Logical Weight Loss

I was listening to a book (from Audible) (get a free book when you sign up) called the Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and to summarize it:

You can only have 1 number one priority. If you try to do everything, you may be able to do a lot of stuff, but you more than likely will not be doing any of it well. Thus, some things you have to blow off and not worry about it. I've mentioned before that you don't have to keep up with the Kardashians. 

The author mentions that we often operate in the Motivation > Action > Results mindset. We wait until we hit rock bottom, and we get motivated to take some action. Those actions lead to results. Thos results motivate us to the take more actions, which brings more results (and it keeps on repeating).

The author changes the trigger. Instead of waiting for rock bottom, change it to where step one is Take Action > Results > Motivation. That motivation then leads to more action. Thus to get the ball rolling DO SOMETHING. 

This is especially true if you did something and the results were not what you were looking for. Does this mean there is no motivation? Well, there may be motivation to not do something that apparently did not work. 

Motivated to Help Others? Try Charity Miles

Earn money for charities every time you run, walk, or bicycle by using the free Charity Miles app. Corporate sponsors (whose information you'll see as a backdrop image in the app) agree to donate a few cents for every mile you complete. Browse the app's list of charities, find the one that you support, and then hit the road. When a lot of people use Charity Miles, those little bits of money add up.

When Charity Miles first launched, its developers created an initial pool of $1 million to donate to charities as people used the app. Once that pool of money ran out (and it has), the developers said they would find corporate sponsors to continue making donations on the user's behalf (and they have). Running and walking earns 25 cents per mile, while bicycling earns 10 cents per mile. As the end-user, you don't have to do anything at all to make sure that money reaches your charity. Charity Miles handles that part.

Before you start running, walking, or bicycling, you select a charity from a list. These charities include the World Wildlife Foundation, Alzheimer's Association, Wounded Warrior Project, Stand Up to Cancer, and many others. You can choose a different charity each time you log more miles, or you can stick with just one. It's entirely up to you.

As you start to move, you see your speed and total miles add up. Behind these basic stats is a backdrop image that's also an advertisement from the sponsoring organization. (That's how they make money).

The app starts tracking when you pick an activity. When you finish your run, walk, or ride, you press the red button to complete the activity. The app shows you a summary of how far you traveled and how much money you earned for your organization of choice. There are a few other features in the app, such as the ability to join a team or form your own team so that you can collectively raise money for charities with friends.

Charity Miles users have earned over 2.5 million dollars for charity. For more info go to http://www.charitymiles.org/

What is Dave Reading?

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Transform Your Body Forever Using the Secrets of the Leanest People in the World

I'm not looking to get six pack abs, but burning fat sounds good. Like every other book I've read, the first part of the book explains why THIS ONE is better. I just started it (listening on Audible)

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I've been listening to the Book, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. It's an interesting book (get it on Audible.com) 

Here are some key points:

1. You only have so much capacity to care without stressing out. Pick what you care about and apply it to those things that matter.

2. While things in your life may not be your fault, it is your responsibility to do the right thing. For example, what if someone put a baby outside your door. It's not your fault, but it's up to you to do the right thing.

3. Comparing your life to others can suck all the joy out of your life. 

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If you've listened to this podcast you know last year I lost 30 lbs. I looked so much better, felt better, and just about the time I was going to reach my goal, I started reverting back to my old habits. I thought I would coast across the finish line. I listened to 25 Days: A Proven Program to Rewire Your Brain, Stop Weight Gain, and Finally Crush the Habits You Hate - Forever by Drew Logan (Author), Myatt Murphy (Author).

In the book, he talks about how we often approach weight loss the same way we do a test in High School. We cram for the test, and the minute we hand in our paper we wipe away that information. I am also listening (I rarely read, I listen to most of the books) to The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Busines and in that book he explains how you don't get new habits, you replace old habits with new ones. A key point I learned (so far as I'm only into chapter three) is that the old habits are still there.

