Habits, habits, habits

Okay, I'm sure you're thinking, "Really? A post on habits? Aren't there enough of these on the internet already?" Touche, health enthusiast, touche.  But not to worry, I'll keep it short and sweet.

Habit: "An acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary" (dictionary.com).  Sound about right? It should.  We all have habits, both good and bad.  Things we do without even thinking about it.  Thoughts we allow to enter our minds without challenge, without question of their origin and validity.  In a way, our habits are the auto-pilot actions and thoughts running in our subconscious background.  And in a way, literally speaking, they direct our way in life.

So, it would seem the better our foundation of habits, the better we will feel about ourselves, interact with others, and steer the boat along a more positive path.  Think about it: All things start with a thought, which affects our mindset and mood, which affects our intentions and actions, which affect the course of our lives.  Good habits lead to a better life. 

You couldn't tell from looking at me (I'm not nor have ever been obese or even close to it), but food addiction has played a catalyzing role in my own life.  Food was my solution to issues I did not know how to wrestle with, starting at an early age.  And, rather than deal with the issues, I let binge-eating deal with them instead.  When I finally took a step back, evaluated things, and took corrective action, I created new habits, and changed for the better.  

At present, with stress a bit higher than usual due to certain circumstances, irresponsible eating has attempted to rear it's ugly head back into my life.  In effort to fortify my position, I decided to play around with HabitForge.com.  And, after one week of use, I can definitely say it's working.  I simply input a habit I want to create/improve/change, then follow up with a couple daily emails that ask me how I did, and remind me why I'm doing this.  So far so good! I encourage you to check it out if you are interested in creating new habits for yourself.

Okay, not so short and sweet as I would have liked it to have been.  But habits play a massive role in our lives, and should not be left to run free without our attention and guidance.  

Cheers and good luck!

Currently listening to: Les Baxter - Space Escapade
Currently reading: The Twelfth Planet, Seat of the Soul, Four Hour Work Week

Yerba Mate > Coffee

Anyone who knows me, knows that I frequently like to drink weird tea straight from the leaves through a straw with a filter on the end.

Yes, it sounds weird (because it is), but the smoky taste, smooth caffeine buzz without a crash, and affordable cost outweighs it's social irrelevance.  Welcome, Yerba Mate. 

There are few things I can say I truly love on this earth, and the drink above is one of them.  Do a quick Google search for the stuff, and you'll find I'm not the only one.  In fact, master intellect and life-long-learner Tim Ferriss is a huge fan of the stuff (http://tinyurl.com/2mmzh5), so you know it's gotta be good. 

As someone who has suffered from severe adrenal problems in the past, I can really only drink coffee once a week max without feeling like crap afterwards.  But with Yerba Mate, I can enjoy it all day long, feel great, and feel great when I'm done! Win win.

There is a certain method to making the tea correctly, however, so if you don't do so, you'll quickly know it.  But once you get the hang of it, it becomes second nature, and an enjoyable part of the process.

Because I know you're interested in trying this stuff, and because I also don't want you to think I simply pulled some weeds off the dying lawn outside, put a straw in them then snapped a shot, head over to guayaki.com and take a look. 


Cheers