27 Little Known Lifestyle

27 Little Known Lifestyle “Hacks” That Boost
Fat Loss, Jack Up Energy And Force You To
Look Feel And Perform Your Best
By Tyler J. Bramlett
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013, Tyler Bramlett
www.garagewarrior.com
!
No portion of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher.
!
Manufactured in the United States of America
Published by: Tyler Bramlett. Santa Cruz, California
!
!
!
!
I’m sad to have to include a disclaimer but here it is.
!
DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: Exercise, Nutrition and Lifestyle books and videos sold and
distributed by Tyler Bramlett and garagewarrior.com or its partnered websites reflects
the author’s personal experience and is provided for educational purposes and
general reference. It is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice or
counseling.
!
The reader assumes all risks from the use, non-use or misuse of the
book. Neither the author nor publisher assumes any responsibility for the use or
misuse of the information contained in this book. Please consult a physician before
beginning any nutrition and exercise program.
2
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
!
●
●
●
Why Are Habits So Important?
How To Effectively Change Your Habits
The Best Way To Use This Book
SECTION 1 - Daily Habits (The Lean Fifteen)
!
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Drink Enough Water
Eat Your Veggies
Eat Protein For Breakfast
Work On Building A Strong Digestion
Get Your Sleep
Breathe Deeply
Read Your Daily Affirmation With Gratitude
Walk Every Day
Do Some Exercise
Get Some Sunshine
Touch The Earth
Use Cold Water Therapy
Make Sure You Laugh
Read Something
Avoid Obesogens
SECTION 2 - Weekly Habits
●
●
●
●
!
●
●
●
Kick Your Heels Up And Have A Cheat Meal
Try Or Learn Something New
Spend Some Time Alone Doing Something You Love
Spend Some Time Socializing With
Your Friends Or Family
Go Outside And Play
Measure Your Success
Do A Selfless Act For Someone Else
SECTION 3 - Monthly Habits
4
5
6
8
10
13
16
18
22
24
26
28
29
31
33
24
36
37
40
42
44
45
47
49
50
●
●
Identify Where You Currently Are And What Works
Set Or Adjust Your Goals
52
53
●
Create A New Daily Affirmation That Focuses On Your Plan
57
●
Do Something To Take Care of Yourself
59
●
Conclusion
60
3
INTRODUCTION
!
Why Are Habits So Important?
“Achieve success in any area of life by identifying the optimum
strategies and repeating them until they become habits.”
- Charles J. Givens
I’ve spent the better part of a decade working with people one-on-one trying to help
them improve their bodies and lives.
!
One thing stood out more than any other: the body they had. Their health and their lives
were direct results of the habits they had formed before working with me. Good or bad,
these habits were responsible for who they had become.
!
I did some serious reflecting and realized that YOU, me and everyone else are ultimately
the result of our habits.
!
I then decided that I would focus on learning, applying and teaching new habits to
people so they could better their health and lives. I began referring to these habits as
“Lifestyle Hacks” to my clients and quickly realized that the single most powerful way to
transform your body is through the consistent practice of new habits. As these new
GOOD habits replace your old BAD habits your body and life are both guaranteed to
change.
!
This book was designed to teach you the 27 habits that I’ve discovered and will deliver
the most powerful benefits in the shortest amount of time. Consider this your own
personal guide to fast tracking your body transformation and developing the healthiest,
happiest, strongest version of YOU.
!
Make no mistake — though this book is straightforward it is not a book for people who
aren’t willing to make a change. If you do not change your habits, your life and your body
will stay the same. But, if you develop the 27 habits, you will witness a transformation in
the way you look, feel and perform!
!
Get ready, because today marks the turning point in your life!
!
“A change in bad habits leads to a change in life.”
- Jenny Craig
4
How To Effectively Change Your Habits
!
“You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought, 'I
release the need for this in my life’.”
!
- Wayne Dyer
Early on when I first started teaching new habits to people I made a HUGE mistake… I was
too complex in my explanations and I expected way too much way too fast. I would give
people a giant list of things to do and expect them to do it. What happened? My clients
were resistant and the good habits I was trying to teach them fell on deaf ears.
!
Rather than consider this a failure I simply took it as feedback that the way I was teaching
wasn’t working. I went back to the drawing board, identified the most powerful and
important habits and created a series of articles designed to explain each of the habits, as
well as the best ways to apply them and the quickest ways to add them into your life for
MAXIMUM benefit. This book is a culmination of those habits.
!
But I didn’t stop there… Instead of just creating a book about the most important body
transformation habits, I went a step further and created an exact system for adding these
new habits into your life. I divided this book into daily, weekly and monthly habits and
devised checklists that you can use to permanently integrate these 27 habits into your life.
!
All you have to do is work on adding more of these daily, weekly and monthly habits into
your life and over time the changes will astound you. I am more than confident that within
30 days of consistent practice of all 27 habits your life will be transformed!
!
Until recently, I’ve kept these 27 habits and checklists reserved for my private clients and
members of my highly popular transformation challenges. But the profound life changing
effects I’ve seen these habits have on them has inspired me to unleash this to the world, so,
you too can become the healthiest, happiest and strongest version of YOU.
!
Please note that this is NOT another diet and exercise book designed to tell you what to
eat and how to exercise. Instead this book is dedicated to making a true and lasting
transformation in your life by teaching you a set of new habits that are guaranteed to help
you look, feel and perform your best.
!
Ok. Now that you know the idea behind these 27 habits and how you are going to add
them into your life, let’s cover the best way to use this book...
5
!
The Best Way To Use This Book
Most books like this are jam packed full of filler text designed to fatten up the pages. This
book is straightforward and is laid out into three different sections, each with its own set of
habits for you to work on. The best way to use this book is to follow the five steps below in
this exact order.
!
1) Take the time over the next week to read through the 27 habits. If you prefer to watch
videos or listen to audio instead, I’ve made it extremely simple for you by adding in videos
and audio recordings of each habit for your convenience. You can access the videos by
going here -----> CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE 27 HABITS AUDIO AND VIDEO LIBRARY
!
2) Print out the Habit Forming Checklists (NOTE: each download is good for thirty days) and
put them in a place where you will see them every day. You can access the Habit Forming
Checklist by going here -----> CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE HABIT FORMING CHECKLISTS
!
3) Begin by doing all five of the Monthly Habits on your day off. These habits will serve as
the foundation for your entire month so be sure to fill out the forms contained in the Habit
Forming Checklist.
!
4) From there, make sure you perform the following two weekly habits each week: (1) Kick
Your Heels Up And Have A Cheat Meal AND (2) Measure Your Success. Also pick a minimum
of one other weekly habit and make sure that you do that for the next thirty days. If you can
manage to do all seven Weekly habits (one for each day of the week) then GREAT! Make
sure you check these habits off in your weekly checklist.
!
5) Pick a minimum of three daily habits and focus on doing all three of those habits each
and every day. Once you are able to do all three daily habits for a week, add three more in
and repeat trying to make sure you do all six habits daily. It is very helpful to use the daily
Habit Forming Checklists to keep track of your progress. If you prefer to jump in feet first
and do all fifteen feel free just make sure to be consistent and not overwhelm yourself
!
Just follow these EXACT five steps and you will be on your way to changing your habits and
changing your life! Now it’s time for you to learn more about the 27 habits...
!
“The only proper way to eliminate bad habits is to
replace them with good ones”.
- Jerome Hines
6
SECTION 1 -Daily Habits
The Lean Fifteen
The Lean Fifteen
!
!
“Our daily decisions and habits have a huge impact upon both our
levels of happiness and success”.
- Shawn Anchor
Your daily habits are what determine where you will be years from now. These are the fifteen
habits I’ve identified as the most powerful and important when it comes to transforming your
body and your life.
!
Please understand that although some of these habits may seem slightly strange and far
fetched, they all serve a purpose in the grand scheme. If you neglect to apply them then you
will not get the maximum benefit from this book.
!
"If you're on the fence, all I ask is that you suspend your past beliefs and give these a shot for
thirty days. Once you are able to do these fifteen habits, which I affectionately refer to as
“The Lean Fifteen,” for thirty days you will understand their unique importance.
!
Also, many of these habits are what I call silent result “stoppers”. If you’ve ever plateaued
with your results, stopped losing fat; or if you couldn’t add any more reps or weight to your
exercises or experienced a crash in energy and motivation then one of these fifteen habits
could be the fix that your body has been craving.
!
Lets get you started with The Lean Fifteen daily habits.
!
“Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but
coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” - Mark Twain
7
!
Daily Habit #1 - Drink Enough Water
Do you ever think about how humans can live for around 30 days without any food? The
record is an incredible 400 days, by Hira Ratan Manek - no joke! But the longest recorded
survival without water is fourteen days, with the majority of dehydration deaths occurring
within only ninety six hours!
!
Water makes up sixty percent or more of our total body weight and dehydration can cause a
thirty percent decrease in performance!!
!
This speaks to how important hydration is to our overall health and how important proper
water consumption must be to your body.
!
When you are dehydrated your body actually tends to retain water and look more swollen
and puffy. Think of it like this... If you had a thousand in your bank account and you knew that
there was no more money coming in, wouldn't you think about spending that thousand
wisely? Wouldn't you conserve it? Wouldn't you make sure that you didn't misplace any of it?
This is what your body thinks when it is in a constant state of dehydration, which is defined by
a two percent drop in fluid volume. Becoming dehydrated will give you that soft puffy look,
especially around your internal organs (i.e. belly) and also makes your muscles tighter.
!
