7 Day of Conversation + Tools to Help You with New Habits, Remember Old Habits and Break Bad Habits Today's Challenge:&nbsp;I recommend setting a DAILY habit goal to to read, watch, or listen to something that inspires you! Even for just 5-10 minutes. This is one of those things that has huge compound returns on your investment :-) If you want to dive in a little deeper, some of my favorite books about habits are: Atomic Habits by James Clear Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg The 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins There’s no better time than RIGHT NOW. &nbsp; Helpful Links:

The Habits Challenge Day 1

7 Day of Conversation + Tools to Help You with New Habits, Remember Old Habits and Break Bad Habits There’s a specific process called REACH to help “rewire” your brain&nbsp;(aka create new neural pathways in your brain). Here’s the process: Repetition. The more reps of an activity you do, the more likely rewiring will occur. Effort.&nbsp;You have to put in some work (and enthusiasm!) to make rewiring happen. Just going through the motions doesn’t count. :) Attention.&nbsp;Being “in the moment” as you’re doing the activity – paying attention to all that’s required – also helps the rewiring process. Complex Activities.&nbsp;The more involved/challenging your habit/activity, the more your brain will rewire (i.e., learning to speak a new language requires more rewiring than drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning). Health.&nbsp;The healthier your body and brain are, the more ready your brain is for change. So, lay the groundwork for change by getting exercise and sleep, and eating a healthy diet. &nbsp; Helpful Links:

The Habits Challenge Day 2

7 Day of Conversation + Tools to Help You with New Habits, Remember Old Habits and Break Bad Habits There are “5 Mindset Stages” people go through to create a new lifestyle change. In a nutshell, those stages are: Precontemplation&nbsp;– This is before you’re aware of a “problem” (like the need to quit smoking) or are even thinking of making any changes. Contemplation&nbsp;– You’ve got a problem that you want to solve, and you start thinking about making some changes. Planning&nbsp;– This is when you are planning to actually make the changes. Action&nbsp;– When you’re in the process of changing. Maintenance&nbsp;– You’ve successfully made the changes and are maintaining them! We talked about the jump from “Planning” to “Action” … because it is so easy to get these mixed up with each other! It’s also super easy to get stuck in planning mode. To get more and The Habits 101 Workbook, sign up for . Helpful Links:

The Habits Challenge Day 3

7 Day of Conversation + Tools to Help You with New Habits, Remember Old Habits and Break Bad Habits Tiny habits lead to BIG changes You already know that habits have the power to transform your life. Coming in and out of this lockdown, many of us are working on getting our regular habits back on track. "Behavior (B) happens when Motivation (M), Ability (A), and a Prompt (P) come together at the same time." This basically means that to make a lasting behavior change (habit), you need to piece 3 things: Motivation&nbsp;–&nbsp;You have to WANT to make a change. If you think you SHOULD make a change but you aren’t really into it, it won’t stick. (REALITY CHECK: sometimes you have to give a new habit a try before you decide whether it’s for you or not. Once you start feeling the results, you’ll start to want to make the change.) Prompt&nbsp;– This is a reminder to do the behavior. It could be something like going to the bathroom or opening the refrigerator door, or setting a timer or alarm on your phone. Or, your reminder could be a reward … if you want to check your phone, you need to do 5 squats first. Ability&nbsp;– Not only you should be physically able to do the behavior, but also have the time and space to do it. Doing those 5 squats takes a lot less time and is much easier than running 1 mile! Over time, this formula adds up to habits (and results) that can stick for a lifetime. &nbsp; Helpful Links:

