Making Healthy Habits
Using behavioral psychology to develop and maintain positive habits.
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The Best Advice for Long Distance Running
How to Develop a Perseverance Mindset The thought of long distance running as a hobby or recreational activity seems to put off a lot of people. I think it’s because running is thought of as (and can be) a painful activity that one must suffer through rather than enjoy. When I tell people that I look forward to my longer weekend runs, I often get bewildered looks. Is this negative perception due to memories of the “gym class mile” in middle school, running-as-punishment in high school sports, or some other running=bad experience? Certainly, running can be painful. Running when injured or trying to run a 5-minute mile with no training…
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Are Free Days Good For You?
They Can Be – Here’s How Really, the only downside to healthy eating is not eating part – not eating mass quantities of just anything we want. Most of us would love to stuff our faces with ice cream and pizza every day … but then we’d be sick. What to do? Typical diets, especially fad-ish ones, require the elimination of your favorite treats (chocolate ice cream, I’m looking at you) or even entire food groups (I can’t live without dairy!!). Unless you’re allergic or have an intolerance to a food, there is no scientific reason to ban it from your life forever. Today I’d like to share with you…
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7 Ways to Stop Eating So Much Sugar
Most of us realize that too much sugar is bad for our health – not only does sugar have no nutritional value (outside of calories), eating too much can lead to weight gain, type II diabetes, and other chronic health problems. The problem: sugar is wonderfully delicious! Case in point: the average American consumes more than ⅓ cup of added sugar daily – that’s 57 pounds per year! If you have a few minutes, this TEDx video does a great job of explaining why we looovve eating sugar: https://youtu.be/lEXBxijQREo Even though we humans are hard-wired to consume sweet foods, The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 – 9…
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How I Overcame Finishing LAST in Every Race
Principles for accomplishing ANY goal Do you ever feel like all your hard work is just NOT paying off? Like you’re beating your head against the proverbial wall to achieve something, yet have nothing to show for it? That is exactly how I felt when I started running. My first year on the track team in high school, I finished dead last in every single race. Grueling practices and lung-burning exertion all the way to the finish line, only to see no improvement – to fail, letting down my team and myself. Initially, I thought joining the track team would be a great way to become a runner. Until then,…
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Back to School Snack Traps: Top 4 Healthy Not Healthy
And better alternatives for backpack snacks Parents across the nation are singing the praises of the back-to-school season. Because, no matter how painful and tedious back-to-school shopping is, every parent knows that the reward for this effort is that his/her kids will be back in the classroom and out of the house soon. If you aren’t a parent with kids in school, you may be unaware that, these days, kids are allowed – nay, encouraged – to bring snacks to school … for consumption during non-lunch times of the day. I don’t know about you, but when I was in elementary school, snacks brought from home were straight up contraband…
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4 Ways to Slower, More Mindful Eating
What I’ve learned from having braces (again). I’ve been studying food and nutrition for over 20 years, but the last six months of wearing braces on my teeth has taught me some new things. Braces have also reminded me of some key mindsets for successful and joyful eating. Having adult braces comes with a unique set of challenges (mostly of the self-conscious, embarrassing sort) compared to having braces as a kid or teenager: fear of judgement from others, eating in professional settings, none of your friends are “doing it”, etc. I’ve experienced all of these and more. However, I am surprised at how wearing braces has changed my relationship with…
