Do yourself a favour and do something different!

One of the most frustrating aspects of being a Fitness professional is seeing such inconsistency in peoples training regimes and diet.  I am forever hearing next week is the week I’m going to sort my food out; on Monday I am going to stop drinking so much; after my holiday I am going to take my training more seriously etc.  

This table from Stanford University’s psychology research department makes interesting reading and can shed some light on why people seemingly find it so difficult to add an exercise or healthy diet regime to their life,  give up a bad habit or break away from self destructive behaviours that affect their overall health. The table highlights the fact that not enough focus is on recognising or understanding how much our behaviours, therefore our lives are controlled by habits.

	Stanford University’s Top 10 mistakes in behaviour change
1	Relying on will power for long term change
2	Attempting big leaps instead of baby steps
3	Ignoring how environment shapes behaviour
4	Trying to stop old behaviours rather than create new ones
5	Blaming failure on lack of motivation
6	Underestimating the power of triggers
7	Believing that information leads to action
8	Focusing on abstract goals more than concentrating on concrete behaviours
9	Seeking at the outset to change the behaviour forever
10	Believing that behaviour change is always difficult

It is human nature to think that we are all in control of our lives and all of decisions and behaviours are completely rational and all of the choices we make are conscious.  The truth is that they are not; our brains may only make up 2% of our body-weight but they consume 20% of our energy resources.  It has also been shown that willpower behaves like a muscle in the sense that it burns more energy and can get tired when overused, which suggests that it is natural for the brain to want to conserve energy.  A way this can happen is to run on auto-pilot and just do what is comfortable and requires less thought.  

Our lives are run by habits, so when it comes to changing your diet, or committing to an exercise regime or giving up drinking or smoking it is no wonder so many fail at the first hurdle as they are battling against environmental triggers that they don’t know exist.  The good news is there is something you can do to help.  It is quite simply learn new behaviours and create new brain connections by doing something completely different.

Professor Ben Fletcher, Head of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire has spent his career researching this field and has overwhelming evidence that shows that when people commit to trying new things it opens their mind to change, which has a positive effect on breaking habits, losing weight and making sustainable long term changes.  It can even improve your creativity, work productivity and overall enrich your life.  

Professor Fletcher advocates “Do Something Different” interventions that require people to come out of their comfort zone and take part in seemingly innocuous tasks such as eating different food, reading a different paper, watching new television shows, walking a different route to work or striking up conversations with new people. The result of these interventions is a mind that is open to change, as he puts it, you learn how to use the other 9/10ths of your personality.

Remember, Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.

So, if you have been struggling in 2013 to keep to your health goals, my advice is to mix it up and do something completely different and help improve your chances of success!

For more information and guidance on how to change your health behaviour and build a successful exercise regime contact James directly on james@hutchisonpt.co.uk or enquiries@aayou.co.uk.