Think of this like a river. Over years the banks of the river and the twist and turns are well defined. If you come along and throw up a dam to re-route the river the old river doesn't cease to exist. There just isn't any water in it. So if you decide to take away the dam, it's very easy for the water to go right back into the old pathway of the river. Think of how hard it was to build the dam, and re-route the river, and think of how easy it would be to have the water to return to its old river path. This is why we have to be very careful when we decide to have "just one" of something. That can be the crack in the dam that starts the whole negative ball in motion. When this happens, we need to look at what is triggering us, and eliminate the trigger, or come up with another solution.

I'm not sure who or why, but I started going to Walmart on Friday nights. I live alone, and I guess I figure most people are out starting the weekend, and it would be less crowded. This is a Walmart with groceries, and they have a decent selection so I often go there to stock up so I'm ready for my Sunday night "cook a bunch of stuff for the week" routine. There is a Chipotle and a Dairy Queen right in front of Walmart.

One week I had a good week, and my weight was going down. I decided that Chipotle was a better bad choice, and went in and had my chicken tacos with lettuce, cheese, and mild salsa. I had a coke. Stike one for getting a coke. Then after the meal, the chicken always leaves me thirsty (probably due to the spices and salt content). Instead of getting a water, or even worse, a coke, one week I went to Dairy Queen and got an oreo cookie blizzard. The next day the scale didn't go up! WOW! What a positive reward. I started adding Chipotle and dairy queen to my weekly routine. The bad news is, the scale started going the wrong way. Also, the blizzards at Dair Queen started to inch into Chocolate Frosty's at Wendy's. The dam had broken and here I was back at my old habits.

In the past, I've chosen to go to a different store to avoid the whole situation. That's kind of a bite off your face to spite your nose situation. I wanted to look at what was the trigger? Was it Walmart and just seeing the Dairy Queen? Maybe. In The Power of Habit, the author mentions that Cinnabon locations in malls are typically not in the food court. Why? Because they want the smell to waft down the hall and entice you so that as soon as you SEE the store, you're already having a craving.

What is a healthier solution? There are a few. I could drink water, and after the Chipotle, drink more water to get the spices out of my mouth, or pop a breath mint. If the spices make me crave ice cream, then find a new solution.

The obvious option is to NOT go to Chipotle. I could eat a healthy meal at home (the whole point of chipotle is to not go grocery shopping hungry) and then go Grocery shopping.

 

The 25 Days Method

There is a set of eating plans (high protein, low carb - what a shock).

Why I like this idea is you focus on your next meal. Pick your protein, pick your vegetable (or carb). Drink a glass of water. Do it right, and you give yourself 100%. You do this for all your meals and also for your workout, and you score yourself. If you can get 85% or better for the day, you're headed in the right direction. Obviously, 100% is better, but we all know life happens and you can't be perfect all the time. I LOVE the focus on your next meal.

Then you start to need something to keep track of things.

On odd days (what he calls Primary Days) you each three meals, and two snacks (one snack after breakfast and lunch).

On even days you get one snack after lunch.

The timing is you are supposed to wait three hours after every meal to have a snack and wait two hours after a snack to have a meal. He keeps telling you how simple it is, and to a point some of it is. The deeper you go, the more you need a tracking sheet. As I listened to this book through hoopla (a service tied to your library to allow you to check out audio and books) I don't have access to a PDF resource listed in the book. I even went to the publisher's website listed in the book (where you provide a password for a pdf). The pdf is not listed (BOO!).

As an audiobook, this book gets boring as about 50% of the book is him either explaining how the 25 days plans is the best plan, etc. Then he reads a bunch of recipes, and that is followed by someone describing exercises.

Drew Logan breaks it down into three steps

Disrupt Existing Behaviours

Simple Repetition

Make sure you have cues to trigger the positive action.

Taking a Cue From Alcoholics Annonymous

Alcoholics replace their habit of drinking by replacing it with a healthier habit. If they were going to a bar for friendship and to battle loneliness, they now get that from their sponsor. If they were drinking to forget or to cope with something that was bothering them, they now can get help through therapy. Those needs for friendship, or coping with trauma don't go away. They just find a healthier solution.

