When basketball players get fouled, they take foul shots. Every basketball player whether they are pro, collegiate, high school, middle school or even elementary level (if they are any good) has a foul shot routine.

Here are some examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mttHlV1WjMk&NR=1

Every time a player is at the foul line they do their routine before each shot.

Stay with me here…

So, what if before we ate, we did a little pre eating routine? Say, for example, a deep breath.

In basketball, usually it’s a deep breath and a combination of a certain number of dribbles and/or spins. Some players touch their face, others point, and some even blow a kiss.

The point is to slowww down. To regain some composure and to forget about the last play no matter how good or bad it was. The goal is to focus on the task at hand: making the foul shot(s).

In our case, we want to focus only on the meal or snack in front of us – no matter how good or bad the last one was – and to eat as mindfully as possible.

What if our routine was always making sure we had a glass of water to the right of our plate, a fork and knife and a napkin? Some players also say something to themselves – whether it’s a mantra or an affirmation.

What if you said a little something to yourself? How about “I love MyBodyTutor! I love MyBodyTutor!”? I kid. I kid.

But really, what if you said something?

How about, “I will eat this food slowly and I will appreciate each and every bite,” or, “Am I really hungry, or am I eating to change the way I feel?” or, “Will this food make me feel and look good after I eat it?”

The point is to slow down. If we create a routine like this, it’ll help a lot. That’s also why I suggest we eat only while sitting down.

We want to be consistent with our routine too…just like a basketball player is with his foul shot routine. A consistent routine will lead to a consistent performance, which in our case, will lead to slower and more mindful eating.

Next time you eat, pretend you’re at the foul line.

What’s your routine going to be?

P.S. I realize some of you may already have a pre eating routine in which you say thanks or give blessings for your food. Even better! Could you do it for every meal?

##

If you’re ready to take your health and fitness game to the next level, daily support, daily accountability and daily encouragement – along with a system and program – is what you need to make that happen. 100’s of people throughout the US and world have used MBT to get the body they want.

Read some of our testimonials by clicking here. Email me if you have any questions or concerns. I want you to feel perfectly comfortable before you join so feel free to ask me anything. I truly live for what I do! And if not – let’s get going! What are you waiting for?

The hardest word in the world to resist is…wait for it…FREE!

We love free. We can’t get enough of it. Give someone a free piece of crap, and they’ll take it. Actually, they’ll wait on line for it!

Give someone free food and not only will they wait on line for it but they’ll get all their friends, and they’ll all wait on line together!

First, let’s explore why we have such a hard time resisting free food.

We’re hard-wired to like sweets. Give a baby something sweet and they’ll like it more than something unsweetened.

Now give anyone a combo of sugar, fat and salt and that becomes irresistible. And I mean that in every sense of the word.

Our brain loses its ability to regulate itself when we eat a combo of sugar, fat and salt. As humans we’re programmed to focus on the most rewarding stimuli – because back in the day – - we actually had to worry about surviving.

But the combo of sugar, fat and salt (pick anyone of your favorite unhealthy tasting foods and snacks) has a pull on us. It literally overrides our brain’s natural ability to regulate itself.

There in lies the true problem.

Give me a bowl of broccoli and I’ll feel satisfied.

Give me a bowl of cookies and I can keep eating them and eating them and eating them and eating them and eating them and eating them and eating them and eating them and eating them and eating them and eating them (you think I’m kidding?) – no matter how much I already ate!

We lose our ability to feel full when we eat irresistible foods.

If you put a plate of cookies in front of me, it’s going to be very hard for me to focus on anything else.

Why?

Well our dopamine (chemicals that make us feel good) levels are rising in anticipation of the reward. We can’t stop thinking about it…or can we?

Our brain works like that, unfortunately.

Now, without having to pay for it – which is an act that makes us stop and think, “Wait do I really want this?” we lose that precious time to choose.

There is nothing in our way. The floodgates are open!

So, besides me telling you the obvious to avoid situations where there is free food, we can fight back, and have a game plan.

In fact, having a game plan is the most important strategy.

Many times, we’re either going to a party, or a work event or some sort of planned function – that we can prepare for. The key is to mentally prepare for it.

1. For example, if we’re going to our friends house who makes the best xyz – let’s decide before we go how many we will have – if we decide it’s really worth it. Mentally rehearsing what we’re going to do before we go is a great strategy. Because when we mentally rehearse we’re thinking with our long term, rational mind.

When we’re tempted we’re thinking with our short term, irrational mind.

Whether it’s shooting a basketball and seeing the ball go in before we shoot, or envisioning what we’ll order and eat, it helps a lot.

But what happens if out of nowhere there’s just FFFE?!?!

In the next month or so, this is to be expected.

In this case, do not teeter. Do not waver. If someone put a plate of xyz in front of us right now choose immediately.

“No! I don’t want this. It’s not going to make me feel good. It won’t make me look better or feel better.”

“If I eat this now, I won’t feel good about myself later and tomorrow!”

But the second we start to entertain the idea, we’re going to lose. Never negotiate with yourself.

It can’t be a negotiation. It has to be a quick decision.

“Nope! Not for me!” “It’s not a part of my plan!” Next thought…

If we’re watching TV and a commercial comes on that’s tempting us in an uncomfortable way – what would we do?

Change the channel!

We can do the same. Think about something else. Talk about something else. Snap a rubber band on your wrist.

Remember: change that channel.

But here’s my favorite question I ask myself (yes, I ask myself lots of questions) when there’s FFFE, “If this weren’t free, would I pay for it?”

