I understand the weariness we have developed towards Febfast, Movember, Dry July etc. However, aside from the fantastic charities that they provide well needed funds for, we should look at them as an opportunity to flex a bit of discipline.
I've discussed in previous posts how discipline is just like a muscle: the more you use it, flex it, challenge it, the stronger your discipline becomes. What I want to go through today are the 4 main things I learned from this year's Febfast:
1. Sugar and alcohol cravings do not go away after 4 weeks of abstinence!
'Fraid not. My body's circadian rhythms have dictated that I will feel sleepy at 2pm and thereby reach for something sweet to kick start myself. But by going just one more day without that sugar, I know that I don't actually need it. Instead I can have a cup of tea or pop on a quick meditation audio guide or do some invigorating stretches - all of which will give me that kick that I need to get through the afternoon. Don't expect the desire to go away, but do expect your resistance to be challenged and do get creative in combatting that desire.
2. Most desire is based on habit.
As Art Markman, a professor of psychology and marketing at the University of Texas at Austin, author of Smart Change: Five Tools to Create Sustainable Habits in Yourself and Others says, "the brain's habit-learning system doesn't really learn anything by "not doing," he said. Instead, frame your goals in terms of what you are going to do. For example, rather than telling yourself you are not going to eat sugar/drink alcohol, turn it around and say you are going to have a yummy selection of nuts/cheese/enter own preferred snack here instead of sweet or alcoholic treats. Remember - everything in moderation. A handful of nuts is sufficient.3. Kids can do it too!
My boys asked if they could do Febfast and they were brilliant. Once they understood what alternatives they could have (turning it into a "what you are going to do"), they stuck to it really well. Sugarfree peanut butter or Vegemite on toast or poached eggs for breakfast, lots of veggies in their lunch boxes and nuts for after dinner treats. So often at sporting events I hear kids saying that they need sugar for energy. For my busy boys to play their sport with as much vigour and stamina as they always have, without any processed sugar in their bodies, it shows them that they don't need sugar for energy at all.
4. It's such a pain-free way to lose some post-Xmas weight.
No counting calories, no fasting, no hunger. What you will have is less moodiness, higher energy levels, a healthier digestive system as you've probably eaten better choices of food all round and that discipline muscle sure is looking toned, trim and terrific!
So when Dry July comes round, give it a go. No harm will come of it. Look on it as 31 days to get your disciple on track again.
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