If I were to sit on a couch and talk to a therapist I would probably say I still have not finished the grieving process from my mother's death when I was 24. I became a bit of a workaholic as I realized that we only have so much time on the planet. I want to leave a legacy, and when I feel I'm not making an impact, I stress out a bit. As more of my family members die (I lost a cousin this week due to a motorcycle accident), my mortality smack me in the face. It's kind of stupid, If I think about the death of my older brother (who is healthy as a horse) I stress out. It's stupid as I'm worrying about things I have no control over. I say this to give you the idea of the things that add stress to our lives that in the end there are probably healthier ways to deal with them than running to the fridge.

What Motivated Me This Week

I spoke at an event a month ago, and I saw some video from the event. I have a classic "Dad Bod." I refuse to let this happen. I am going to be the exception NOT the rule. So I've printed these images out and put them on my fridge. A reminder of what snacking, etc, leads to. I also have one in my car. I'm not looking for a six pack. I just don't want to look like I'm smuggling watermelon under my shirt.

I will be speaking at an event in February 2018. My birthday falls on the day of the event. I want to hit my goal weight by my birthday. To do this, I need to lose 1.2 lbs a week. Not a super hard goal (.18 lbs per day), but something I will need to focus on. To help me see if I'm on track, I made a worksheet in Google Sheets (you can use Microsoft Excel) to show if I'm ahead or behind schedule. I even added a chart.

 

In the Logical Losers Weight Loss Club, I show you how to create these spreadsheet (even if you don't know spreadsheets). You can have access to the Logical Losers Patreon/Facebook group for as little as $1 a month. Go to www.logicallosers.com

 

Logical Weight Loss listeners "Get 25% off their first purchase + free shipping + free 30 day trial!" Keep in mind that their prices are already 25- 50% below retail because they cut out the middleman. And now we're offering an extra 25% off their first purchase! Go to thrivemarket.com/LWL

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Today we talk with Roger Anderson of the Kitchen Counter Podcast. The Kitchen Counter podcast is dedicated to helping aspiring home cooks grow their skills and confidence in the kitchen so they can start cooking up memories with their family and friends. Whether you want to learn to cook or just need some simple food inspiration, we will cover recipes, kitchen tools, and interviews with experts to help you on your home cooking journey! Roger has been a home cook for 20-ish years or so. I truly believe that learning to cook, and doing it as regularly as you can, is one of the single most important things you can do for your health, sanity, and wallet.

There may be people who had parents who may have cooked when they grew up, they left home and get most of their food from a drive in window, or a cardboard box, or a microwave oven. For the person who knows they should cook more, but have zero in the kitchen to start home cooking, what are some of the tools they will need?

What expectations should you set?

What are the top hurdles people need to get over to be confident in the kitchen?

Do you have a favorite thing to cook?

What kind of planning does Roger do for the week?

Common mistakes that people make when cooking, and how to have a smooth cooking experience.

Cool Tools You Might Need To Get Started in the Kitchen

A good knife can save you time and be safer (cutting things with a dull knife and lead to applying too much pressure and the knife slipping and causing injuries). Wüsthof knives are good and to stop over-cooking chicken breasts, a cooking thermometer can help. The Thermo Pro cooking thermometer has all sorts of built in temperatures for different meats (that you can over ride) or use it as a timer. Great for grills, or ovens as you stick the sensor in the meat and the long cable allows you to have the display outside. $20

When you first get started you may not need a food processor, but every time I use my ninja express chopper it saves me a ton of time (again, you don't need this, but after some time you may want to invest $20 in a ninja chopper, or at my grocery store they now offer onions and other items pre cut.

I like the looks of this wireless units for around $20.00

I bought a cheap one at Walmart, and it didn't work as expected. I did chicken on a gas grill. As the probe was sticking out the chicken, it seemed to get the temperature of the grill mixed in with the temperature of the chicken.

I'll be sharing a video of this in the LogicalLosers.com private Facebook group. 

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I lost thirty pounds last year, and while it's taken me months to do this, I've now found 20 of those pounds and stuck them right on my belly. When I went over 215, I really scratched my head. I was still drinking lots of water, getting 7 hours of sleep most nights, and eating vegetables, chicken, etc (most of the time).

You Don't Age Most of the Time - You Age a Little Every Day

So I thought about my year when I lost weight, and I thought about the number of times I ate fast food. I would say less than once a month, and if I did skipped the fries and the coke and got a chicken sandwich with water. Now I probably get fast food twice a month, and it's the whole nine years.

