Your Brain

I learned something the other day about the brain that I found quite interesting. Apparently, through no fault of your own, your brain is naturally wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain and conserve energy. 

Now on many levels this makes sense. Think back to caveman days when conserving energy just might have saved your life. Because these traits are hardwired it can be challenging to rise above them. 

What I’ve discovered, though, is we have a tendency to be hard on ourselves whenever we fall short. In January many of us had lofty dreams of how this year was going to be different. Whatever bad habit we wanted to change almost seemed possible with the promise of the new year. 

However, according to my trusty AI Google source, “Most New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by the second Friday in January.” This day is known as “Quitter’s Day.” Wow! After only ten days most of us have had enough. 

If we find the data about our brains to be true, it does makes perfect sense. If our resolution didn’t include pleasure, or resulted in pain or took too much energy then our brain has been fighting against us all along. 

Knowing this actually makes me feel a little better, though. It’s really not all my fault. And perhaps I need to remember the sign I keep on my dresser “Be Kind to Yourself.”

Now of course, this is not an excuse to just give up. Those resolutions were made for a reason, so they probably have some validity. 

What I have learned is that what works for one doesn’t work for another. I know that I am more of an abstainer than a moderator. I don’t do well with limiting myself to a little bit of something I like. If I want to stop eating candy, then I need to stop eating candy. 

Sometimes for me it’s just making it through one day without succumbing to my chocolate fix, and after that it’s really not that hard to say no. But making it through that one day is really a big deal for me. Ten days ago I made it through that one day of no chocolate, and today I don’t seem to be craving sugar. 

Now some people say, “There is no way I could do that!” For them they can control how often and the amount of something they enjoy by having it in moderation. In fact, the famous saying, All things in moderation,” is quite popular. 

But for me moderation is harder. Being an abstainer for me goes hand in hand with being an “all or nothing” kind of person. I’ve convinced myself I have to do it perfectly at the or I’m not going to do it at all.

Sadly, this is extremely unrealistic, and over the last few months I’ve tried a new tactic that seems to be working. The concept of small steps or Kaizen as the Japanese call it, is the idea of continuous improvement. 

In February I began taking a wellness class at my local hospital. We started learned more about the importance of activity in our lives as a way to help prevent chronic disease. 

I knew I needed to walk, but had not walked regularly in almost four years. No longer living in a neighborhood with sidewalks made daily walks a little more challenging.  I didn’t want to risk injury walking on an uneven surface at my new country home. 

I began committing to 15 minute of walking on the three days I watch my youngest grandson. Rather than sitting on the porch while he was riding his bike I began to walk around their circular driveway.

After a couple of weeks I decided to add the two other weekdays into the mix, and walk up and down my long front porch. So now I was up to five days of walking. 

Next, I knew it was time to walk a little longer so I increased my time to 30 minutes. Now to be honest, I was pretty shocked at how out of shape I was. Thirty minutes was actually a little bit of a challenge. My back would hurt, and I’d be dragging by the end. 

However, here it is April, and I am walking five days a week for 30 minutes at a time pretty effortlessly. I’ve also purchased a new Fitbit to keep track of my steps. 

I’m feeling pretty motivated to make this a regular part of my life. When I lived in Frisco, Las Colinas, and Euless I always walked regularly. I remember it was a lot easier to maintain my weight when I included physical activity in my day. 

What I do know is I am not getting any younger, and if I want to have quality of life as I approach a new decade about a year from now, I need to be more intentional about my habits. It can’t just be a resolution that goes to the wayside ten days later. 

I must admit having the support of my wellness group has motivated me to actually do something different. That might also be something to consider when figuring out what works best for you. 

Although, my brain may tell me one thing, I actually have control over what I think and what I choose to do. Learning a little bit more about how you do best can be a start to making some of the changes you have been considering.

Trying to make them all at once can be a little defeating at times, but small changes can add up over time. I used to not truly believe that, but I’m seeing it in action now. 

My next challenge is increasing my water intake. I’ve even purchased a 64 oz container that can be used to track how much water I need to drink. Although, water is my drink of choice it really is difficult for me to drink this much in a day. I’m thinking maybe I could get used to six 8 oz glasses a day,and work up from there. 

Let me know what you think, and what are some things that have worked for you in battling your brain’s natural inclinations. Just remember to be kind to yourself.