December 5th, 2009
We joke, grin, gripe and cry about the slave-making vices that drag us into misery. It is habits, repeated over time, that result in illnesses like: diabetes, gout, constipation, obesity, unhealed injuries, stomach problems and even poverty. With exceptions like: genetics, disease and accidents, most people decline into poor health through a series of bad choices rather than a significant event. As the saying goes: "A fall starts with a slip, not a dive."
So, to get out of being "sick and tired of being sick and tired," you need to remove or reduce the unhealthy activities. To do this, you have to stop rewarding yourself for doing self-destructive things. Now, that may sound strange, but think about it:
- Smoking and drinking gives most people a temporary lift and often adds to a social setting;
- Pop, pastries and candy often immediately taste good;
- Over-eating can make you feel groggy and comfortable;
- Lying around is (to some people) more comfortable than running;
- Staying indoors feels safer than activity outdoors;
- Lack of sleep has its own kind of mellow high; and
- Extreme emotions also have their own kind of excitement.
We all tend to get some kind of reward from our habits, good or bad. In this article, we are going to use psychological extinction to remove the unhealthy activity. We do this by reducing the reinforcement (reward) of a bad health habit. With something like eating junk food, we can reduce the immediate reward a number of ways.
1. Reduce the sweet taste by using an alternative. Something with a different flavor, like peppermint. Try fruit instead of a cup cake. Try a bagel instead of a butter horn.
2. Delay the sweet taste. Move the candies, pastries, pop, etc. away from your work or home environment. If it is not there, then it is harder to eat.
3. Set up rules regarding when and where the junk food can be eaten, such as: no snacking before supper or no snacking after 7 p.m.
Let's look at a typical junk food snacking behavior. An office worker puts a large bowl of leftover Halloween candy on her desk. Throughout the day, her and her co-workers steadily take treats from the bowl. The sugar-laden candy gives a pleasant break from a sometimes monotonous work load. The worker can go through a steady sugar buzz all day.
Now, let's try to replace the candy habit with alternatives like water or tea breaks. Without the constant sugar buzz, a mild withdrawal sets in and our office worker starts craving the taste of candy. Providing an alternative, like mints or gum, will still give the snacking worker that quick reward, but with only a fraction of the calories or harmful substances. Even trips to the water cooler work as an alternative to junk food. A friend of mine broke his coffee habit by just drinking water. He started drinking water in the morning and afternoon with a couple of coffee breaks in between. Eventually, he drank more water and less coffee until he was drinking only water throughout the shift. I followed his example and lost the coffee craving as well.
The next extinction tactic is to place the junk food farther away. When most people get hungry and swing into the nearest fast food joint or dig into a chocolate bar, they get an immediate gratification. The plan here, then, is to separate the reward from the undesired action. A walk to a locker, the coat closet or even the parking lot can dissuade most people from making the effort. This delayed "sugar buzz" can feel like the reward is being delayed. It is kind of like receiving a late pay check. It is not nearly as appealing as a regular wage.
The next method of diminishing the junk food habit is to set up hard rules such as:
- Eating it only at a certain time (eg. 3 p.m.);
- Eating it only on certain occasions (eg. Holidays);
- No eating junk food after a certain time (eg. 7 p.m.);
- Only eating it after a proper meal; and
- Only eating it one day a week.
In his book, Body for Life, Bill Phillips talks about allowing one "cheat day" per week. This is good strategy as it enables a person to know that they can eventually have their snack. It is one of the benefits of the extinction principle.
One of the set backs of the extinction principle is a tendency to replace the former vice with another one. (Like former smokers, who eat more after they quit smoking?) Better to fill that gap with something beneficial, like good food. Another way to replace the good feeling from the junk food is to give oneself a mental pat on the back. After all, you want to reward yourself for a job well done.
For a flatter gut, read the download at: Stomach Flattening
Doug Setter holds a Bachelor's of Food and Nutrition. He has served as a paratrooper and U.N. Peacekeeper, has completed 5 full marathons and climbed Mt. Rainier. He held a welterweight kick-boxing title at age 40. He consults clients in alcohol reduction, stomach-flattening, kick-boxing and nutrition. He is the author of Stomach Flattening, Reduce Your Alcohol Craving and One Less Victim. Visit his website: http://www.2ndwindbodyscience.com
David Paris - DP Butts Out Episode 2
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