Day 18 BC/The Brain and Learning

As I work to be within the boundaries of my Food Plan daily, I consider the way the brain works and how we transfer new behaviors into new identities.

Let me give you an example. A good friend of mine made this change. When her children were small, she took a long look in the mirror and was not pleased with what she saw. She cried. She made a decision to change, and she did. She released 35 pounds. For the last 30+ years, she has kept her weight within a 5-pound range.

My friend has made eating healthfully and eating the appropriate volume of food one of the many things she does naturally and normally. It is part of who she is: a healthy and enthusiastic participant in all the joys life has to offer. She has confidence in how she looks and feels. When she makes a commitment, she keeps it. That is who she is.

So, how do I rewire my brain from where I am now to where I want to be? How do I make keeping to my Food Plan one of the many things I do naturally and without a lot of energy?

First, I recognize truths I learned as a teacher.:

Priority of Brain Activity

• The brain is basically lazy.
• The brain seeks to make routine tasks mindless to allow time for higher level thought.
• Routine tasks will become mindless, which gives the brain time to process non-routine tasks.
• Examples of basic mindless routines: tying shoes, making coffee, driving to work, making a bed.
• Mindlessness must be expected at work.
• Effective training protocols are developed with consideration of predisposition of the brain.

Training my brain to make my Food Plan routine will take time. I have to put in the time to reach the point where my friend is. There are no short cuts or easy fixes. I want long-term success and that requires a long-term commitment.

I chose an image from the documentary: Free Solo for the image for this post. Alex Honnold’s training routine for his climb of El Capitan is amazing and inspiring. He kept training until he achieved muscle memory of the skills he needed. He kept practicing and practicing, learning from setbacks, and making hard choices, until he reached his goal.