The 5 Pillars of Improvement
Habits
Dopamine – a feel-good neurotransmitter – is a chemical that ferries information between neurons. This is involved with the expectation of an event i.e. a Yoga, Pilates, Meditation or Strength Training Session.
Let me give you an example:
Let’s say you decide to have a cup of coffee every morning before you leave for work.
The first day your brain will create a weak pattern and release Dopamine when you decide to have that cup of coffee. As the weeks progress and you look forward to that cup of coffee your brain’s patterns will strengthen to a point where fatty deposits called myelin surrounds these patterns. Your brain then uses less and less energy to create these patterns and thus it becomes easier to execute this “coffee drinking process” thus a habit is formed.
Understanding this process will enable you to understand “Habits” how to recognise them and create or eliminate them. Remember your brain cannot distinguish from a good or a bad habit.
Motivation
There is one fundamental reason why we do what we do or why we want to achieve something. This is very important. Here at Improvement, I focus on movement, nutrition and mindfulness. We are going to focus our motivation around those three tiers, but this motivation-based topic can be used for many different areas such as work, parenting, partnership really anything that warrants motivation.
That first question you should ask yourself is why?
This should be very specific and in all my years of coaching individuals the first reason someone would lose or forget their motivation is because that “why” was not strong enough to start off with.
1. Journal
First step is to sit down in a quiet space and keep a journal….I know that this is not something a lot of us do but I can assure you that keeping a journal is one of the most celebrated ideas when it comes to motivation. Here you need to be truthful and dedicate a journal to only this topic.
Start your journal …
When you join Improvement, I will send you a message from one of my former teachers. It is a Mantra that I live by and so have thousands of successful business owners, athletes and parents alike. This will be your first entry to be read in the morning or at night every day. It will serve as the first steppingstone to your success.
2. Visualization
I have been trained in many techniques to accomplish this. This is a lot harder than it seems and some even consider this an art form spending many years perfecting this. At Improvement I teach you the fundamentals of visualization how to execute this and what to do to believe in what you are visualizing.
3. Creating your Mantra
Here I teach you how to personalize even further and create a voice. Personifying your motivation is a fantastic tool in mastering the art of motivation.
Food
We all have a relationship with food. Some use it as a social tool, some use it as an emotional tool, and some use it as a functional tool. To be very honest there are many different types of relationships that we have with food.
The most important aspect is that we don’t judge ourselves. It is very important as we go through this process to not beat ourselves up about who we are. There is nothing good going to come from thinking that we need to become other people.
Let me give you an example…
Meet Sarah,
Sarah has been neglecting her diet and has gained 20kg over the course of 10 years. As this time has progressed, her children, her job and her husband have taken precedent over her motivation to make healthier choices. She has become complacent with her eating habits. She has created the habit of eating on the go, almost never having the time to sit down and think about eating never mind planning her own meals. How dare we tell Sarah that she has made bad choices? We simply must help Sarah. Sarah needs someone to sit with her, support her, and not blame her. We need to help Sarah gain control. This sounds much easier than it sounds, but the really hard part is not blaming yourself or anyone for that matter.
Everyone has a different relationship with food whether you are a stay-at-home parent, a competitive athlete or a retired teacher enjoying the spoils of your hard work. This is very personal, and it is our job to find out what this relationship is.
Exercise
Taking your body to a place that it is not used to. Ok this is my definition but let me explain.
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- Are you exercising if you do not feel you have done a little more than you usually do?
- Are you exercising if your heart rate is not at all elevated?
- Are you exercising if you do not see results after 3 weeks?
No, No and no and this is true for moms, dads, athletes, children, grandparents uncles, aunts … anyone.
The most fundamental reason why exercise is seen as a chore or effort is because it is.
Your brain is programmed to make life easier for you. To prevent stress and to choose the least amount of effort as a defence mechanism. Therefore, so many of us stop exercising or athletes stop pushing themselves. As soon as you understand this, and you realise that you are not avoiding exercise but that it is your body choosing to save energy as this is its fundamental function.
We will re-introduce you to what this means and work with your lifestyle and motivation to sculpt a program that is individual and that is assimilated for the main purpose to maintain and progress.
Mindfulness
“Mindfulness – Mindfulness is the miracle by which we master and restore ourselves. Consider, for example: a magician who cuts his body into many parts and places each part in a different region—hands in the south, arms in the east, legs in the north, and then by some miraculous power lets forth a cry which reassembles whole every part of his body. Mindfulness is like that—it is the miracle which can call back in a flash our dispersed mind and restore it to wholeness so that we can live each minute of life.”
Here is something to think about…
Your brain only reacts to stimuli that you give it … who is the YOU that we are referring to?… think about this for a second …
Mindfulness is having a clearer view of who that “You” is. Your brain does not dictate who “YOU” are but is simply a tool to better YOU.
My mission is to reintroduce and teach the fundamental steps that seem to have been disregarded for years.
You will be equipped with an arsenal of Improvement Strategies.