I've said it before when you do the wrong thing you are practicing at it. This practice started with getting an egg McMuffin with water. That lead to getting an Egg McMuffin with hash browns (and I'm not sure why as their hash browns are basically a deep-fried grease sponge). That lead to getting a coke with the meal. Each time, it was a baby step. When I first did this, it didn't affect my weight, but it nudged me in the wrong direction.

Are You Lying to Yourself?

I was still getting my 10,000 steps in, and sure that is exercise but I wasn't breaking a sweat.

Decay or Grow Old

I just listened to Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy—Until You're 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley and Henry S Lodge. Chris is in his 70's and beings all sorts of real life examples, and Henry is the doctor who brings the science. They say your body is going to do one of two things on a daily basis. It's going to Decay, or it will receive information from the brain and body to grow new nerves, tissues, and rejuvenate the body. What makes it go into decay? Sitting on your butt. The only reason a man would sit on his butt thousands of years ago was if there was a ton of food, (or no food to hunt) and the idea was there was probably going into a famine. So you sit and you decay. If you had to go hunt, you got up and move around, your body actually uses up some of its resources and the brain triggers the body to grow new resources. So how do you trigger the body to think you're off to kill a saber tooth tiger? By exercising 6 days a week, and doing weight training three days a week. This will take approximately an hour a day.

When I first heard this idea I was like, "Well that ain't going to happen." I truly do not like weight lifting. I've tried some things. I like the app " 7" which walks you through a seven-minute workout using just your body weight. I know I work during the day and do podcast consulting during the evening. That leaves early morning, or I could put me first, and schedule consulting around my schedule.

 

It's Time to be Selfish

So many parents put their kids first and themselves last. You need to change your thinking on this. If you put yourself first by exercising, eating right, you are going to be around longer for your kids, so by putting yourself first, YOU ARE putting your kids first.

Maling it In

For me, I'm going to baby step this, and instead of starting off with six days of exercise (three of which contained weight lifting) I'm going to start with three days of exercising (more on that in a minute) and one day of strength training. I've actually put it on my calendar.

The other thing that was different between me this year vs last year. Last year I would exercise (get 10,000 steps but part of those would be working up a sweat). This year I'm getting 10,000 steps in walking around the neighborhood. Now for some of you walking around the neighborhood would make you sweat. That's the point. I quit sweating.

What is One Thing?

Last week I talked about getting swept up by the tide and taken the wrong way. Don't get overwhelmed about how far off you are, instead think of one thing you can do to start swimming in the right direction.

Garden of Life Chocolate Raw Fit Protein Powder - Review

So I just completed my first order from Thrive Market. I purchased the Garden of Life Chocolate Raw Fit Protein Powder. Here are some of the details:

• High Protein for Weight Loss† (28g Complete Plant Protein)
• Organic Svetol® Green Coffee Bean Extract and Organic Ashwagandha
• Burns Fat, Satisfies Hunger and Helps to Fight Cravings†
• Less than 1 gram of Sugar
• Certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Vegan, NSF Certified Gluten Free, Informed Choice Certified (Trusted by Sport), Kosher Certified, Dairy Free, Soy Free
• Featuring Clean Organic Plant Protein from Organic Peas and Sprouted Organic Grains, Seeds and Legumes
• Boost energy and build lean muscle mass – Use pre- or post-workout
• Satisfy hunger, and stay full longer with Organic Whole Food Fiber
• Contains Svetol Green Coffee Bean Extract to burn fat naturally and maintain healthy blood sugar and Organic Ashwagandha to support cortisol levels and manage stress-related cravings

It was $13 cheaper at Thrive Market. ($24 with my 25% discount, and free shipping instead of $38). 

I think part of the problem with the word Chocolate is we are used to candy bars which have so much sugar so that when we get a healthier version of Chocolate that isn't as sweet, we kind of get a letdown. I did like more than other products Shakeology by Beachbody which is $5/serving. This clocked in around $2.50 per serving (where a Frappuccino clocks in around $2). So yes, Starbucks might be cheaper, but it has 58g (15 teaspoons) of sugar in it (and that's without the whipped cream).

