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Decision fatigue

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I have been procrastinating big time on choosing and configuring business systems. So many choices. So many variables. So much complexity in designing integrations between different tools. I grind to a stand-still.

It’s decision fatigue. I finally realized the reason why I’ve been avoiding the task(s) besides the fact that administration is not always fun.

Decision fatigue happens when your ability to make quality decisions declines because you’ve been making too many decisions. It’s the psychology behind cash register displays of impulse buys. You’ve made so many shopping choices by the time you reach the cashier that you’re more prone to grabbing that Snickers.

Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. wear the same thing every day to conserve their decision-making energy.

It works the same way with choosing what food to eat. It’s helpful to have ‘go-to’ meals in mind for those hectic times. Humans tend to repeat the same favorite foods. That’s not a bad thing. Sticking to a group of faves makes it easier to stick eating nutritiously.

Today I picked the platform that seemed the best. Everything I reviewed had the basic features. I was mired in the details when they.just.don’t.matter.  An imperfect system that runs is better than the “best” system that you never implement.

I managed to get unstuck. Good thing I’m not at the register because I would totally be picking up that Snickers.

 

 

 

Choosing challenges

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I love/hate fitness challenges. You know the kind. “Six weeks to washboard abs!”, “Twelve weeks to a beach body,””Holiday diet reset,” etc. etc.

Challenges have a place in wellness.  They’re “extrinsic” motivators and they can be a great way to jump start healthier habits. You see some progress and some changes in your health and body composition and you get to feel good about the reward. I have a problem with the safety and sustainability of the more extreme types of challenge.

I love certain types of challenges. I get super motivated by training for events for example. I’d do races when my body was young enough to be a runner. I spent months preparing for a strenuous backpacking trip with weights and longer walks carrying my pack wearing my boots. And I am compelled by six and eight week work out plans. One needs to switch up how one does strength training because the body adapts and needs variation to change and even to maintain body composition.

I hate the types of challenges that are extreme, especially when they involve diet. These are the “adhere to this food plan without deviation for three months” type. Or they’re the “do 60 workouts in 60 days” type. Doing x amount of workouts in x days can be a recipe for injury, especially if you’re new to regular exercise. I had a friend who pushed too hard and ended up in ICU with exertional rhabdomyolysis and came pretty close to kidney failure. On the dietary side, a lack of variety means you’re missing out on essential nutrients. You get bored and more likely to over eat “off plan.”

What do you do when the challenge is over? What’s left to get you out of the door or stick to an eating plan? The reason for your motivation is gone and needs replacement. Challenges are meant to be limited time only.  My “good” challenges are also limited time. The difference is that one can repeat those challenges – after a rest. You raced your event? Awesome. Now you can train for the next one. The not-so-good challenges are hard on the body. I know people who do the bootcamp type workout with prescribed eating plans. They do great! Lose inches and pounds and feel physical improvements in measures like blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.

As soon as they stop, the pounds pile back on. Energy output is reduced from scaling back exercise and energy input increases as you resume regular eating. Yo-yo dieting messes up your metabolism and leads to greater weight gain over time. You can resume after a break, just like with the better-type of challenge. The thing is, you’re once again going full-bore without enough rest and/or nutrients. You may not end up with rhabdo as you do gain strength and endurance. You do need to take care with form because more working out = more repetitive movements that might lead to chronic conditions. Especially as you age.

I’m not against doing challenges. I encourage you to think about what comes after the challenge before making the decision to take one on. I also encourage you to make rest and variety within your challenge. In the end, consistency beats volume.

 

Calories Suck. You should still watch calories

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Calories“Calories” by simmons.kevin4208 is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

Calories matter when it comes to managing one’s weight. A person needs enough energy to live their life. An excess = gain. An deficit = loss. Everybody knows that weight loss/weight gain is all about energy input and output.

Counting calories is a red hot pain in the ass. It’s tedious. It’s repetitive. And you know what? IT ISN’T EVEN ACCURATE!

I think “calorie counting” can still be a useful tool if you’re the type of person who can treat numbers as information and not an excuse to beat up on yourself. Observation is a science. You get a picture of what’s going on when you track things.

