next few days is still meal prep, simple, and will set you up for success.
- Control your environment. It’s really hard to eat tempting foods when they aren’t close by. Get rid of the unhealthy foods from your cupboard and fridge and add some barriers to accessing them. If you have to get up and drive to the store every single time you want tempting food, you’ll be less likely to eat it. On the flip side, make the healthy foods easy to access and visible in your space. You’ll be more likely to eat those foods if you don’t have to go digging around for them.
- Eat mindfully. Distraction while eating is one of the big reasons that people overeat. Be more present when you eat your food. Notice the feelings and sensations of fullness and hunger. Use smaller plates and utensils if you’re really struggling with portion control. These are all ways you can be more mindful while eating.
Science Is Not A Protocol
The evidence-based fitness community has grown significantly over the past decade or so. A lot of people interpret “evidence-based” practices to only include those specific protocols which have been studied in research.
Science is only one part of evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice is the integration of yes, science, but also practitioner experience, and individual experience and preference.
What can science really tell you?
Science (specifically RCTs) can tell you the outcomes of a particular protocol, for a particular group of people, at a particular time, in particular conditions, compared to another particular protocol and/or a control group.
Science can be used to develop strong principles to adhere to when designing your training program. BUT science is not the training protocol itself.
Your training should be evidence-based but remember that there’s more than just scientific research to evidence-based training.
Peace friend,
Jamie
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