In general, I like that is definitely drinkable (but doesn't have me saying "YUM, GIVE ME ANOTHER) and it doesn't have any weird aftertaste and mix well so I wasn't drinking chalk.

Get 25% off your first purchase + free shipping + free 30-day trial!" Keep in mind that our prices are already 25- 50% below retail because we cut out the middleman. And now they're offering an extra 25% off their first purchase! Go to thrivemarket.com/LWL

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Keeping Your Self on Track - Revisiting Beeminder

I was using the free trial of Beeminder. I use a wi-things scale, and I love that when I wake up and weigh in I can see if I'm on track to meet my goals (via wi-fi it logs my weight).

So I had a friend of mine who had a death in the family. As always when there is an event in people's lives we meet together with food. So I helped my friend for about a week and sure enough skidded right off the track. Using Beeminder, I was able (in fact I was notified) that I was off track. If had pledged any money (for an incentive, I would lose the money). While I hate their graph (it's got WAY To much information, I do like that I can see if I'm on track to meet my goal and adjust accordingly.

This article explains how it work more in depth

 

Avoiding the Rip Tide

I was reading the book Living Forward by Michael Hyatt (technically I was listening to it via Audible) and he shared the story about a surfer who wasn't paying attention and got sucked into a rip tide which takes you out to sea (this can be very dangerous with 60-100 people dying a year from rip tides).

The point is the person wasn't paying attention. Then when you figured out you have a problem, you try to take the shorter route in (which unfortunately can send you against the tide which is a battle you will lose). The solution is to swim across the tide, until you are out of it, then steer toward the shore.

I have two apps that give me grades beeminder and nutritionix both give me clear symbols that let me know when I'm headed in the wrong direction. When I see my weight going in the wrong direction, I can look back at the days when I lose weight, look at the food entries around those days and repeat them.

If we aren't paying attention, we can get caught in many of Life's Rip Tides and be taken into the sea of obesity.

Battle of the Green Goo: Organifi vis Zuma Juice Vs Purley Inspired

Organifi (See label)
http://amzn.to/2w3GyI3
$70/30 servings = $2.33 a glass ($60 if you subscribe)

Zuma Juice (See Label)
https://zumajuice.com/offer/
$60/30 = $2.00 a glass

Organic Greens (See label)
http://amzn.to/2uTGkom
$14.99/20 =$0.75 a glass

The Zuma juice was the only one that had a bad after taste (the first taste wasn't bad, but wait a minute). I like the taste of Organic Greens (a bit like tea), but it doesn't mix as well as Organfi (which almost had no taste). Both Organic Greens and Organifi could be used in a smoothie of some sort (or solo) as there is almost no taste

Organifi has Ashwagandha (see article) which seems to have a ton of benefits in regards to energy, stress relief, focus, and more.

My First Thrive Market Purchase

Thrive Market has been nice enough to give me access to their store. I made my purchase of Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder

Their website says their prices are cheaper and they are. The price of this product on the Goal of Life website is $38. The same product on Thrive market is $5 cheaper

Currently, if you go to www.thrivemarket.com/lwl you get 25% off their first purchase + free shipping + free 30 d30-day trial (so you could get the $33.59 product for $25.20 )

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I've watched a ton of movies on Netflix in preparation for this episode.

Cowspiracy - which explains how much resources it takes to create a cow (acres of land, gallons of water)

What the Health - Which shows the benefits of eating a plant based diet (both of these movies are done by the same team).

Overfed and Undernourished - Examines a global epidemic and our modern lifestyles through one boy's inspiring and personal journey to regain his health from the inside out. After heartache, Liam Gollé weighing in at over 176lbs turns to his Aunty & Uncle for help, and embarks on a journey that promises to transform his life forever.

Vegucated - A movie that shows a few people from different walks of life who attempt to go Vegan for a week. It also has some pretty brutal video of slaughter houses.

