Toolbox 4

Tool Box by Shannon Paul & Sami Reed of Long Beach Boot Camp

Every week we choose new tools to try from Long Beach Boot Camp.  Each tool is very valuable and can help bring health and fitness into your life. Try each of the tools for the duration of one week. Know that not every tool is right for every person. That is why there are so many tools in the health and fitness industry. You have to have the right tool for the job and the right tool for the person. Our goal is that you pick a tool from either Shannon Paul or Sami Reed and stick with it for the duration of one week. You will feel amazing and start making progress towards your goal(s).

Tool #1: Feel Good Now, Feel Good Later
Do the choices that I make about food or my relationship make me feel good now and later? For example when I overeat during a meal, I typically feel really good while I am doing it, "feel good now," because I am usually overeating what I consider yummy food. That seems to happen a lot of the time when people overeat. So I ask myself "am going to feel good NOW"? Yes, but even more importantly "am I going to feel good later"? Probably not.

I am probably going to beat myself up, feel guilty that I over ate and not feel good about myself any more. Therefore that decision doesn't get me to my goal.

So think about the decisions that you make in your life, wether it is about food or relationships or whatever is going on in you life. Ask yourself if the decisions you are making in your life make you feel good now and later? It needs to feel good both now and later or perhaps this decision needs to be altered because the decision doesn't get you closer to your goal or desired outcomes in life.

Tool #2: Positive Connections
Make a positive connection to something that you know is healthy for you but you do not like doing. For example if you do not like running but you know it is really good for you. Instead of "running" the entire time, try to walk a section and then run and build up your stamina. Then reward yourself for the progress you are making instead of focusing on the fact that you "do not like running" and you will automatically find that you like to run more and more. Focus on giving something positive to each part of the process. Find something positive in your experience.

Another example is if you tell yourself that you really don't like vegetables when in fact it is only broccoli that you don't like. Try experimenting with other types of vegetables. So again it is making a positive connection with things that you know are healthy for you.

Try one or both of these tools, and make sure that you are sticking with the tool for the entire week.