What If Having a Healthy Brain Wasn’t That Hard?

Why do you think so many people struggle with their health or with maintaining a healthy lifestyle? Could it be that most of us make it way more complicated than it needs to be.

Always ask yourself: Is this good for my brain, or bad for my brain?

Dr. Daniel Amen

All you’ve got to do is check out these images. Can you tell me which behaviors do you think are good for your brain, and which ones are bad for your brain?

Not too difficult right? You don’t need to go see your healthcare provider to ask them what you should be doing to improve your health. I think most of us know what we need to do. The problem lies in the motivation to start, and the willpower to keep at it!

What if you didn’t have to make a huge change in your lifestyle?

Have you ever thought that maybe you didn’t have to turn your world around to improve your health? What if you took baby steps and repeated the same baby steps over and over again until they became part of your every day routine? These baby steps would become over time effortless. That’s when, and only then, you start increasing your goals.

Have you ever wondered why so many people just can’t seem to keep up with their goals? Why do so many of us quit before we even start? Could it be that our lives are already filled to their maximum capacity. There’ s no room for change when we’ve got a to-do list that never ends!

We spend our days running from one activity to the next, one responsiblity to the next. We think our lives our meaningless unless we achieve everything that’s on our lists. Then we wake up one morning feeling runned down, incapable of finding the willpower needed to pursue our goals, and the right mindset needed to thrive in this life we call ours. But is it really our life, or the life society has managed to make us believe we wanted?

So let’s go back to the baby steps? Where do you start? Which baby steps do you start with and how can you make sure they are not left on the curb side at any point in time, simply because once again your life is too full? Well let me share with you the ”Anatomy of a Tiny Habit” by BJ Fogg:

• Find an anchor moment.
• Create a new tiny habit.
• You instantly celebrate to create a positive emotion.

Now allow me to break it down for you. First you need to find an anchor moment. That is a behavior, according to BJ Fogg, that is already part of your routine, that you do every single day. For example, getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, having your morning coffee, getting dress, leaving for work, and the list goes on. Our lives are filled with anchor moments. Now you want to find a tiny habit you can attach to the anchor, so you don’t forget to do it. For example, saying ”This is going to be a great day” as soon as you put both feet on the ground as you get out of bed. Or again, doing a push-up after using the washroom. Or finally, drinking a glass of water right before having your coffee. Then you celebrate either by saying ”good job”, or patting yourself on the shoulder, or again saying thank you to yourself 🙂

Why start small? ” Tiny is fast, you can start now, it’s safe, it can grow big, it doesn’t rely on motivation or willpower!”

BJ Fogg PhD

So what’s stopping you now? Nothing! Anyone can start small. Everyone has anchor moments or behaviors they can rely on. Everyone can benefit from a healthier brain!

So what if having a healthy brain wasn’t that hard? What if you didn’t have to make huge changes in your life? What if it was as easy as always asking yourself:

Is this good for my brain, or bad for my brain?

Dr. Daniel Amen