All These Health Organizations Are on the Take

This movie shows how agencies:

The American Diabetes Association -  was taking money from Dannon who make Yogurt, Kraft Cheese, Oscar Meyer Processed meats, Bumblebee Foods (all of which contribute to Diabetes), even though American Heart Association

The American Cancer Society - was taking money from Tyson (one the world's largest meat producers), Yum! (owners of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell)

Susan B Komen Breast Cancer - Partners with KFC, and Yoplait Yogurt (Studies show Yogurt leads to Breast Cancer according to the movie)

The American Heart Association - Takes hundreds of thousands of dollars from meat, poultry, and dairy industry. Taking millions of dollars from the Fast Food and processed food manufacturers

Every one of these companies is taking money from meat and dairy companies that make food that are associated with cause of these diseases

This would be like the American Lung Association taking money from the Tobacco industry. There is an obvious conflict of interest. When these organizations put out reports, we need to realize who really paid for those reports.

Conspiracy Was Almost Shut Down

In the movie, you hear how the financial backing pulls out of the movie (for fear of retaliation from the Meat industry?). Obviously, the movie was made. It did a great job of making me a skeptic so I sent an email to the makers of the film who replied back quickly and pointed me to their crowd sourcing campaign that showed how they raised $117,092

They actually raised their goal in six days and ended up with 217% of their goal.

The Whole "Planet Thing"

I'm not a hippie. I've never hugged a tree, but the math is simple. The population is growing at an alarming pace. The countries that have the most rapid growth are trying to eat more like Americans (meat and dairy), and if we all are like Americans, we would need five four more earths. There simply isn't enough space to grow the feed, to raise the cows, and to dispose of the monstrous amount of poop. So I'm might recycle if it's offered, but that is about as far as I go typically.

Hard To Argue with Proof

These movies have me seriously considering eating less meat. While I would love to say it's to save the planet, but the truth is when I see someone (in What the Health) who can barely walk using a walker and later after just switching her diet be walking down the street - that's hard to argue with. Another example in the movie had someone who was wheezing when she spoke. She had problems breathing. This was remedied in a very short time and both of them through buckets of pills in the trash

But What About Cavemen?

I hear alot about the Paleo Diet. Where we should eat meat wrapped in bacon, thrown on top of eggs. There are some places where you can't grow fruits and vegetables, so you gotta eat something to live.

A Targeted Plan of Action Seems Like Forever - But It's Not

In the movie Overfed and Undernourished we watch a young boy go to live with his Aunt and Uncle who get him off horrible food choices and on to (you guessed it) primarily plant based diet. At the beginning of the movie, he has man boobs (and I think he was 13). A few months later he's in much better condition. He almost quits a few times, but he sticks with it and in the end, the results are obvious. It took a while to find him, but his Facebook page seems to show he has kept it off. I can only imagine the pressure he is under.

So Where Do I Go From Here?

I'm going to attempt Meat Free Mondays (see https://www.meatfreemondays.com/) which has great recipes, etc. If I can do one day a week, then maybe I'll go two days a week (then three)

The biggest problem I see with all diets is we all shoot for perfection. As I speak right now I have a package of drumsticks, and a box of frozen burgers. I work too hard to throw food away. I know trying to go Vegetarian cold turkey is rough, but if I can do this over time, little by little, I can pull this off.

This means I'm going to have to try new things. I'm going to end up eating humis at some point. I'm going to be using my Air Fryer to cook Squash and Cauliflower instead of Chicken.

There are three types of vegetarians:

• Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat both dairy products and eggs; this is the most common type of vegetarian diet. 
• Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products but avoid eggs. 
• Ovo-vegetarian. Eats eggs but not dairy products. 
• Vegans do not eat dairy products, eggs, or any other products which are derived from animals. - source

I can see me starting out as Lacto-ovo-vegetarians and going from there. It will take time, but I do see the undeniable health benefits (and will get into iron, and other things another day).

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A new episode

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Today I share my first impression with a new app Beeminder which I'm using to replace the PACT app. The pact app was slick, polished, and I loved it (you pledged to give money if you didn't hit a goal and it was distributed to those who made their goal). Beeminder works similarly in that it takes money out of your bank account if you don't hit your goal every time you miss your goal (so it could get expensive) and it's not giving any money back.