8
In order to fix this problem and MAXIMIZE your results, a habit you must form is to consume a
minimum of half your body weight (lbs) in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh
one hundred and fifty pounds you should be consuming a minimum of seventy five ounces of
water per day (1oz per kg).
!
The best way to make sure you are getting enough water throughout the day is to start your
day with thirty two ounces (1L) of fresh cold water first thing in the morning. From there get
yourself a sixty four ounces (2L) water bottle, fill it up and sip on it throughout the day.
!
In addition to quantity, the quality of your water can affect your recovery by supporting or
breaking down your fat loss hormones. You should think about the sources of the water that
you are putting into your body, as many municipal water supplies contain toxic chemicals that
will reduce not only your fat loss results but also your health.
!
There are many toxic substances contained in municipal water supplies including
chromium-6, chlorine and fluoride. When toxins enter the body, they are encapsulated by fat
cells as a means of protecting your body. By removing toxins from your water supply you can
reduce the chances of toxin binding fat cells forming, especially on your butt and thighs.
!
At bare minimum, consider investing in a simple carbon filter that removes many of the
harmful chemicals in your water.
By consuming high quality water you should feel better, your body will detoxify faster and
you will get better overall results by staying hydrated.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Drink a minimum of .5oz per lb of bodyweight (1oz per kg) up to a
gallon (128oz/3.75L) per day. Drink the purest water you can find and a bare minimum and if
you can afford it, get a high quality water filter or have fresh spring water delivered to your
house. To make sure you get enough water in throughout the day I recommend drinking 32oz
(1l) first thing in the morning and carrying a 64oz water bottle with you to sip on throughout
the day.
!
!
“It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.”
- Benjamin Franklin
9
!
Daily Habit #2 - Eat Your Veggies
Everyone knows that eating your veggies is so important, but let me ask you this question —
and be honest with yourself: do you consume the recommended ten servings of veggies a
day — what about the sixteen to twenty servings recommended for optimal health?
!
How many people do you even know who eat this recommended amount of veggies? Not
many, right? My bet would be that maybe one in ten thousand people eat enough veggies
daily to be in the optimal range!
!
When you do consume enough servings of veggies daily your body will look and work better,
work better and your energy levels will skyrocket to unheard - of levels.
!
For this reason you must form the habit of having ten servings of vegetables per day. Here’s a
breakdown of what constitutes a serving:
!
Raw Leafy Greens - 1 Serving = 1 cup (About The Size Of A Baseball Or Small Fist)
Other Vegetables - 1 Serving = ½ cup (About The Size Of ½ A Baseball Or ½ A Small Fist)
!
The best ways to do this are to use one or all of the following methods.
!
MORE VEGGIES METHOD #1 - Commit to having a large salad every single day
!
Having a large salad once daily as a meal or before your main course is a great way to boost
your overall vegetable intake and is also a great way to prep your digestive tract before a
meal.
!
Keep it quick and simple, however, by using a simple and tasty recipe. Here’s such a recipe
that you can use (just add and subtract for flavor):
!
- 1 Bag Of Your Favorite Greens
- ½ Large Cucumber (Sliced)
- 1 Carrot (Sliced)
- ½ Avocado
- Olive Oil And Balsamic Vinegar As Dressing
!
This salad recipe above will yield an extra five (or more depending on how big you make it)
servings of vegetables every single day.
10
MORE VEGGIES METHOD #2 - Commit to having a pile of cooked or steamed
vegetables with dinner
!
Every night for dinner, even if you had a salad or even if you are out at your favorite restaurant,
commit to having a pile of cooked or steamed vegetables with you meal. It’s quite easy to add
in five or more servings of veggies in your evening meal by using this method.
!
Again, keep it simple so you don’t get frustrated. Choose vegetables that are tasty and easy to
cook. My personal favorites are brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots,
spinach, kale, zucchini, squash, artichokes and asparagus.Simply steam them or lightly cook in
a pan with butter or coconut oil and you are good to go.
!
Choose your own favorites, or try something new for a change!
!
MORE VEGGIES METHOD #3 - Commit to adding fresh veggie juice into your
daily routine
!
This is perhaps my favorite method for increasing overall vegetable intake in your body
specifically because of the amount of vegetables you can add relative to the time it takes.
!
Simply add five to ten servings of vegetables into a juicer or blender and drink them down
once per day. Here’s basic recipe that I use that tastes great:
!
- 1 Full Stalk Of Celery
- ½ An Apple
- ½ A Cucumber
- 1-5 Kale Leaves
- Add Lemmon For More Flavor
!
The bottom line is that you need to develop the habit of eating more vegetables and these
are the best methods I have found to quickly make that happen.
11
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Eat a minimum of 10 servings of vegetables per day (1 cup of raw
leafy greens or ½ cup of other vegetables = 1 serving). The best ways to do this are by
consuming a daily salad, adding in a pile of cooked or steamed vegetables into your
evening meal and adding in fresh juice by using a blender or juicer.
!
!
“You gotta eat right, you gotta have healthy habits, you know, and
balance out your decadence with a healthy lifestyle during the day.”
-Talib Kweli
12
!
Daily Habit #3 - Eat Protein For Breakfast
Protein is essential for you if you want to get great results. Many people have heard that they
need to monitor the amount of protein they take in but very few actually track this vital macro
nutrient. The best way to make sure you get enough protein is to make a habit of eating it for
breakfast.
!
That's right! Eating thirty to fifty grams of protein with some high quality fats and veggies for
breakfast will reduce your appetite -- especially for the sweet foods -- and it'll flip your fat
burning switch into overdrive.
!
There are two reasons this works:
!
REASON #1
!
A protein-based breakfast stabilizes your blood sugar first thing in the morning. That's
EXTREMELY important when you want to lose fat. Chronically high blood sugar levels are
associated with obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and more.
!
Let me explain:
!
When you wake up and eat carbohydrates for breakfast, your body turns them into sugar
and your pancreas secretes the hormone insulin to get the sugar from your blood to your
cells.
!
Much like a real estate agent, insulin's responsibility is to take the glucose (or carbs/sugar)
you just ate and show it a few different places where it can live. House #1 is your liver, house
#2 is your muscles, and house #3 is your fat tissue.
!
The problem with eating carbs first thing in the morning is that, unless your muscles or liver
need glucose -- as is the case within sixty minutes of a tough workout -- the carbs will most
likely choose to live in your fat cells (house #3).
!
Then, guess what happens when your blood sugar begins to settle down after a big spike?
You crave MORE SUGAR! And you'll want it in the form of more carbs.
!
That whole process effectively traps you in a constant state of craving carbs and sugary
foods and never lets your body go into full fat burning mode. Skipping carbs and eating
protein for breakfast is a great way to break the vicious cycle.
13
REASON #2
!
A higher protein breakfast will reset your brain's responsiveness to leptin -- a hormone that
reduces your appetite. Consistently elevated insulin levels lower leptin and leave you feeling
hungrier. That means high protein breakfasts not only put you in fat burning mode, they also
help reduce your overall hunger. Talk about AWESOME!
!
The habit you need to form is to eat a high protein breakfast (thirty to fifty grams) generally
within sixty minutes of waking (the only exception is if you follow an intermittent fasting diet in
which case consume protein for your first meal). If you do this you will have better control of
your blood sugar levels and reduce your appetite and cravings for starchy and sugary carbs
throughout the day.
!
NOTE: If you exercise vigorously first thing in the morning, eat your high protein breakfast
directly after your workout and include carbs but minimize fat instead.
!
Here’s a few examples of high protein breakfasts you can use:
!
!
!
!
!
●
Protein Mocha - Use 30g chocolate whey protein with 16oz coffee and 1 tbsp grass fed
butter, blend and enjoy!
●
Eggs And Bacon - Cook 2-4 eggs and 4-8oz bacon and enjoy!
●
Omelette Or Scramble - Use 2-4 eggs along with your favorite veggies and enjoy!
●
Meat And Nuts - Cook 4-8oz meat - breakfast sausage is great - and add a small
handful of your favorite nuts.
14
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Eat 30-50g protein in the morning within 60 minutes of waking. This will
help regulate your blood sugar in order to oxidize more fat for fuel. This also will decrease
your overall appetite and cravings for starchy and sugary carbs throughout the day. If you
follow an intermittent fasting diet, simply make sure your first meal is higher in protein and if
you workout in the morning, lower the fat content of your meal and add in some carbs.
!
!
“A habit is something you can do without thinking - which is why most
of us have so many of them.”
-Frank A. Clark
15
!
Daily Habit #4 - Work On Building A Strong
Digestion
Having a healthy digestive tract is one of the most important things you can focus on if you
want to boost health and vitality. In fact, did you know that seventy percent of your immune
system comes from your digestive tract? Even worse, you may not be getting the nutrients
you need from your food and it could be stalling your overall results!
!
How can this happen? Let's start by imagining two different people:
!
One person has excellent digestion, I mean they can turn a rock into peanut butter if need
be. The other suffers from indigestion and constipation or diarrhea. Now, imagine that both
of these people eat the same meal. Are they each getting the same macro and micronutrients
from the foods they eat?
!
Since the second person in our example above suffers from digestive issues we need to
assume that they aren't able to squeeze as much nutrition out of their meals as the other
person with perfect digestion.
!
Why is this an issue? Bear with me for a sec while I explain.
!
Most dietitians consider that a calorie is just a calorie (a unit of energy), and due to the law of
thermodynamics, energy can never be created or destroyed. If you eat five hundred calories
and I eat five hundred calories then we would both be absorbing these five hundred calories.
!
Here's the problem.
!
Using the law of thermodynamics as a reference is illogical as the law only works in a closed
system, where energy cannot be created or destroyed. Last time I checked, my body wasn't
closed system.
