STOP ~ You Really Gotta Stop
My hubby and I got to enjoy a getaway together over Memorial Day weekend. We went to Branson, MO. Neither one of us has ever been there before, so we thought, why not? We had the best time; saw a couple of shows (by the way…The Haygood’s are phenomenal!), we also enjoyed the Titanic Museum, rode the Ducks and of course relaxed.
I highly recommend getaway weekends. They support our body’s ability to burn fat. YES! You heard me correctly. You want to get your body in-sync and burn fat efficiently….all you need are a few days to relax, unwind and have FUN!
How is that possible? Like I have shared with you before, when the body is relaxed and operating in para-sympathetic mode, it naturally utilizes fat for energy. WAHOO!
Wouldn’t it be nice to adopt this style of operation even when not on vacation?
As we were driving through town, I saw the most interesting stop sign. It says, STOP ~ You Really Gotta Stop.
This really grabbed my attention. I guess a lot of people roll through the intersection….you have never done that, have you? :O)
As I let that mantra sink in, I began to see how I have used a stop sign in my mind whenever I need to stop the mindless chatter, negative thoughts, or grazing through the pantry or fridge, etc.
The mental stop sign works…you ought to try it whenever negative thoughts flow through your mind or you find yourself choosing and eating foods that are not nourishing for you.
But what about those times that the stop sign doesn’t work?
I can just hear myself saying, “No, Ashly, You really gotta stop. NOW!
That is why this sign in Branson resonated with me so much.
The insanity of continuing poor behavior patterns has really gotta stop. Do you have poor behaviors or habits that are keeping you from living in a body you love?
Is it hard for you to change these life–taking habits to life-giving habits?
Well, STOP ~ You Really Gotta Stop! Put this in your mind’s eye. The only person who can do this is you. You are the one in control of you and your habits.
I love creating new life-giving habits. It is challenging and it is an opportunity for me to see how badly I really want something.
Habits are unthinking, automatic choices that we make throughout the day. AND there is an easy to implement step by step process that the researches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered in the 1990’s. There is a neurological loop at the core of every habit that consists of 3 parts: cue, routine, reward.
You can read more about how to create a life-giving habit in my article posted on November 4, 2013. Enjoy the article and create life-giving habits that can help you live the life you want in a body you love.
https://www.ashlytorian.com/habit-vs-willpower/
In the meantime, use the stop sign to stop you in your tracks. This is my process:
- Mental Stop Sign triggers awareness
- Ask important Q like…What in the world am I doing? How is this going to help me achieve….? What do I really need in this moment? What can I do in this moment to turn this around?
- Take action and do the turnaround.
Easy Peazy, right?
Not all the time. Some days you will be successful at turning it around and following through…and at other times you won’t. But that’s ok. It is all about practice. Experiment with different outcomes…see which one resonates with you the best. You will also see what your needs truly are. It is never about the food or the toxic chemical rush you get from negative self-talk, it is ALWAYS about something much more important.
The more times you practice and experiment with different turn-arounds, the greater the chances are to drop the life-taking habit and implement one that is life-giving.