Their intro video look at first like someone is going to share ghost stories (there is no official beeminder channel only the channel of one of their creators). I get they did the best they could with whatever budget they had, but why does someone with a lapel mic sound like it was recorded in a bathroom (and putting music in the background doesn't make this point go away). Then they give you a ton of information on a graph that looks like you ate a mouthful of Skittles and then sneezed them on to a piece of paper. Here is a sample

To understand that graph, I need to look at the legend. They have a legend that helps you understand all the dots, dashes, etc, but holy cow what is up with the big 50 cent words like "Akrasia horizon" Sheesh. You need a legend for your legend. So my first impression was not a great one. However, after using it for a few days I think I'm getting the hang of it. You can have it remind you to update your goal. I'm using a withings scale which updates my fitbit which updates the app. By syncing it with m fitbit it brought in a lot of data points that I'm not sure were helpful. So in the end, I started off a little confused. 

They do let you try it for free, and if you "Drive off the road" there is no fee, but if you want to continue, you need some skin in the game.  Every time you miss your goal it raises the penalty. You can set a limit on how high it can go. 

I do like that it someone "gamifies" your goals, and it keeps you posted and can alert you when you're about to go off course. I just think its a little busy at this point, but what do you expect for free? It has potential, and my guess is going to be that they didn't see the boost of PACT users coming their way, and they get caught with their pants down a bit. 

Overall, this could be useful, but their graphs introduce a learning curve. 

Check it out at www.beeminder.com

Realistic Lifestyle Change - Tips

New study from Harvard with tips on achieving Lifestyle Change. Read the full story  

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I've heard a few different people talk about the Five Minute Journal and how it changed their attitude, their lives, and their productivity. According to the creators, "With a simple structured format based on positive psychology research, you will start and end each day with gratitude. Side effects may include increased happiness, better relationships, and becoming more optimistic." 

Their Amazon listing states:

"THE SIMPLEST WAY TO START YOUR DAY HAPPY - Using the science of positive psychology to improve happiness, The Five Minute Journal focuses your attention on the good in your life. Improve your mental well-being and feel better every day.

COMPLAIN LESS, APPRECIATE MORE - The Five Minute Journal helps you cultivate gratitude. It changes how you feel, alters the actions you take, and therefore the results you will create...negativity be gone!

FINALLY KEEP A JOURNAL - With a simple structured format that takes just 5 minutes, The Five Minute Journal is simple, quick, and effective. Whatever your excuse for not keeping a journal is, this journal will eliminate them

So what is it?

The creators have been very open about it (so if you want to make your own, you can). You start off writing down three things you are grateful for. The idea is to start off your day with these thoughts. This gets you going in a positive direction. You also write down one affirmation, "I am _____."

You start off writing down three things you are grateful for. The idea is to start off your day with these thoughts. This gets you going in a positive direction. You also write down one affirmation, "I am _____."

Then at night, you enter three amazing things that happened today. Then lastly, you ask yourself how you could have made the day even better.

Each day has inspiring quotes, and there are weekly challenges.

The Power of Positivity

This journal is based on positive psychology research. That research shows using the journal leads to higher levels of positive emotion. You will have more joy, optimism, and happiness. You may feel less lonely, and isolated. You may find yourself acting more generously, and compassionately. You may also experience a boost in your immune system

https://youtu.be/xqOyXeR2jqY

Available as a Hard Cover

http://amzn.to/2tmGZ1N

Also available as an App

Get it on iOs also available on Android

The Strength to Change

Mel Robbins author the book the five-second rule did a cool Ted talk about the five-minute rule.  She mentions how your brain has two speeds: autopilot, and emergency brake. So when you start doing something that it's not used to, it loves to pull the emergency brake. Anything that is a break in your routine, is going to be something you have to force yourself to do. Most of our life is on autopilot. We eat the same things every day, drive the same route to work. Do the same things with the same people. No wonder we love autopilot. 

When you feel stuck, it may be that you haven't forced yourself to do anything new. You need to force yourself out of your head. You would not hang out with people who talk to you like you talk to yourself. 

You need to get outside of your comfort zone. 

When you see something you might do, you feel like doing something, but you sit back down. Why? Because your emergency brake was pulled. 

If have an impulse to do something new, if you don't stand up and takes steps, and marry it to action, your emergency brake will be pulled. Your problem isn't ideas, its that you don't act on them. 

So if you see someone and want to talk to them, marry that idea with action and walk over to them. 

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