!
What I mean is that for you and I to get the same amount of nutrients from a particular food
we would have to be a closed system (i.e. no poop, no pee, no sweat). Considering that
everyone's digestive tract and bowel movements are different, you may be absorbing less or
more of the food and nutrients you eat than the person next to you. You may be absorbing
the wrong macronutrients and/or the wrong vitamins for your body!
16
This is an issue because high mineral and vitamin foods reduce your overall appetite, while
eating foods devoid of nutrients tends to promote appetite!
!
To fix this, form the habit of avoiding water or other liquids right after a meal. Drinking
water after a meal can dilute the digestive juices and reduce your chances of getting the
maximum amount of appetite suppressing vitamins and minerals from your diet. Instead,
give your body sixty or more minutes to digest the food you ate before consuming liquid.
!
In addition to this make sure you consume a minimum of one of the following sources of
probiotics daily:
!
●
Take a probiotic with breakfast every day. A probiotic supplement is one of the few
supplements I take on a regular basis and it is one that I always recommend as the #1
supplement to all of my clients.
●
Consume fermented vegetables. Eating fermented veggies like sauerkraut and
kimchi can just as effective as taking a probiotic supplement. Consume these
fermented veggies as a part of your salad or with your steamed veggies.
!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Work on your digestion daily by avoiding the consumption of water
or other liquids within 60 minutes after your meals and either take a probiotic supplement
or consume a fermented food ever single day.
!
“Curious things, habits. People themselves never knew they had
them.”
-Agatha Christie
17
!
Daily Habit #5 - Get Your Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important functions of the human body. It resets our hormones
and allows our body the much earned rest it needs to repair itself and function optimally.
!
You might be thinking, "What in the world does sleep have to do with my overall
transformation?"
!
I get asked this question all the time. The simple truth is that if you want to lose fat, be
healthy, build muscle or be able to bring it in your workouts, then you need to build good
sleep habits. Since sleep is so important, here’s the habits that will help you optimize your
sleep so you can look, feel and perform your best.
!
Sleep Habit #1
!
First, let's myth-bust.
!
You constantly hear that you need to get 8 hours of sleep. Unfortunately, that isn't true.
!
You see, your body goes through different levels of sleep in a cycle. There are periods of
time when you're just a hair away from being awake and times when you're so deeply
asleep it'd take a firecracker on your pillow to wake you.
!
For most people, these sleep cycles tend to last ninety minutes -- give or take a few
minutes. If you constantly aim for eight hours of sleep, you'll almost always set your alarm
to go off when you're diving down into deeper stages of sleep.
!
Instead of waking up feeling absolutely awesome and ready to take on the world, you
wonder who glued your eyelids shut and just how many times you can get away with
setting the snooze.
!
That doesn't make for a very good morning.
!
Instead of aiming for the age-old standby of eight hours, try sleeping for the following
amount of hours:
!
MINIMUM -----> 6 hours
GET THIS DAILY -----> 7 1/2 hours
TRY GETTING THE ONCE A WEEK -----> 9 hours
18
Now, I'm certainly not suggesting that you need to get 9 hours of sleep every night. That kind
of sleep is more for world-class athletes. What I am suggesting is that you get a MINIMUM of
six hours, aim for making seven and a half the norm, and try your hardest to get a few nights of
nine hours occasionally. If you wake up feeling great, then you nailed it and found your sleep
cycle. If you feel OK but not perfect, test out an 85-minute sleep cycle or a 95-minute sleep
cycle instead.
!
You'll know you've found your magic number when you wake up feeling great. From then on,
aim for getting sleep based on that number and enjoy feeling great every day!
!
Sleep Habit #2
!
Good sleep isn't just about quantity; it's also about quality.
!
If you aren't getting the best sleep each night, it's time to troubleshoot some of the most
common problems. Let's look at a few different things that can lower your sleep quality and
leave you dragging the next day.
!
Melatonin is a hormone that drives you to sleep at night. If yours is low, you might end up
counting sheep 'till the sun comes up. There are some simple things that might affect your
happy little sleep hormone.
!
Light in your bedroom can reduce sleep quality dramatically. Even a dime-sized fiber optic
light on the back of your knee in an otherwise pitch black room still decreases melatonin and
increases cortisol production.
!
Yowza!
!
That's right. Your photoreceptors -- cells that detect light on your skin -- send a signal to your
brain that it should turn down the production of sleepy little melatonin. With that little amount
of light, the photoreceptors assume the sun is rising and that you want to rise with it.
!
When light sets off the process of waking, melatonin drops as cortisol -- another hormone that
gets your body going -- starts to rise. When melatonin drops and cortisol rises, no more quality
sleep for you.
!
Melatonin obviously likes darkness and makes us fall asleep while cortisol obviously likes light
and makes us wake up. Knowing this, there are a few things you can do to make sure each
hormone is highest at the right time.
!
First, get some room-darkening shades or put a dark blanket up over your windows -especially if you live in the city! This will ensure that your happy little melatonin will be tucked
in and enjoying the dark.
19
Second, reduce unwanted cortisol even further by following these guidelines. Cortisol increase
in proportion to the amount of electromagnetic frequencies (or EMF's for short) around you.
Unfortunately, almost everything in our modern world produces EMF's -- light sockets,
electrical outlets, your cell phone and your cell phone charger, wi-fi internet waves, radio
waves, etc.
!
You can't get rid of EMF's, but you can reduce them without turning into the boy in the
aluminum foil bubble.
!
To optimize your sleep, unplug all the electronics around your bed. Get rid of your bedroom
TV, take an hour before bed to read and decompress (this will help the melatonin, too), and
make sure your alarm clock and cell phone are on the other side of the room while you sleep.
!
Sleep Habit #3
Finally, do you best to go to bed when the sun goes down and get up when the sun comes up.
!
I realize this step may be impossible because of your job, family, or whatever. If you can't do
this right now, no worries. Just follow the above two tips and keep this one in mind for the time
when you can use it.
!
Think about the way we developed as a species. Did we stay up all night? Did we watch the old
EMF idiot box (TV) until right before we went to sleep? The answer to both of these questions
is an absolute, "NO!"
!
Our ancestors went to bed a couple hours after the sun went down and woke up when it rose.
!
So, why are we so disconnected with nature's messages around us? Why do we stay up
sometimes until the wee hours watching goofy shows and then complain about being in a
brain fog all day long?
!
We do it because it's the way we were raised. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, my
family watched TV shows together until right before I went to bed. When I got older, I kept the
same habit. The problem is, it isn't a good habit.
!
Before moving on, I want you to know I'm not asking you to go to bed at 7pm and get up at
7am -- that's completely unrealistic.
!
If you go to bed a few hours after the sun goes down and wake up when the sun comes up,
you'll still get all the benefits.
20
Over the course of an average year, following a sunrise/sunset will look something like this:
!
!
!
●
●
In the summer you should go to bed around 11pm and wake up with the sun.
In the winter you should go to bed around 9:30pm and wake up with the sun.
If you can roughly follow this guideline and flow through the seasons, your sleep will increase
the quality of your sleep dramatically which will help you look feel and perform even better.
!
As far as waking up, If you're fortunate enough to not need an alarm clock to wake up, good
for you. Sometimes I have the opportunity of waking up naturally, and I love how great I feel
on those days.
!
However, I can't expect everyone out there to shun their jobs and lives in order to optimize
their sleep. Simply do the best you can and take advantage of the times when you can wake
up naturally.
!
Good Luck! Now, go get some sleep!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Sleep a minimum of 6 hours a night and aim to make 7.5 hours the
minimum. Work on finding your own unique sleep cycle (usually around 90 minutes) and use
this when planning a nights sleep. You will know you have nailed your sleep cycle when you
wake up feeling great! Sleep in a dark room and avoid electronics for a minimum of 30
minutes before bed. Try to go to bed within 2-3 hours of the sun going down.
!
!
“A long healthy life is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it
also depends on good habits.”
-Dan Buettner
21
!
Daily Habit #6 - Breathe Deeply
Breathing is arguably the most important function in the human body. As I’m sure you know, if
you go without it for only a few minutes you will lose consciousness. So how does breathing
affect your overall healthy and results?
!
Let’s start with how you breathe. Most people these days breathe shallowly as if they are afraid
to allow their belly to do its job. Watch any baby breathe and see that it allows its abdomen to
expand and contract with each breath. !
Take this test right now...
Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. Take a huge breath in and look at
which hand moves out further. If the hand on your chest puffs out while the hand on your belly
stays still or, even worse goes back, you are breathing in a way that your body perceives as
stressful. If you belly moves out and your chest stays the same or slightly elevates, then consider
yourself a good breather.
!
You see, your body is governed by two sides of the central nervous system: the sympathetic
and the parasympathetic. The sympathetic nervous system regulates the fight or flight
response we're all familiar with. The parasympathetic nervous system deals with the other side
of things, what's commonly referred to rest and digest.
!
Chest breathing (where your belly doesn’t expand) activates the sympathetic nervous system
whereas belly breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This means that if you spend your days chest breathing your body be constantly stressed. This
is no good if you want to look, feel and perform your best!
!
Make the habit of spending five minutes a day practicing your breathing, one hand on your
chest and one on your belly, until you are able to feel that your belly is doing the majority of
the expanding.
!
Monitor yourself throughout the day by noticing if you are breathing relaxed (i.e. belly) or
tense (i.e. chest) and proceed to correct yourself.
22
Once you are belly breathing, spend your five minutes breathing while enjoying a walk.
!
This one little fix will give you more energy and make you feel much better throughout your
days. But what about the actual air we breathe?
