Last week, I wrote about the notion of patterns in your behavior.
I wanted to write more about it this week, from a slightly different angle.
A few years ago, I offered up a “challenge” to my clients at RevFit.
It was 30 days of no alcohol, flour or “added” sugar.
In hindsight, I regret doing this.
If I knew then what I know now about eating disorders, I would have never pursued the challenge.
However, this is me “on record”, apologizing.
I am sorry to anyone this challenge may have triggered.
At the time, there was good intention and, I would say that the clients who chose to embark on the challenge likely didn’t suffer any negative outcomes from participating.
What I’ll illustrate, having gone through the challenge myself is what I’d like you to think about with regards to our patterns of behavior.
At the time, my wife and I weren’t drinking exclusively bourbon at night but we were having a beer.
The way our house is set up, I’d pull my car into the garage, walk into the house and through the utility room which would lead into our kitchen.
I’d open the refrigerator door, grab a beer for each of us, pop them open and we’d sit and have dinner.
This pattern was so ingrained into my behavior that when I started the 30 day challenge, I still would walk into the house and go for the refrigerator door before reminding myself that: Oh, yeah…I’m not drinking for the next 30 days.
It took me about 3 days of abstinence before I started to walk past the refrigerator door instead of defaulting to opening it each night when I got home.
Some people are very aware of their patterns. Some are not.
I know that each morning when my alarm goes off, the next 5 minutes of my waking time are almost clockwork exactly the same: from when I grab my coffee, to when I use the restroom, to when I check my phone. It’s all very much a carbon copy of the previous day.
These are the patterns I challenge you to pay attention to.
Within those patterns you may find the times when you are most likely to snack/graze, when you might reach for the second glass of wine, when you wake up in the middle of the night for a snack, when you go for a third cup of coffee instead of grabbing water…
And if you’re not aware that you have patterns, ask someone: Do you see me exhibit any patterns of behavior?
For those of you who read my work looking for fat loss tips, our patterns can show us where we might not be aligned with our goals (or our values).
Take some time to see where your patterns may be holding you back and how you can change them to work for you, not against you.