Habits Challenge Day 4

7 Day of Conversation + Tools to Help You with New Habits, Remember Old Habits and Break Bad Habits If you procrastinate, this is for YOU Have you ever been checking your phone … or vegging on the couch … and suddenly start thinking about a goal you want to work toward? It’s a little push from deep within you – something you can feel in your gut. Almost everyone has felt this way at one point or another. Maybe you finally want to clean up your eating to improve your health. Maybe you want to start working out so you get your energy back and feel stronger. Or maybe you rhone is still feeling a little too "lived'in" due to the 'Rona and you get a urge to organize and clean.I did! Whatever the exact push is, author and motivational speaker Mel Robbins calls it&nbsp;an instinct for change. She also says that unless you do something about it within 5 seconds, that instinct will die. She came up with&nbsp;the 5-second Rule&nbsp;(based on real science) to help keep that instinct alive. Basically, as soon as you have that instinct (as long as it’s one that supports your goals!), you count backwards …. 5,4,3,2,1 and then you DO IT! And guess what? It works. Your brain wants to protect you and keep you safe and comfortable. As a result, it sees change as a threat … so it will do whatever it can to shut down that change, including sending you a bunch of thoughts to keep you doing the same-old, same-old. (Thank you, prefrontal cortex!) That’s why it’s so important to take action on those gut-level urges IMMEDIATELY … before your prefrontal cortex has a chance to take over. This can apply to so many areas of your life. Here are just some examples of “instinct” urges you might feel: Walking to the kitchen to prep tomorrow’s meals Speaking up at a meeting at work Lacing up your shoes after work to go for a jog This can lead to&nbsp;LIFE-CHANGING&nbsp;results now and into the future! The more direct action you take toward your goals, the more in-control you’ll be over your life. This will lead you to bigger urges and bigger actions – and bigger success. Pretty exciting, right? &nbsp; Helpful Links:

Habits Challenge Day 5

7 Day of Conversation + Tools to Help You with New Habits, Remember Old Habits and Break Bad Habits Have you seen the new docuseries about Michael Jordan called The Last Dance? If you haven’t seen it, it’s pretty incredible and I highly recommend it. Most people don’t know this about Jordan … but he had a secret club called “The Breakfast Club.” After a 3-year playoff losing streak to the Detroit Pistons in the late 80’s, Jordan decided to triple-down on his already legendary practice habit by creating a secret “club.” He realized he needed to improve his strength and endurance to overcome the Pistons, so he set up a morning workout habit to specifically improve those traits. It wasn’t long until some of his teammates became curious about his early-morning routine and joined him. Every morning as early as 5 o’clock, they’d get together for intense workouts and also have a nutrient-rich breakfast to help refuel, repair, and rebuild their bodies. This was in ADDITION to their normal practice schedule! Back then, this holistic approach – combining nutrition and fitness – was considered groundbreaking. It’s common now because it works … but the Chicago Bulls went on to become a legendary team, dominating the NBA in the 1990’s by winning 6 championships! &nbsp; Helpful Links:

Habits Challenge Day 6

7 Day of Conversation + Tools to Help You with New Habits, Remember Old Habits and Break Bad Habits How I broke a bad habit A little while ago I realized I was getting into a pretty deep rut that was going to turn into a bad habit if I didn’t do something about it. It was during the beginning of this whole Covid-19 crap, I found myself eating foods I shouldn't be eating...and binge watching LOTS of shows and movies...not being productive at all. Honestly, I was surprised at how fast it happened. I think a LOT of us were sliding into not-so-productive behaviors. I’m just grateful I realized it before it got out of hand! Fact:&nbsp;Getting out of that rut was a LOT harder than I expected it to be, and I knew I had to get strategic and tactical about it. Everything that was going on in my life at that point supported staying in the rut and doubling down … I’m talking about stress, extra time on my hands, you name it! Here’s what I did to kick it: I KNEW I had to make a radical change to remove the temptation. For me, that meant shaking up my routine by&nbsp;getting really BUSY with something else,&nbsp;so there was no time or energy to get seduced back into my rut. That meant I started back doing things I loved. And do you know what? Once I got started, it wasn’t that bad at all. It was actually fun. Plus, I had something to show for it: new programs for YOU, new recipes I can't wait to share with you, and much more! &nbsp; Helpful Links:

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