!
Being around polluted air is unavoidable these days, so instead of advising you to move to the
forest, let’s take a look at the best type of air you can breathe.
!
Negative ions, are an electrically charged particles that produce profound health benefits. For
example, think about how you feel in a crowded space like a packed indoor concert. Though
you may be enjoying the music, the atmosphere leaves you feeling run down and you exit
feeling as if you have a layer of filth on your skin.
!
Do you know this feeling? !
Take an opposite situation… imagine the feeling you get when you walk outside after it rains,
when you are around a waterfall or at the beach. This feeling is regulated by the amount of
negative ions present in the air that you breathe.
!
So, instead of wearing a gas mask, try to put yourself in situations where you can breathe in the
fresh air, take in the crisp smell of the forest and shift your mood and your physiology through
just the quality of the air you breathe.
!
Better yet, take a walk outside in the morning dew, by the ocean, or in the forest and reap the
benefits of breathing truly fresh air!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: The way we breathe affects our nervous system in such a way that it tells
us if we are stressed or relaxed. Practice relaxed deep breathing for 5 minutes a day preferably
in areas with fresh air (beaches, forests parks etc.). You can learn this style of breathing by
placing one hand on your chest and one on your belly as you practice breathing into your belly
while your chest minimally inflates.
!
!
“Everything you are used to, once done long enough, starts to seem
natural, even though it might not be.”
-Julien Smith
23
!
Daily Habit #7 - Read Your Daily Affirmation
With Gratitude
In the section on monthly habits, you will be instructed to create a daily affirmation. This daily
affirmation is designed to remind you of your goals and values and set you up for success
throughout the day. It is also designed to bring you a sense of gratitude.
!
Being grateful is one of the key emotions that you must master in order to live a de-stressed
life that you can be proud of. In fact, one of the key attributes looked at in centenarians
(people who live to be over one hundred) is the fact that they were extremely good at
expressing gratitude.
!
Most people these days are always focused on lack. They still have twenty pounds to lose,
they don’t make enough money, they could use a new car. The quickest way to fix this is to
work yourself into a frenzy of gratitude right before reading your daily affirmations.
!
This a powerful 1-2 punch that sets the pace for you day and guides you to make good
choices and stay consistent with your habits even when faced with challenging situations.
!
Do this by thinking about all of the things you are grateful for: your wife or husband, your kids
or friends, your job, your hobbies, the weather, your next meal or even just the fact that you
are alive.
!
Once you’ve worked yourself into a frenzy of gratitude pull out the affirmation you have
created in the Habit Forming Checklist sheets and read it out loud - read it with passion,
gratitude and belief and set the pace for you day!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Work yourself into a frenzy of gratitude by thinking about all of the
things you are grateful for. Then read the daily affirmation you’ve prepared in the monthly
habits of the Habit Forming Checklist out loud while feeling that sense of gratitude.
!
!
24
!
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
25
Daily Habit #8 - Walk Every Day
!
Walking is one of my favorite exercises OF ALL TIME!
!
You can do it anywhere, anytime, and with zero equipment necessary. Walking boosts your
metabolism and creates a feeling of relaxation. It promotes greater lymph flow throughout
your body, helping you recover from strenuous exercise faster and improving your immune
function!
!
Walking is one of the most natural movements
we do, and for good reason: it's how we get
from place to place. People these days walk less
and less each year they're alive, and this trend is
viewed as one of the major reasons for increase
in obesity and illness.
!
Let's compare this to, the average nomadic
tribesman, who walks an average of twelve
thousand steps per day and runs in short bursts
another one thousand steps. That's thirteen
thousand steps per day, with some estimates
coming in even higher at closer to twenty
thousand steps per day!
!
Compare that to the average American's measly
five thousand one hundred and seventeen daily
steps - yikes!
!
Do you see where I am going with this?
!
Walking is one of the best overall exercises
ever, and there's a good chance you're missing
out on the action… and the benefits!
!
Every day make a habit out of doing one or all of the following three things to boost the
number of steps you take daily. It'll lower your stress, help you recover faster, and best of all -walking will accelerate your body transformation results!
26
Step #1
!
Take a twenty minute walk. You don't have to power-walk. A casual stroll with your family or
friends will do just fine. If twenty minutes is too much, start with ten and work your way up in
two minutes increments each week until you've built the habit of going on a daily twenty
minute walk.
!
Step #2
!
Park at the back of the parking lot. If you always hunt for the prime parking spot, not only will
you waste time, you'll miss a valuable opportunity to take a few extra steps.
!
People often spend two to four minutes looking for the best spot instead of just parking in the
back when they arrive and walking to the door faster than they could have found a spot up
front. Park in the back to save time and get in some extra steps!
!
Step #3
!
Walk after every meal. The Chinese have a saying, "He who walks one hundred steps after
every meal will live to be one hundred." While this may or may not be true, walking after meals
increases digestion which will help your body in numerous positive ways!
!
There you have it! Ten thousand steps a day keeps the doctor away, and it boosts your fat loss.
Get out there and walk!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Make a habit of walking every day by going on regular 20 minute walks,
parking at the back of the parking lot at stores or restaurants and taking short walks after meals.
It doesn't have to be complicates, just make sure you walk every day!
!
“The people you surround yourself with influence your behaviors, so
choose friends who have healthy habits.”
-Dan Buettner
27
!
Daily Habit #9 - Do Some Exercise
We all know that in order to get great results you have to exercise. The problem is that there
are thousand’s of different workout programs out there and none of them seem to agree.
What are you to do and who are you to believe?
!
It’s my personal philosophy that you should do some sort of exercise other than walking every
single day. Now before you freak out let me explain what I mean when I say this.
!
I believe everyone should do some form of resistance training and preferably higher intensity
cardio training at least 3 days a week. If you want to check out my personal workout programs
then you can click the links in the resources below.
!
For the additional four days each week you need to do something, and you need to move
your body. This doesn't have to be a vigorous workout where you break a mean sweat and it
doesn't have to last for forty five minutes or longer. Instead, do something physical for at least
ten minutes. This can be riding a bike, doing yoga, dancing, playing frisbee in the park, rolling
around on the ground with your kids, gardening or anything else that involves movement. Try
to change it up from week to week and make sure you are moving your body through a full
range of motion every day.
!
This is so important because lack of movement is one of the hardest things on your body.
Jack Lalanne, the godfather of fitness said, “move it, or lose it.” Truer words have never been
spoken and if you neglect to move your body every day, you eventually won’t be able to
move it every day.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Daily exercise is essential in maintaining a healthy functioning body.
Follow a well designed strength and cardio program 3 or more days per week and on the
remaining days make sure you get at least 10 minutes of movement based exercise other than
walking like riding a bike, gardening, playing with your kids etc.
!
!
“Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them”.
-Confucius
28
!
Daily Habit #10 - Get Some Sunshine
Ahh... The warm rays of the sun.Think back to a time that you were totally relaxed, when you
were outside on a park bench or on a beach towel relaxing and bathing in the sun.
Remember how relaxed you felt, remember how great the sun felt on your skin, like being
wrapped in a warm blanket. What a nice feeling, right?
!
So why the heck is everyone up in arms about the sun being so bad for you? Would
something that nourishes the earth, provides you with heat and at times brings you into a
state of total relaxation really be bad for you?
Well... Yes and No. Let’s start with the negatives of too much sun exposure. The sun of today is much different
from the sun of 1,000 years ago. As we continue to pollute our planet, the ozone layer gets
thinner and thinner and as a result more harmful frequencies tend to slip through. Where our ancestors of yesteryear used to get away with 24/7/365 sun exposure, we
unfortunately cannot. So how do you minimize the damage from sun exposure?
Avoid going out without clothing or protection during the afternoon hours. For most people
this will fall somewhere between 11am and 3pm. Now it doesn’t mean you should crawl in a
dark cave every afternoon, it just means it's best to limit sun exposure to no more than 15-30
minutes during these hours.
!
Secondly, all of the horror stories talking about skin cancer are typically related to the number
of sunburns you have sustained in your life. So, try not to get sunburns or your risk for skin
cancer will go up.
!
Your hormone cycles themselves are optimally based on natural circadian rhythms, which are
tied to the sun. This means if you want to optimize your hormones and get better results, then
you need to get some sun. So, how do you use sun exposure to your advantage?
!
Well, mild sun exposure can decrease the risk of deadly skin cancers and harmonize your
body’s circadian rhythms — making you sleep better, feel better and leading to better body
composition.
29
Here’s the real problem however: most people these days aren’t getting enough sun on a day
to day basis. Why is this such a problem?
!
Try taking a short walk first thing in the morning while letting the light hit your skin and eyes.
This will help optimize your hormones right out of the gates and prepare you for the day (not
to mention get you a few more steps). In addition to a morning walk, try eating your lunch
outside as 15-30 minutes of afternoon exposure should do more good than harm. If you can
get some sun exposure in the later afternoon, even better.
!
The bottom line is: the sun is a lot like exercise. If you don’t get any exposure it can really affect
your health. If you get too much exposure your body will be burnt and won’t want to go back
for a while. But if you do it just right, you will feel great, get healthier, promote better sleep,
optimize your hormones and maybe even get a good tan!
!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Sun exposure is critical to optimizing our hormones and circadian
rhythms. Shoot for 30 minutes of sun exposure on your skin and eyes each day preferably
avoiding the hours of 11-3pm.
!
“Consciousness is a phase of mental life which arises in connection
with the formation of new habits. When habit is formed, consciousness
only interferes to spoil our performance”.
-William Ralph Inge
30
!