The calorie count on the label is an approximation. There are several ways to scientifically determine the calories in a food. None of them are 100% reliable. Precision Nutrition has a great explanation of how the amount of calories that you will get from a serving of food can be off by up to 25%

I am an avid user of MyFitnessPal and log what I eat. Regardless of whether the counts are 25% off I can use it as a benchmark. I know if the number is higher or lower that I’m doing something different – and I can observe the result in how I feel (and yeah, with that other non-important number, my weight).

In the end, one needs to understand how many “calories” they need to consume for their size. Otherwise, one can’t work on creating the appropriate deficit or surplus to meet their goals. I tell clients to use their hands as built-in portion control tools.

Eat the number of servings that matches your need. Log it for a few days so you know your baseline number. Quit logging when you feel comfortable with eyeballing the serving. If your benchmarks change in a direction you don’t like (i.e. weight creeps up, sports performance changes etc.), then go back to tracking and make adjustments.

Start here: Five fundamental nutrition habits

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One of the biggest reasons people seek out health and wellness coaching is weight loss. Everybody has their own unique needs and preferences. I don’t subscribe to any particular way of eating (ps. I hate the word diet). I do recommend that everybody get familiar with five fundamental nutrition habits before considering any other changes in what and how you eat.  I also recommend only adding one new habit to your life at a time. The more you add, the more difficult it is to sustain lasting change.

Many people have lost weight by using these five habits alone. No other changes! Myself included. I have been consistently using them for about a year and I lost about five pounds. There are good reason that each habit works. These practices increase the amount of nutrients you absorb from your food. They decrease the amount of food you eat due to better satiety. They increase the density of nutrition in your meals. And, they allow you to take a break and focus on self-care. These habits are so beneficial they promote them heavily at Precision Nutrition – the school where I earned my nutrition coaching credential.  I practice these habits. Not perfectly. Just because they are simple habits, doesn’t mean they are easy.

Five fundamental nutrition habits

  1. Eat only when you’re hungry. When you make a habit of overeating you can disrupt how your body manages hunger signals. The interplay between obesity and the appetite hormones ghrelin and leptin is complicated. It can become a negative cycle that keeps you heavier.
  2. Eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for those satiety signals to reach your brain and for your brain to let you know you’re full. By eating slowly you give your body the time it needs to communicate clearly. You end up eating less. Less fuel in equals less chance of excess.
  3. Chew your food thoroughly. Not only does this help you eat more slowly, it improves nutrient absorption. Your saliva contains amylase, a digestive enzyme which break downs carbohydrates. Creating a “bolus” makes it easier for your stomach acids to further break down the food with pepsin (for protein) and lipase (for fat). When the “chyme” created by your stomach goes through your gut, the nutrients are absorbed by your intestines. When those food particles are smaller, that process goes better.
  4. Eat until you’re 80% full. Your stomach needs some room to do its work properly. Feeling stuffed is uncomfortable anyway. You should feel like eating any more would make you feel that discomfort. You know you’ve hit the sweet spot if you don’t get hungry again for a few hours. If you don’t hit the spot you can always eat a snack.
  5. Eat protein and vegetables at each meal, practicing balance and portion control. It really helps if you have the major nutrients at each meal. Protein and fat really do help with feeling fuller longer. The right amount of carbohydrate provides volume to stretch your stomach which in turn makes your brain perceive fullness. The “right amount” of each is very individual. Fortunately, your body has the perfect measurement tools. A cupped hand equals a carbohydrate serving. Your thumb is the size of a fat serving and your palm is the size of a protein serving. Smaller people (usually women) should start with 1 serving of each at a meal. Larger people should have two servings. If you are very active, you can have more servings. With trial and error you’ll figure out the number of servings that keeps you satisfied and provides you with enough energy.

That’s it. Really! My own personal problem spot is chewing. I hate the feel of bolus in my mouth. If I wanted baby food or soup I’d eat it right? I have to remind myself that better nutrient absorption equals better mood as I manage bipolar. The role of nutrients in my chronic condition is a longer post for another day.

It took me many weeks of working with each habit to successfully integrate them into my day-to-day. Give yourself credit for every meal or snack where you make even the smallest bit of progress. Be kind to yourself.