Slowing down in order to speed up.
Slow down to speed up. One of the best parts about being a single Dad is buying myself Christmas presents from Santa so that it makes it more believable. That’s why I bought myself a Super Nintendo system last christmas… More on that later.
Marc David is a psychiatrist that specializes in disordered eating, and wrote a book called The Slow Down Diet. I haven’t read the book, but from listening to his podcast “The psychology of eating” I have grown to respect the heck out of his philosophy on eating behaviors.
I haven’t read his book, but I have my own “Slow down diet” approach that I’ll share with you today.
I believe that success in fitness, eating and happiness happens when we slow down.
Today’s world moves so quickly, and has developed so fast that our brains can’t keep up with the speed in which things happen. Our brains still haven’t evolved to handle the speed of the internet, how accessible food has become and the daily stresses that we face so it sends us into overdrive every single day to the point that we crack and lose control of our decisions.
This “Slow down” approach hit me last year when Santa brought me a Super Nintendo system for Christmas, to see the joy in my eyes was certainly a sight to see.
When I hooked up the Nintendo, I went straight to my favorite childhood game Super Mario bros. and if you remember, every time you complete a level, Mario jumps up and grabs the flagpole and then the screen freezes with a little message for you to read about the next steps towards saving the princess.
This screen pops up for about 30 seconds, and there’s no way to cancel out or skip over it. Here I am, having a full blown panic attack thinking about “What am I supposed to do while this screen sits here FOREVER”. 30 seconds felt like an ETERNITY. When I was a kid, it would have felt like nothing.
That’s when it hit me, that we’re so accustomed to this world that moves at light speed that the second we’re forced to sit still and wait 30 seconds we panic and get anxious… No wonder anxiety and stress are at all-time highs for kids in America. I believe the slowing down is the medicine to today’s world.
When we make bad food decisions, it’s often because we’re rushed.
When we act out of character or make irrational decisions, it’s often because we rush them.
Slow down.
Before you make a decision about food, slow down and think. Ask yourself rational questions like “am I really hungry, or is this just convenient?”, “Will this make me feel good afterward?”, “Will I be happy with this decision in ten minutes?”
Slow down while you’re eating (if you’ve seen me eat, you’ll know I’m talking to myself here).
Slow down before your workout to get yourself in the right mindset. Slow down before you let your stress de-rail your positive thinking.
When you’re about to cancel your workout because something popped up, think “When CAN I workout today?”, “Even if I miss this workout, what can I do to make progress?”
It often feels like we’re in a constant state of throwing our hands up in the air and saying “Screw it”.
When in reality, if we just slow down the answers come to us. I believe that success and happiness happens when we slow down, breathe, think, and then decide.
Eventually, all of the slowing down will lead to faster results than ever before.
How can you slow things down in your life to allow for more rational decisions, and to keep yourself in a positive headspace?