Daily Habit #11 - Touch The Earth
There’s so much more going on around you than you probably realize and one thing that’s
become a rampant silent killer is something called EMF’s.
!
Let me illustrate why this is so important. A few years ago I was at a health seminar when a
speaker did a presentation on energy. Now, I’m not talking about this woo wooo pseudo
science stuff but simple facts about energy. !
You see, we are all made up of energy; at the smallest level there is little that differentiates us
from any other material in the universe. This energy can be measured and viewed, and most
importantly, it can be altered.
One of the most health damaging parts of our world today is the excess amount of
Electromagnetic Frequencies or EMF’s floating around us around the clock. These frequencies
can change the way our energy moves, can cause damage to our cells and more. But, the sad
truth is that most EMF’s are unavoidable.
!
However, there is good news!
You see, your body was designed to shake off these EMF’s in a natural way. Much like every
house has a ground wire that protects our electrical system from exploding if overloaded, we
too have the ability to use grounding as a means of getting rid of excess EMF’s.
!
Here’s how it works...
Imagine your typical day: you get up, get showered, put on your shoes and clothes and you go
out the door. You talk on your cell phone, sit in front of a computer and watch TV until it’s time
to hit the hay for yet another day.
!
The whole time no part of your body ever touches the ground, you encapsulate your feet in
rubber coated vessels that prevent energetic bonding and keep all incoming EMF’s stuck
inside your body. So what could you do differently?
!
Simple... Take your shoes off and walk on the grass for a few minutes each day. Now I know this
may sound crazy, but when your body contacts the earth, skin to ground, the earth allows the
EMF’s to dissipate out of your body and into the earth. How cool!
31
Why is this so important? Because excess EMF’s can increase cortisol levels and insulin
resistance — which means belly fat, sugar cravings and more!
!
By simply walking on the earth for a few minutes a day we can minimize the effects EMF’s are
having on our bodies and become the healthiest most energetic version of ourselves!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: EMF’s (Electromagnetic Frequencies) are surrounding us most of the
day. They have the ability to increase cortisol and insulin which means additional stress to your
body. To fix this make a habit of letting your skin come in contact with the ground for just a few
minutes at least once every day. When you do the the energetic bonding between your skin
and the ground will dissipate the EMF’s from your body and boost your overall health and
vitality!
!
!
“Habits are the daughters of action, but then they nurse their mother,
and produce daughters after her image, but far more beautiful and
prosperous.”
-Jeremy Taylor
32
!
Daily Habit #12 - Use Cold Water Therapy
Cold water therapy is one of my personal favorites. I have used this method daily for nearly a
decade to look, feel and perform my best. Why does this technique work so well and why
should you stop making excuses and get under a cold shower today?
!
Being exposed to cold water increases blood flow and pressure as a mechanism to keep you
warm (NOTE: this tends to have a blood pressure stabilizing effect over time). This can help to
expose your muscles to more nutrients so they can recover faster. In addition to this, cold
water has a thermogenic effect on the body.
!
There is a type of fat cell in your body called brown fat. This “fat-burning fat” has the unique
ability to burn the fat stores that surround it for fuel to produce heat. If you’ve ever swam in
the ocean then you probably remember getting out of the cold water and feeling your skin
heat up. This is the metabolic effect of brown fat burning the surrounding fat for fuel.
!
There are far too many benefits that come from daily cold water exposure for me to list. Just
know that this is in my opinion one of the most important habits that you can cultivate if you
want to transform your body and health for the rest of your life.
!
I’m not demanding that you go and swim in the ocean or pack yourself with ice; rather that a
short two to five minute exposure of cold water at the end of your shower can have
accelerated recovery benefits and elevated metabolic benefits as well. Plus, once you get
used to it, you will feel great!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Exposing yourself to cold water has so many benefits I could write an
entire book on the subject. Add in 2-5 minutes of exposure to cold water at the end of your
shower on a daily basis and reap these amazing health and vitality benefits!
!
!
“I think if you stop bad habits, and you stop long enough, you develop
good habits.”
-Jordan Knight
33
!
Daily Habit #13 - Make Sure You Laugh
Laughing is one of the best things you can do for your body. When you genuinely laugh out
loud your body gets flooded with endorphins and happy hormones that help you to de-stress
and heal. Many cancer centers are now even recommending laughter exposure to their
patients because of the how many miraculous improvements they have been seeing. Just
google laughing and cancer and you will see lots of amazing stories.
!
But why aren't we laughing more? Why do most people stop thinking things are funny and
shut down the laughing side of their brain? I believe the reason is twofold.
!
HUMOR KILLER #1 - Media
!
When you sit down today and watch your local news what do you see on the TV? Is it heroic
stories, comical scenarios and joyful experiences? Or is it mostly crime, violence, poverty,
death and other negative things. This is a huge issue because the media is making us believe
that the world is a dark and evil place.
!
Now, I’m all for being informed about what is going on in the world. However I choose to
dramatically limit my exposure to negative media as I notice a profound effect on my mood
when I allow too much of it into my life.
!
If you can’t find the joy to laugh, try eliminating or limiting exposure to negative media and
instead watch something that makes you feel the tingle of laughter. Eventually as the negativity
leaves your life you will start to laugh and smile again :)
!
HUMOR KILLER #2 - YOU
!
My friends and family all know me as someone who rarely has a filter on my thoughts and
opinions. I try my best to move through life in a grateful and joyful haze and try to find the
humor in all things.
!
In fact, just days before writing this I came down with a really bad case of the stomach flu and
after throwing up all night long I looked over to my wife and said, “you know, people pay good
money for a cleanse that good.” We both looked at each other and laughed.
34
Many people these days take themselves and the situations that happen to them way too
seriously. Our culture frowns upon public laughter and it prevents people from being able to
express their humor and true selves to the world. Try to stop taking yourself so seriously and
enjoy your life with a sense of humor.
!
The way I am able to do this is to let go of the regimented seriousness we are supposed to
have as we age and instead try to see the world through the eyes of a child. I’m sure you can
remember a glimpse of what it was like to be a kid and see the world through eyes that didn’t
worry about what others around you thought.
!
If not, just watch any five year old and notice how they don’t seem to follow the same thinking
patterns as adults do. They live lives free from the social constraints that are holding many
adults back from fully experiencing laughter.
!
Try to put yourself into situations each and every day where you will experience laughter. Hang
out with a funny friend, watch a funny show, turn on some stand up comedy that you like, listen
to a funny podcast or audio program and try to experience a little more humor in everything
that you do. By creating the habit of laughing each and every day you will boost your immune
system, flood your body with endorphins, like a runner's high and start taking life a little less
seriously.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Laughing daily can boost your immune system, flood your body with
happy hormones and give you a greater sense of relaxation and ease in your life. Laugh daily
by avoiding too much negative media exposure, taking yourself less seriously and putting
yourself into more humorous situations.
!
!
“You've got bad eating habits if you use a grocery cart in 7-Eleven.”
-Dennis Miller
35
Daily Habit #14 - Read Something
!
There’s a phrase I heard years ago and it stuck with me. That phrase is, “readers are leaders.”
!
Reading or the act of learning a new piece of information or exposing your mind to a creative
story has a way of reshaping your mind to experience life more fully. The most successful and
most intelligent people I have ever met are all readers.
!
But, sadly reading for leisure is becoming less and less popular. Did you know that one third
of kids exiting high school right now will never read another book again? Or did you know
that only fifteen percent of the population reads on a regular basis?
!
Even worse, with unlimited media at our fingertips, it’s becoming harder and harder to focus
on reading good old fashioned books without getting distracted.
!
That all being said, reading will continue to be one of the greatest ways to exercise your brain
and expand your mind. For that reason I always recommend that people read for a minimum
of fifteen minutes a day.
!
When you start out, keep it simple. Find a book that interests you and set a timer for just
fifteen minutes. Once the timer goes off find a good place to stop, mark where you left off and
call it a day. Over time this fifteen minute habit will likely become your refuge from the insanity
that is our world today and you will enjoy reading immensely.
!
Remember… Readers are leaders.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: All of the smartest and most successful people are readers. Develop the
habit of reading for 15 minutes a day by choosing a book that interests you and setting a timer
for 15 minutes. Once the timer is up mark where you left off and wait until tomorrow. Over time
you will learn to love the time you spend reading and you will keep your mind sharp into old
age.
!
!
“Vices are often habits rather than passions.”
-Antoine Rivarol
36
!
Daily Habit #15 - Avoid Obesogens
There are toxins within your home that you need to avoid. These TOXIC substances which
damage your health and stall fat loss are found in many items in your very house. The reason
these are so bad for you is because of little things called Obesogens. !
According to Wikipedia, obesogens are a class of chemical compounds that disrupt the
normal development and metabolism of lipids. In other words, when you ingest obesogens via food, air or topically through your skin, your
body will tend to store more body fat and/or make it harder for you to lose the fat you
already have!
!
So, what the heck are we to do about the obesogens?
!
Unfortunately these days it is impossible to eliminate one hundred percent of obesogen
exposure. Instead, in order to decrease the effects these environmental obesogens are
having on your body go down the following list one step at a time and eliminate each of
these obesogen from your life!
!
Here is a list of the top 5 things you need to eliminate from your household to minimize
excessive exposure to obesogens:
!
Drinking Or Eating Off Of Plastic Materials - That’s right, plastic is one of the major
players on the obesogen game and for optimal results its use should be minimized. Try using
glass cups and storage containers rather than zip-top bags and plastic storage containers.
!
Avoid Store Bought Air Fresheners - Most store bought air fresheners contain these
chemical obesogens in them. Instead of chemical ridden air fresheners try using natural
fresheners that you can get from your local health food store. Better yet, light a candle.
