Many of our clients are addicted to things or have had addiction problems in the past. Typically people that gravitate towards exercise have an addictive personality in general.
The key to battling addiction is several layers deep.
The first layer is we have to realize there’s a problem. Many of our clients have an addiction to sugar. They have to realize that it’s extremely addictive, and they have to acknowledge that it’s an issue.
The second layer is triggers. For every habit, or addiction there are triggers involved that create the environment for the addiction to happen. For many of our clients this is an emotional trigger. We get discouraged, or upset, or sad, or angry, and find comfort in food. This is extremely common, and if it describes you there is no shame in that. We just have to figure out what those triggers are for you.
The next layer is availability. If the addictive substance if available to you, you will consume it. We all understand that it’s not a good idea for an alcoholic to hang out in bars. It’s also not good for someone addicted to sugar, to have those things in their house. We must remove the stimulus if you ever want to overcome it.
The last step into breaking an addiction or a habit is to replace it with another behavior. This is key for success. Once you’ve identified the triggers, and removed the stimulus from availability, if you do not replace with a better alternative you will go back to your old ways. Many times you can replace it with a positive alternative. For example, the next time you want sugar and are feeling very anxious about it, go for a walk, get some fresh air or eat some vegetables instead. I know it sounds silly but consistency here will create a better habit.
You can also counteract and break an addiction with a habit that is negative to the brain. There are medications out there to help people stop drinking that create a feeling of sickness if alcohol is consumed. The brain begins to equate that feeling with drinking and it makes it easier to break the addiction. For our people that are addicted to sugar I always suggest burpees. I always get crazy looks, and people don’t want to do them. That’s exactly why you should. If every time you go to eat some sugar, you do 10 burpees instead, eventually you’ll stop wanting to go eat sugar. The brain equates the negative feeling of burpees, (I mean seriously, who likes burpees?) and it’ll make it easier to quit your addiction.
I know this is a struggle for about 75% of our clientele, and I’m here to tell you, if you can correct these issues over time, you’ll see dramatic results.
Hang in there, we are here to help.
10-24-18
Strength:
Dip clean and jerk
Clean Pull
Workout:
Wall Ball x 10
400m run
5 rounds for time