How to Program Your Autopilot Brain for Success
Put Your Health and Weight Loss on Autopilot - #3
In the last episode, you learned about the Pilot and the Autopilot parts of your brain.
You also learned that The Autopilot was programmed millennia ago to want more pleasure, to avoid pain, and to be lazy. You learned that you can work with your brain’s programming to put your health and weight loss on autopilot.
So how do you do that?
How to Program Your Autopilot Brain
In this episode we’ll talk about how to actually program the autopilot part of your brain.
To program your brain for autopilot health and weight loss habits, you only need to know how to do two things.
(It seems like it should be more complicated, but it’s not.)
You Need to Program Good Habits
You need to program or add good habits.
Think of your good habits like a flight path.
You’re going to have to program your autopilot brain with all the good habits that you want it to do--like eat salad every day, fill up your water bottle every morning, and go to bed before 10:00.
These are the good habits that will lead you to your ultimate healthy destination.
2. You Need to Delete Your Bad Habits
Your bad habits need to be deleted.
Your subconscious brain doesn’t like you to feel bad. And life has it’s share of ups and downs. So, your brain naturally builds coping habits.
It turns out that your subconscious brain really likes ALL the unhealthy things
Staying up super late to binge-watch Netflix?
Finding yourself rifling through the pantry looking for something sweet?
Maybe it’s five o’clock somewhere at your house every night?
You’re not alone.
Everyone’s subconscious brain looks for ways to feel better--too bad they all seem to be destructive ways.
And your autopilot brain, seems to program those bad habits by itself. It doesn’t need much help from you because those bad habits are reinforcing-- all on their own.
So, think of your bad habits like old, poorly written code in your autopilot programming that will lead you off course.
You’re going to have to review your code, then write some new “good” code, and erase the “bad” code. You’re going switch out the bad habits for good ones instead.
Programming the Good Habits
So, let’s break it down.
First, how do you program good habits in the first place?
The key to programming healthy habits is to make your new habits super easy to do. And you make them easy to do by making your habits super small. I’m talking CRAZY small. Just make a tiny, baby habit.
When you make your habits itty-bitty, you don’t need a lot of motivation to do them.
Which is great because NONE of us feel super motivated all the time. Our motivation and willpower naturally wax and wane from day-to-day— even hour-to-hour.
HOW IT WORKS
START SMALL WITH A BABY HABIT.
If you’d like to eat the recommended five servings of veggies a day, start with eating one baby carrot at lunch and dinner.
If you’d like to exercise the recommended 30 minutes a day, start with a habit of walking down the driveway.
If you’d like to drink the recommended 6-8 glasses of water a day, start with a habit of filling up a glass of water with each meal.
Of course, you can scale up your habit later, but just think of the small habit as a placeholder.
You’ll eventually feel more motivated, but until then, you’re locking in your healthy habit and starting to feel better. And progress towards any goal, even if it’s tiny progress, feels great.
Then, give yourself a high five when you do your tiny, baby habit.
Your subconscious brain loves “gold stars” and will be more motivated to keep doing the habit if you give your subconscious brain some praise.
So go ahead and literally tell yourself, “Good job! That’s like me!”
Easy-peasy lemon squeezy!
You just learned how to program your autopilot brain!
Deleting Your Bad Habits
It’s not enough just to do the good habits if you want to get healthy and lose weight.
As you’ve probably learned the hard way, one doughnut in the breakroom, can undo all the good of your early morning run.
You have to get rid of your bad habits too.
There are three steps to deleting your bad habits...
1. Decide what you want to happen.
2. Make a good “substitute” habit easy to do.
3. Finally, make it super hard to do the bad habit.
Most people think that deleting bad habits take a ton of motivation and willpower. But it’s not about “white-knuckling” it and saying “No” to your brain.
Your brain doesn’t like the word ”No.”
So instead, you tell it “Yes” to an easy-to-do alternative healthy habit.
It’s not about willpower. It’s about meeting your needs with a substitute habit instead.
In fact, this method works because of your lack of motivation and willpower.
Upgrade Your Habits With Support From Others
Whether you’re trying to program good habits or delete the bad ones, you can find extra strength by enlisting help from others. Ask your partner, kids, or friends to help or join you in your healthy habits and help you get rid of your unhealthy ones.
If you’re still feeling stuck, get support from a dietitan/ nutritionist coach.
Don’t be embarrassed to ask for help! Sometimes making progress is less about knowing what to do, and more about having someone to help you take that first step, and then the second, and then the third. (Plus, most of the time, a dietitian is covered by your insurance.)
Which Habits Do You Need?
Which habits should you program for autopilot health and weight loss?
Now that you know how to program your autopilot brain, you’ll probably want to know which healthy habits to program on autopilot.
So next episode we’ll cover that.
Until next time,