!
Avoid Packaged Or Processed Foods - You have probably already tackled this one but
most packaged and processed foods contain significantly higher amounts of obesogens
than their less processed counterparts. Going organic is essential to minimizing the contact
you have with environmental obesogens!
!
Ditch The Non Stick Pans - Although extremely convenient, non stick pans off-gas
poisonous chemicals known to be able to kill even birds! Do your best to trade up to cast
iron or stainless steel so you can avoid these obesogens.
37
Stay Away From Chemical House Cleaners - Chemical house cleaners like windex
contain a plethora of obesogens. It’s time to choose: shiny spot free windows or rapid fat loss.
On a more serious note most local health food stores sell natural cleaning supplies that
eliminate the use of toxic chemicals and do a pretty good job. Try replacing them one at a
time so you don’t have to break the bank.
Remember, take it one step at a time. Don’t take all this information and get all freaked out.
Simply focus on one category at a time until you have replaced all of your toxic fat promoting
supplies with the obesogen free versions. Good luck!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Obesogens are chemicals found in many common household items.
They mess with your lipid metabolism and hormones and the result is a decrease in your health
and fat gain. Make a habit of avoiding the five main obesogens above including eating or
drinking off of plastic materials, store bought air fresheners, packaged or processed foods,
using non stick pans that contain teflon and chemical based house cleaners.
!
!
“The best way to break a bad habit is to drop it.”
-Leo Aikman
38
SECTION 2 - Weekly Habits
Weekly Habits - One For Each Day Of The Week
“Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains
after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.”
!
- Benjamin Franklin
There are seven different weekly habits (one for each day of the week). Although these habits
are performed less often than the daily habits they all play an important part in you changing
your body and changing your life.
!
Unlike the daily habits, most of the weekly habits are very enjoyable and are easy to do. Since
there are seven habits, all you have to do is perform just one habit each day of the week and
you are good :)
!
Start out by doing the following two habits as a priority. (1) Kick Up Your Heels And Have A
Cheat Meal and (2) Measure Your Success. From there pick one or more habits to focus on
and become consistent at them. Over time you will develop all seven habits which will help
you look, feel and perform your absolute best.
!
Alright, let’s introduce you to the seven weekly habits.
!
“We become what we repeatedly do.”
- Sean Covey
39
Weekly Habit #1 - Kick Your Heels Up And
Have A Cheat Meal
!
While I am a stickler for you maintaining a good nutrition program, I am a huge advocate of
taking a meal (or a day if you're fairly lean) to eat whatever you want. The reason for this is
because the quickest way to give up on a diet or healthy eating is to deprive yourself of the
joys of food for a long period of time.
!
If you're worried about the effects of a cheat day, trust me, a measly meal or twelve hour
window of eating some tasty foods will not affect your results as long as you are following a
good diet program the rest of the week. However, even on a cheat meal or a cheat day I have a
few rules to help you minimize the overall damage you can cause. Follow these rules before
and during your cheat meal for best results.
!
!
!
!
●
Start your day off with a high protein meal just like you do on all other days
●
Make sure you still consume enough protein throughout the day
●
Drink lots of extra fluids throughout the day before (not after) your meals
●
Consume hot herbal teas such as green tea or yerba mate tea in order to help digestion
and increase metabolic rate
●
Be sure to try and exercise or stay active in order for your body to handle all of the
excess carbs coming in
●
Reduce your fat intake when consuming a high carb meal
●
Don’t eat something if you feel you are having an allergic or uncomfortable reaction
from it. Common foods sensitivities include milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts,
wheat, and soy.
●
Don’t feel guilty, be happy and enjoy it!
!
!
!
!
!
!
40
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Having a cheat meal (or day if you are lean) once per week where you
enjoy your favorite foods is a good idea to keep you motivated to stick to a good diet. Follow
the tips above to reduce any damage caused from cheat days.
!
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
-Jim Ryun
41
Weekly Habit #2 - Try Or Learn Something New
!
Although this book is about adding new habits into your life, I’m sure at some point you will
think that it is hard adding in all these new habits. The reason for this is because the more you
rehearse something the easier it is to do. It doesn't matter if it is positive or negative, you
simply get better at what you do the most. This means that the old habits you’ve created during your life are easier for you to do than the
new ones. The reason for this habitual strengthening lies in looking at brain science.
!
A phrase often heard in brain science is, “nerves that fire together wire together.” This is a
simple way of confirming that the more you do something the better you get at it.
Think about it like this: If I put a hose at the top of a hill and turn it on, within five minutes there
will be dozens, perhaps even hundreds of different water trails flowing down that hill. This
represents the potential of the brain when learning something new. However, if I wait a week, a
month or even several years, the dozens of tracks will turn into only a few deep grooves in the
dirt, which represents how you stop learning new ways of doing things.
!
So what does this have to do with helping you form better habits?
Simple: The longer you spent making bad exercise, nutrition and lifestyle habits the more
difficult you will find it to rid of those bad habits. You may quite literally be trying to undo thirty,
forty or fifty years of mental conditioning, and it may be hard at first. Now I don’t write this to bum you out, but rather to show you a way you can reawaken the
plasticity of your brain and kiss your old habits goodbye much quicker. Here’s how:
In order to reawaken your learning brain you need to do new things. Learning new things,
whether they be physical or mental, unlocks the areas of the brain that have been tied down
and can make it easier to let go of old habits in exchange for new ones. 42
Here are just a few things you could try to reawaken the learning and creative side of you so
you can send your old bad habits packing:
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
●
Learn a new movement or sport
●
Do things the opposite way you usually do them (put your left shoe on first, brush your
teeth left handed, etc.)
●
Try a new healthy recipe every week (you will surprise yourself with the foods you didn’t
know you liked)
●
Watch a documentary and then have a discussion about it
●
Take a class or an online course on something you are interested in
●
Try out a new outdoor activity
The point is simple. When you learn new things your brain will open up to new possibilities
and the more possibilities your brain has the less likely you are to get stuck in a rut.
!
Once per week, devote thirty minutes to the study of something new. It can be anything you
want to learn. You can focus on that one thing for several months and practice it each week or
you can change it every week. Just pick something that interests you - the more creative the
better - and set aside thirty minutes to work on it. When you do, your rewire your brain to
make learning all these habits easier.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: When you learn new things your brain rewires itself to be more
receptive to developing new habits. Spend 30 minutes each week learning to do something
new. It can be anything you want, the more creative the better. You can work on one thing for
months or change every week.
!
!
“Everything you are used to, once done long enough, starts to seem
natural, even though it might not be.”
- Julien Smith
43
!
Weekly Habit #3 - Spend Some Time Alone
Doing Something You Love
In todays world people almost consider it a badge of honor not to take care of themselves.
You hear people talk about how they only sleep four hours, they work two jobs and they
spend all their free time with their family and friends. The problem with this is that when you
are constantly distracted with work. Other people’s needs you tend to neglect yourself and
eventually this can result in you forgetting who you are and what it is you love to do.
!
I’m not recommending that you prioritize your needs above your family. Rather I am
suggesting that all people, including the busiest people in the world all need to take a little
time for them to do what it is they love.
!
Carve out an hour or more once a week where you will go do something you love to do
alone. It is important that you do this alone, as this will allow you to reflect on your values and
connect to who you are and what you believe. By doing this regularly you will develop a
profound sense of self awareness that you may not recognize in many other people.
!
And don’t forget, if you have responsibilities like a spouse or children you must work together
with your spouse or family and make sure that they get an equal amount of time to do
whatever they want alone. By doing this for each other, you will develop a deeper respect
and connection with your partner or family and the benefits to your relationship will astound
you.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Carve out an hour once per week to do something that you love to do
alone. It is important that you do it alone as the purpose of this habit is to develop a sense of
self awareness you cannot develop any other way. Make sure to return the favor to your
spouse or family members by allowing them the same time for themselves each week.
!
“H is for Habit, winners make a habit of doing the things losers don't
want to do.”
-Lucas Remmerswaal
44
Weekly Habit #4 - Spend Some Time
Socializing With Your Friends Or Family
!
Just as we need time to ourselves, we also need to have social time with our family and
friends. This is so important because as humans we are social creatures. If we avoid social
settings for a long period of time things like depression, anxiety and a sense of disconnect
begin to thrive.
!
We are meant to be social, we are meant to sit around the campfire singing songs, laughing
and telling stories with our friends and families. But, as often is the case these days, we come
home from a long day at work, shower, eat dinner, maybe spend a little time socializing and
then it’s off to watch the TV for an entertaining experience where we don't have to think.
!
To fix this issue and begin to reap the benefits we humans get from socialization, set aside a
minimum of one hour each week to socialize with your family or friends. It’s important that you
choose a good setting to make sure that you avoid the distractions that technology will have
on a social event. Nothing spoils a social setting more than TV shows, cell phones and other
digital distractions. Here are some examples of good ways to socialize with your family and
friends:
!
●
Go eat out at a restaurant that has outdoor seating and let everyone know that there
will be no cell phones present at this dinner.
●
Go to a park or a beach (preferably one with no cell phone reception) and enjoy some
outdoors time with your family.
●
Have a BBQ at your house and set up tables outdoors if possible to can keep your
distance from the TV.
!
!
!
At first this may seem a little difficult, especially if you have children. But over time this will
grow to be a fun and pleasurable experience for you to connect with those you love in a social
setting. Regardless of what you activities you choose to do, carve out sixty minutes to avoid all
technology and be social with you family and friends.
!
!
