Got Rubbers?

No I am not talking about those kind of rubbers, I am talking about rubber bands and no you do not put it there. Why rubber bands you might ask? Well if you just wait a minute thats what I am going to tell you! I could not have said it better than Chris Shugart so I am using his explanation on this topic and why it works.

First I am going to briefly touch about rationalization though as it plays into the purpose of the rubber band trick. Rationalization can be the biggest killer for achieving your goals in your new healthy life but any challenge you might endeavor. Most of use do this on a daily basis and do not even think twice about it, I even catch myself doing it(yes thats right I am not perfect as you all make think haha) Now I will tie this in with how you can start to reprogram your thinking of rationalization by using the rubber band trick.

"Noted Sports psychologist Dr. Jack Singer has a useful trick he uses to help athletes recognize and remove negative thinking patterns. What he does is have them wear a rubber band around their wrist. When they catch themselves having a self-defeating thought like "I choke under pressure during the game" they snap the rubber band on their wrist and replace the negative thought with a positive one such as "I excel under pressure." Even if that statement is untrue at the time, the action helps them to reprogram their mindset and improve their performance.

You can use this trick for defeating rationalization for eating poorly. Example: A co-worker brings in donuts. You catch yourself thinking. "Well, one donut won't hurt, I'll just skip a shake today. And besides, I don't want to be rude by turning down the free food." Once you see that you're making a weak rationalization to justify cheating on your diet, quickly snap the rubber band on your wrist and think, "That's an example of rationalization. I'm too strong of a person to do that to myself." Finally, Remember that defense mechanisms like this are often defined as "largely unconcious" or "semi-unconscions." But rationalization can be recognized and defeated. In fact, it must be."

This is all a process as you may know so we all start somewhere, so go out get yourself a rubber and start snappin! Best of luck to everyone!


To find out more about Chris Shugart and read his article go to http://www.t-nation.com/ALSAuthor.do?p=Chris%20Shugart&pageNo=1