My usual ride home needed to make a couple of stops, so a different zumba go-er offered to give me a ride.
While we were driving I asked her how long she has been going to zumba and she said she has been going for awhile and she tries to go every Monday night.
I complimented her for being consistent and she said something so inspiring and strong- but I doubt she even knows how amazing it was.
She said: "I just made it so that it's not a choice. Every Monday night I go. I don't decide each week, or think about how I'm feeling once 8 o clock rolls around. Every Monday it's not a choice, I put my gym shoes on and I go".
There is no cognitive skill stronger than this one. Judith Beck talks about this concept in her book that I base a lot of my program on, it's called the "NO CHOICE" response.
If you have decided that you are going to exercise at a certain time, eat a certain amount for dinner, or abstain from a certain treat- there's no choice. If you truly believed this, and if you truly have made the commitment- the voices in your head fighting against you wouldn't stand a chance!
Often we need behavioral reminders of this helpful cognitive tool. Making notes in your calendar, on your phone, or keeping a NO CHOICE note-card in your wallet can be a helpful way to remind yourself of the path you want to take when it comes to your health life. It's shouldn't be seen as a burden- it's a step in the right direction towards training our brains to treat our bodies the way they want to be treated.
It's not a tool that you'll use to keep yourself from treats or breaks all the time- because that wouldn't be cognitively healthy either- but you can consciously decide which things in your life can be put in this NO CHOICE category.
Whether you decide to join my group or not- think to yourself- which of your health choices can you make this concept work for?
What can you decide and be brave enough to put into the category of "no choice"........
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