45
QUICK HABIT RECAP: As humans we are social creatures and as social creatures we thrive on
regular socialization. Set aside 60 minutes or more each to spend week away from technology
including TV and cell phones to socialize with your family and friends. Some great social
settings are parks, beaches, restaurants and backyard BBQ’s.
!
!
“So much of what we do every single day is the result of habits that
we have formed over time.”
-Joyce Meyer
46
Weekly Habit #5 - Go Outside And Play
!
Do you ever just look at children? Watch them play on the playground? See all the fun they
have while they are exercising? If not the next time you are around children take notice of
how joyful they are when they move freely. What the heck happened to us as we grew up?
!
Didn’t we used to play joyfully just like that as well?
The truth is, society these days values education, sitting in classrooms and structure.
Unfortunately this isn’t the way we were designed to work best. So what can we do to regain
this playfulness and experience joy when moving just like the little kids on the playground?
!
Simple... Join them!
Now, I am not suggesting you go running around up and down the slides and across the
monkey bars (although this sounds pretty fun to me), but instead set aside 30 minutes each
week to get outside and play a little. This can serve as a great way to get fresh air, exercise,
sun exposure, learn new movements and get some social time and get your feet on the earth.
Here are some ideas of things you can do that are playful, fun and can actually boost your fat
loss results:
!
!
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Rock Climbing
Paddle Boarding
Walking
Hiking
Surfing
Soccer
Baseball
Capture The Flag
Frisbee
Flying A Kite
Playing Catch
Walk Your Dogs
You can do pretty much anything that you have fun doing!
47
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Playing like a child (especially outdoors) is key to a healthy and happy
life. Set aside 30 minutes a week to simply play. You can do anything that you love to do and
this can serve as a great way to accomplish many of the other habits at the same time.
!
“Play reaches the habits most needed for intellectual growth.”
-Bruno Bettelheim
48
Weekly Habit #6 - Measure Your Success
!
There is a great saying in science that says, “that which gets measured gets improved”. Since
the goal of this book is to teach you how to transform you body and life through mastering
new habits, it stands to reason that one of the habits you need to do each and every week is
set aside time to measure your success and reflect on your goals (the ones you will create
with the Habit Forming Checklists in the monthly habits section) and how you are doing at
building these new habits. Carve out ten minutes each week to ask yourself the following
questions and measure your success:
!
!
!
!
●
Are you consistently performing the daily habits that you are working on developing?
If yes, then great. If no then what do you need to do to make those habits more
consistent?
●
Have you performed each of the weekly habits you are working on this week? If yes,
then great. If no then what do you need to do to make those habits more consistent?
●
Have you been following the monthly plan you created in the Habit Forming Checklist
for your SMART Goal? If yes then great. If no do you need to change the plan or is
there something you can do to make it work better?
Once you honestly reflect on what you have accomplished for the week, feel free to tweak
your daily affirmation to reflect any changes you’ve made that will help you be more
consistent in forming these new habits and following the plan you laid out to achieve your
goals.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Set aside 10 minutes to reflect upon the successes and failures you’ve
had each week. Are you staying consistent with your daily and weekly habits? Are you
following the monthly plan to achieve your goal that you created in the Habit Forming
Checklist? If yes, then great if no, what do you need to do to make those habits more
consistent? Alter your daily affirmation to reflect any changes you make to help you be more
consistent.
!
“Habits in writing as in life are only useful if they are broken as soon
as they cease to be advantageous.”
-W. Somerset Maugham
49
!
Weekly Habit #7 - Do A Selfless Act For
Someone Else
There are few things more satisfying then performing a truly selfless act for another person.
The joy and gratitude that person will experience when you anonymously do something nice
for them will rub off on you and make you a better person.
!
Plus, the ripple effect of people remembering the nice act that was done for them will likely
affect more people over time then you could ever imagine. Just think about a time when
someone did something truly nice for you without an expectation of even a thank you in
return. It was a good feeling, right? It probably even made you a happier, nicer person for a
period of time.
!
The most important part of this habit however is that you make it truly selfless. To do this you
cannot expect anything in return. Not a thank you, not forgiveness, not a smile or anything
else. You must give from the heart for the pure joy of giving. This alone will do more for you
then you could imagine.
!
It doesn’t have to be a huge act either. You could pay for someone’s coffee or food that you
don’t know, you could send someone flowers or a nice gift they weren’t expecting or you
could join a local program that helps people down on their luck.
!
If you have wounds to mend in your family or other relationships, do something for them that
they would enjoy or never see coming. But for the most powerful results, do this weekly
selfless act for someone you’ve never met and keep it anonymous. During an interview I
conducted I learned of an interesting way to selflessly give back that you can try. Go to a local
coffeehouse and purchase a gift card for whatever amount you want. Give it to the person
taking orders and tell them to use the card for the next people until it runs out and walk away.
If you want, you can sit outside with your coffee and watch as people smile from the surprise.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Perform one truly selfless act each week for another person. Do not
expect anything in return, not even a thank you or a smile. For best results, do something for
someone you do not know and make it anonymous if possible.
!
!
“Habits change into character.”
- Ovid
50
!
SECTION 3 - Monthly Habits
!
Monthly Habits - The Foundation For Habit Building
“Good habits are worth being fanatical about.”
!
-John Irving
This section contains the five essential monthly habits that serve as the foundation for all the
other habits you will form with this book. Unlike the other sections where the habits are
straightforward, four of these habits involve your critical thinking and creativity.
!
You must do all five of these habits for the rest of this book to work and by doing all five of
these habits once per month, you will develop a deep sense of self awareness, purpose and
direction that few other people have. These habits will serve as your roadmap to yourself and
guide you to succeed with this book.
!
Make sure you have your Habit Forming Checklist pages printed out as you will be actively
participating for the first four monthly habits. Let’s jump right in and pour the foundation that
will transform your body and life!
!
“Successful people are simply those with successful habits.”
- Brian Tracy
51
!
Monthly Habit #1 - Identify Where You
Currently Are And What Works
One of the most challenging things for people to do is to look at themselves objectively
without bias or opinion. We all seem to have preconceived beliefs about ourselves and a
stagnant opinion of our self worth. But your perception of you isn’t reality, it’s simply your
intellectual projection of who you are on your organic body. This concept was initially very
challenging for me to describe to people and to get them to understand.
!
You are who you are right now and the only way you can make a change is to accept where
you are in this current moment and identify where you truly are. It is only after you identify
where you are that you can make a plan to change yourself to become who you want to be.
!
What I’m asking you to do is to use the Habit Forming Checklist pages for the monthly habits
and follow along with them as you create a strong foundation for success with this book.
!
If this is your first time identifying where you are make sure you follow along with the
monthly Habit Forming Checklist pages as you do this exercise. If you’ve already identified
where you are before then skip to the bottom of this habit.
!
Now that you know you need to establish where you are from an objective perspective, what
is the best way to do this?
!
Measure.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP:You can never move forward unless you accept where you are currently
at. Pull out the Monthly Habit Forms and fill out the one that saysIdentify Where You Are
Currently And What Works. Afterward, go onto Monthly Habit #2.
!
!
!
52
Monthly Habit #2 - Set Or Create New SMART
Goals
!
I'm gonna lay it on the line here and say that there's a good chance you want to look better
naked, right? Well there's no shame in that at all. In fact when people come to work with me
privately I first try to get them to set up some goals and expectations and they beat around
the bush saying “I need to improve my health and fitness” but ultimately it comes back to the
truth they aren't happy with where their body is right now.
!
Identifying your real goals is crucial to getting the results you want, because you can never
reach a destination that you don't know the location of. If this is your first time setting SMART
goals, make sure you read and follow along with your Habit Forming Checklist Monthly
Sheets. If you’ve already set SMART goals then skip to the bottom of this section.
!
Wherever you are right now, I want you to take a moment to think about what it is that you
really want to accomplish with your body. Is it a great body fat percentage? Would you like to
compete in a sport again? Do you want your husband or wife to look at you as hot, buff or
sexy again? Once you have an idea of what you want to look, feel or perform like I want you
to write the following statement down on paper and read it several times each day, here it is...
!
You can achieve anything you want as long as you know where you are going
and what steps you need to take to get there
!
After you identify your root goals all you have to do is stay the course, keep what's working
and adjust or eliminate what isn't working and you will eventually arrive at your destination.
Let's set up a hypothetical situation about your goals...
!
Let's say you want to lose ten percent body fat. This is a good goal to shoot for because if you
lose ten percent body fat you will be a brand new person. Take your goal and write it down,
read it every day and internalize it until you feel like it is the only thing that is going to
happen, like there's no way anyone can stop you from reaching your goal no matter how long
it will take.
!
Now you need to find a system that has helped people just like you to lose body fat and keep
it off. For now let's go with kettlebells and cross training coupled with a low sugar, low
processed food, minimal food allergy and moderate to high protein diet (just like you're
already doing).
53
Now all you have to do it stick to the course and tweak and improve on your program as you
make your way down the path to your own success!
!
Let's take a look at the best way to set these goals so that you will actually achieve them. I
want you setting SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Relevant and Time Bound. Lets look at each of these so you can set and achieve any goal
you like.
!
Specific - The more specific your goal is the better. If you want to lose ten percent body fat
what goal do you think would be more powerful? "I want to lose ten percent body fat" or "I
will lose ten percent body fat by January 1st 2013 as registered on an ultrasound body fat
scanner using a 7 point test”. The second statement is much more specific - making it all the
more likely you will achieve it. Be Exact!
!
