As I shared the other day, I have recently made it a priority in my life to put healthy foods into my body and consume less calories. I take small, slow bites in an effort to control my intake. This experiment has been immensely impactful – directly affecting not only my physical condition but also my mental state. I feel better when I eat better.
Perhaps this is obvious – you are what you eat of course! I think eating healthy is as much a mental game as a biological one. In unpacking the mental gymnastics, I think about how to best optimize my chances for success. Stacking the cards in my favor requires a sort of nuanced mental concentration that prevents my priorities from wavering. I care about my long term health, and everything I do should funnel into that mantra.
Zooming out, how have I found ways to eat better. Other than cooking my own food, which has been immensely impactful, I have basically tried “removing the cookie jar” from my life. What I mean by that is I know if I purchase snacks, I will eat snacks. If I have cookies lying around, I will find a way to rationalize eating cookies. Etc.
So I just do not buy things I know I do not want to be eating.
It is amazing how much your environment dictates your outcomes.
What I need to optimize for is not extremely motivated rational thinking Jordan but rather the worst case Jordan. The tired, hungry, lazy Jordan who inevitably will go eat a cookie when the going gets rough.
Instead…eat Kale.
Also published on Medium.