Hopefully, that leads to a lot of, “No thank yous!”

Today’s inspiration is a guest inspiration. It’s from a client named Randy, and he’s doing really well so far. It’s always fun to witness the transformation in a client’s energy via their emails and how they talk and write. He sent the below to me the other day and suggested I use it as inspiration.

Anyway, without further ado here’s Randy:

As a new client who is enjoying Adam’s coaching, I have been watching my behavior to see what I’m consciously changing and how I can best develop new habits. So far, the notion of really asking myself why am I about to eat is powerful. Two thirds of my eating impulses from 3pm on and three quarters of them after 7pm were habit, boredom, or to make me feel better. Thanks to Adam and the MyBodyTutor principles, I know what to do with these impulses now.

Before I became serious about losing the rest of my gut and laying down the hard goal of seeing abs by age forty, I would find it odd to be out with one of my really fit friends who, when asked to share a dessert or have an ice cream or partake in a pastry with coffee, would constantly say no.

I used to think that he was a bit of a “Mr. No Fun”. Handsome, cut, ripped, but how was he living without enjoying at least some of that sugary food?

Three weeks into the MBT program I was seeing great results. A string of 5-star eating days and 5-star workout days had me on a roll and I was seeing ribs I hadn’t seen in…well a long time! That same day I really noticed my progress, I went out with some friends, and they ordered a number of delicious desserts to share.

When the friend who was handing out portions passed one for me, I smiled and said no. They were surprised and I gently but firmly commented that I wasn’t hungry. When pressed, I explained that I had some training goals in mind that the coffee would be fine.

I realized in that moment of saying no I was really saying yes to myself.

I said yes to my plan, and yes to consistency. I said yes to the guy I want to see tanning, strolling and running on the beach this summer in France for my fortieth birthday. I realized that all of us who stick to our goals say no but mean yes many times each day.

So next time you say no to the lemon tart, to the mochachino with whipped cream or the triple chocolate geleto cone, smile, knowing that on the inside, you are saying yes.

Your decision to say no but mean yes will make all the difference.

* *

I think that’s a perfect inspiration and a great way to think about the choices we’re going to face this weekend!

Wow, that’s way more information than you needed! Speaking of information…

So I’m a reader. And I have this insatiable desire to know what’s inside books and to learn everything I can about certain subjects.

I always enjoy talking about books people are reading too. Once in a while, I’ll hear about a book that’s not so good but the person always says something along the lines of, “I still have to finish it!”

I used to be the same way. However, I realized that if I’m not enjoying the book why continue?! That’s a lot harder than it sounds for many people. Actually, I still have trouble doing it.

I think you guessed where this is going. We tend to finish whatever is on our plate, no matter how bad it tastes or how not worth it, it is. I think this is the same part of our brain that feels guilty about the books. “All the starving children in Africa,” we think.

Clearly, irrational but it makes us feel better. Because us finishing our plates has nothing to do with African children and everything to do with our health, fitness and waistline.

So, this week, if you’re eating something that just isn’t doing it for you – stop eating it! It’s very empowering.

And it’s funny because we feel guilty about wasting food yet we don’t feel guilty about adding unnecessary calories to our system.

Either way, you’re paying for it. One is with wasted money and the other is with wasted energy trying to burn off those extra calories.

Okay. That’s enough. Enough reading my daily inspiration for now.

Well, I don’t think it is. I can think the bark off a tree! I’m sure you can too.

Thinking is good but what’s really good is the ability to think about only one thing.

At any given moment I’m thinking about 1000 things. Are you only thinking about the words you’re reading right here, right now?

Ever drive somewhere and have no idea how you got there?

This lack of awareness and presence leads to mindless eating. Because we’re not paying attention to what we’re doing.

We’re daydreaming while we’re awake. Scary!

This also will prevent you from fully enjoying your meals because while you’re eating you might be thinking of what’s next. Or something entirely different altogether.

When you’re in the moment like I am now – as I’m writing this (I think it’s just because I enjoy writing so much) – the words fly onto the screen and you’re not thinking about anything else.

This allows us to enjoy life more! (Being in the moment that is.)

Whether it’s with the food we eat, the exercise we partake in or the people we hang out with. When you’re there…like really there, it’s better for everyone involved, no matter what you’re doing.

So, to try to train myself to be more present, I’ve started small.

Brushing my teeth to me is like doing laundry. It takes a little oomph to get started but once you do it feels good and once you’re done it feels incredible. However, while I’m brushing my teeth I’m usually thinking about something else.

And without even realizing it, I start brushing my teeth really hard. Not good for my teeth and gums! My natural tendency is to scrub harder without even thinking about it.

That’s where the exercise comes into play.

So I have to consciously pay attention while I’m brushing to ensure I don’t brush too hard. It’s quite challenging. I really try to stay in the moment and not think about anything but my teeth.

If I don’t, I come back to my teeth and realize I’m brushing too hard.

Meditation is about stilling your mind and controlling your thoughts. It’s about having discipline with where you let your mind wander. I’ve never meditated before but I can imagine it being a very powerful skill. The ability to control your thoughts and stop them immediately and refocus on just your breathing.

That’s really hard!

Start small.

Start with just paying attention to something, anything, for the entire time you’re doing it. Whether it’s cooking, cleaning, brushing your teeth, eating, etc.

As soon as you find yourself wandering…quick…get back to what it is you’re doing. And think only about that.

I think, thinking only about what you’re doing in the moment will help you in more ways than one.