Measurable - Imagine if I had said I want to lose ten pounds this year. First off this is not
specific enough, second of all I could lose ten pounds of fat, muscle or bone and not know
what I was actually losing. Most of us who have body transformation goals should focus on
something more measurable. Body fat percent doesn't lie — if you have low body fat
percentage and good relative muscle mass you will look good in a bathing suit on the other
hand, if you are not happy where you are now and you set out to lose ten pounds and end
up losing all muscle, guess what: you still won't be happy. Make sure you know how you are
going to measure the progress to your goal. You should also have stepping stones along
the way that pertain to your goals (see Time Bound).
!
Attainable - We already talked about this a little, your goal needs to be something you
know you can achieve. That being said, you should aim high: your goal should give you
butterflies in your tummy and it should feel good to think about. All in all you need to know
what you are capable of and you should set your goals accordingly.
!
Relevant - You won't achieve something that is unimportant or irrelevant to you. This is
especially important when setting your financial goals, if you tie your goals to a number “like
I want to make five thousand dollars more this year” then you also kneed to know what that
five thousand represents. Whether it’s a vacation you want to take, an addition to your
savings, a down payment to a new car, you should know why it is you want to achieve your
goal. If the why isn't strong enough, then good luck getting to your goals. Make sure you are
setting goals that tap into your passion and make sure you have the whys down so you know
why you’re working towards this goal.
54
Time Bound - No goal is complete without a deadline. I recommend working backwards
from your goal date and setting up mini goals. For example if you weight one hundred fifty
pounds at thirty percent body fat and want to weight one hundred thirty five pounds at twenty
percent body fat in one year your goals should look like this.
!
Start - 150lb 30%BF
3mo - 146lb 28%BF
6mo - 142lb 25% BF
9mo - 138lb 22% BF
12mo Finish 135 lb 20% BF
!
Now on first glance these mini stepping stone goals may look tiny in contrast to your year
long goals but that is important. If all you focused on was losing four pounds and about two
percent body fat every twelve weeks you would achieve amazing results over that one year
period. It really is that simple: baby steps every day are the true brick and mortar of seemingly
fantastic success.
!
TAKE ACTION NOW 3 DAYS FROM TODAY! Now here is something I want you to do right
now. Take out a piece of paper and write down "I will set a SMART goal specific to what I want
to accomplish with my body and I will have it written on a piece of paper and placed in a spot
where I will see it daily by three days from today”.
!
There you go, I have set your first SMART goal for you, all you have to do now is write, rewrite,
think rewrite, revise and then come up with your SMART goal by three days from now and you
will have already achieved your first goal. Congratulations in advance!
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Setting goals is more then just wishful thinking. In order to set and
achieve your goals most effectively, you need to set specific, attainable goals, determine how
you will measure your progress, determine why you must succeed and make them time bound.
If you establish goals in this SMART way, you will achieve them!
!
!
!
!
!
!
55
Monthly Habit #3- Create And Adjust Your Plan
For Success
!
Your goals are like water, they flow with you on the endless journey of life. In order for you to
make a real and lasting change, you shouldn’t become married to a particular method of
achieving your goals.
!
The most successful people on the planet set specific goals and they make plans to achieve
those goals just like you. The only differences between the extremely successful and everyone
else is their ability to adjust and adapt as they move towards their goals.
!
You see, when most people are met with roadblocks, they get frustrated and end up giving
up. They tell themselves that their plan didn’t work and reconcile to a life of blameless
mediocrity.
!
But, instead of seeing failure as total defeat or a reason to give up, what if you used failure as
a way to analyze whether your plans to achieve your goals are working.
!
Thomas Edison once said — after failing over 10,000 times to invent the light bulb, “I didn’t fail
10,000 times, I found 10,000 ways not to make the lightbulb”. His perseverance is the reason
you and I can flip a switch and light a room.
!
The reason why I am telling you this is because if you really want to achieve your goals, then
planning and adjusting that plan monthly or even sooner is the best way to get you there!
!
Pull out your Monthly Habit Forms right now and follow along to the questions as you use
your 30 Day SMART goal to set or adjust your plan and make sure you are always on the right
path for success!
!
Remember, there is no failure, only knowledge of what worked for you and what did not.
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Creating plans to achieve your goals is essential. But, you shouldn’t get
married to the idea of those specific plans succeeding. Often when people fail they give up
on their goals and dreams. By approaching your planning more like a dance where you learn
from your mistakes you will ensure future success in anything you do.
!
!
56
Monthly Habit #4 - Create A New Daily
Affirmation That Focuses On Your Plan
!
When the goal is transforming your body, how important can your mindset really be?
!
Let me tell you, people consistently underestimate just how important getting your head in
the game is -- especially when it comes to optimizing your results.
!
I once heard a story about a woman who taped a piece of paper over the display of her scale.
The paper showed her goal weight of one hundred thirty two pounds, which was about ten
pounds less then she currently weighed.
!
Every day she stepped on the scale, looked down at the fake number, pretended it was real,
and threw up her arms in excitement saying, "Yes! I did it!"
!
The tale ended sixty days later after she had repeated the same ritual every day. Without any
significant or conscious nutrition and exercise changes, she peeled away the paper, stepped
on the scale, and weighed one hundred thirty two pounds!
!
I don't know if the story is true, but it's compelling to think about what your subconscious
mind is doing to either sabotage or encourage you to reach your goals.
!
Consider the following two people, and then decide who you'd bet on succeeding.
!
Person 1
!
This person wakes up every morning and thinks, "Today is the best day ever! I've got my food
planned and I can't wait to work out. I know with every fiber of my being that I'm on the right
track. Fat loss, here I come!"
!
OR…
!
Person 2
!
This person wakes up every morning and thinks, "I hate how tired I am! This diet is hard and
the workouts are tough. Maybe I'll skip a few days. Besides, even if I stick with the program, I'm
not sure this is really gonna work. After all, nothing ever goes right for me."
57
Okay. I may have made it way too easy to choose the ace in the hole, but you need to
understand how important self-talk is. If you say you're tired, you'll be tired. If you say you
hate working out, you'll hate working out.
!
Whether or not you resemble person one or two right now, consider creating a daily
affirmation you can read to yourself in the morning. If you put it beside your bed and read
it first thing every morning, it'll motivate you to achieve your goals and put you in the right
state of mind.
!
It's been powerful for me. I started silently reading a small paragraph on an index card
several years ago and have since evolved into listening to a five-minute speech I recorded
about where I want to be in November 2015.
!
Here are some guidelines for writing your daily affirmation:
!
* Write in the future. Instead of writing, "In forty five days I will weigh less." Write, "It's
November 11th and I'm eleven pounds lighter. The choices I've made over the last fifty
days have led me to this huge success!"
!
* Put your goal in there with as much clarity as you possibly can. Include details about how
it'll feel to reach your goal, who you'll tell, the clothes you'll wear, and any other details that
make your goal feel real when you read it.
!
* Conclude it with a statement of gratitude. Try saying something like, "I am so grateful for
where I am in my life, and I'm excited for what I know I can achieve. Thank you!"
!
Here's a full example:
"It's November 11th, and I'm even pounds lighter. My skinny jeans once again fit and I feel
healthier than I have since I was nineteen! The choices I've made over the last fifty days
have led me to this huge success, and I'm so grateful for where I am in my life. I'm excited
for what I know I can achieve! Thank you!”
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Words are powerful. So powerful in fact that they can make or break
your day and lead you on a good path to success or drive you to frustration and failure. Use
the Monthly Habit Forms to create a daily affirmation. Read this affirmation every day first
thing in the morning to make sure you set a positive goal oriented tone for your whole day.
58
!
Monthly Habit #5- Do Something To Take
Care of Yourself
Self care is perhaps one of the most neglected areas of many peoples lives. When you
don’t take the time to care for yourself, you won’t ever be able to care for others.
!
By doing something to take care of yourself at least once a month you will improve your
health, your happiness and the way your body feels and looks.
!
Here’s just a few of the things you could consider doing to take
care of yourself:
!
• Get a massage
• Go to a day spa and spend the day soaking in their tubs or visiting their sauna
• Go see a chiropractor
• Get Rolfed (seriously try this!)
• See a therapist you can comfortably talk to
• Go to a weekend retreat for some much needed rest and
relaxation
• Schedule some extra time to sleep in with no distractions
• Take you spouse or family on a trip to the beach and relax in the sun
• And more...
The bottom line is to do something for YOU. To do something that you know will make you
feel like a million bucks and will rejuvenate your body and mind.
!
Don’t forget, if you have a spouse or significant other it’s a great idea to help them out by
encouraging them to take care of themselves at least once a month as well :)
!
QUICK HABIT RECAP: Most people neglect the health of their bodies by never treating it
nicely. Once a month do something healing and rejuvenating for your mind and body.
Massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, spa treatments or just extra rest can do wonders for the
way you look, feel and perform!
59
!
Conclusion
!
Change Your Habits - By The Inch It’s a Sinch,
By The Yard It’s Hard
“Your goals are like water, they are not rigid but rather
flow with the currents on the endless journey of life”
!
-Tyler Bramlett
The real key to you becoming a happier and healthier version of you who looks, feels and
performs their best is in changing your habits. This is not an overnight endeavor however
and the single most important thing is for you to be consistent and persistent.
!
This book and the accompanying Habit Forming Checklists will guide you through
developing the 27 Body Transformation Habits that will change your life for the better. If
you apply the information in this book I can honestly and confidently guarantee that you
will feel better then you ever thought you could feel!
!
As a final note... Never give up on working to improve yourself. Always keep moving
forward towards your goals and when you get stuck and you will get stuck. Don’t get
frustrated but rather learn the lessons life is trying to teach you and then find a way to
continue on your path to becoming the greatest version of yourself.
!
Remember, I’m here to help if you need me :)
60