Your Brain on a Diet!

We're getting serious about this willpower thing! This week we looked at our brain and the part of the brain that regulates emotions and governs decision making...the prefrontal cortex. The main job of the prefrontal cortex is to bias the brain, and therefore you, toward doing "the harder thing" When it's easier to stay on the couch, your prefrontal cortex makes you want to get up and exercise. When it's easier to say yes to a dessert, your prefrontal cortex remembers the reasons for ordering a cup of hot tea instead. And when it's easier to put that project off until tomorrow, it's your prefrontal cortex that helps you open the file and make progress anyway.

The prefrontal cortex is divided up into three regions that do the jobs of I will, I won't and I want. This part of the brain is VERY important for self-control...so we are all about it!!!

We talked about two very specific ways we can boost the blood flow to that part of our brain...therefore increasing our willpower! Meditation and Rewards!

 

Meditation has proven to boost willpower by building up the gray matter in this area of the brain. Scientist have discovered that focused people have more willpower...distracted people have less.

So being still, meditating, doing imagery, etc, a few minutes a day will help you to become a more focused person...and focused people have more willpower!

 

Rewards for behavior have been proven to be effective for permanent change for a long time! The brain has proven over and over to be affected by rewards for positive behavior like no other stimulation does. Rewards are necessary to change and sustain new habits. Our prefrontal cortex loves rewards and will respond to them, growing more willpower!

 

Along with starting our challenge out with some important information, we celebrated HUGE weight loss!  We had some crazy good weight loss this week and we are off to a great start!

Here's a look at our winning teams for the week!

 

Noon: Team "Twice What I Wanna Feed" Amanda and Frank, won for the gathering with a 4.22% of weight loss for the week!

6:00:  Team "Captain Jiggy & Boy Bubble Butt" Ruth and Kris, won for the day with a 5.20% of weight loss for the week!

Congratulations for your Super Hero start! These two teams took home the gifts for the week donated by other team mates AND the immunity idol for this Team Challenge...super hero capes, to decorate and bring back next week!

 

We announced a couple of new weekly awards.  Each week we will award the "super hero" of the week at each gathering.  The client who loses the most weight, will take home the superhero shirt to personalize for the week. Our winners this week :

Noon Frank S. with 15.7 pounds!

6:00   Debbie B. with 12.8 pounds!

 

In keeping with the reward challenge, I announced that each week for the next 8 weeks, we will have a drawing for EVERY client who loses 2.5 pounds per week.  They will be entered into a drawing for $50!  Fun stuff!!

 

YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK:

1.Meditate a few minutes each day. (being still, focusing, praying, doing imagery...what ever that looks like for you)

2. Follow the program 100% for the week and reward yourself for it!  Write down your reward and bring it in next week.

3. Lose 2.5 pounds and be entered into a drawing for $50! 

 

We are off to an amazing start for this WILLPOWER Team Challenge.  I will, I won't and I want...those three parts of willpower are going to help change us! It's already making a difference for me, I hope it is for you as well.

 

Until next week,

Always encouraging you.

Letha