How to be stronger than your vices How to be stronger than your vices
Centr Team
11 Mar 2020
This might sound like a cheesy pick-up line, but what’s your vice? Come on, we all have one…
Your vice may not be “immoral”, “wicked” or “depraved” (thanks old-school dictionary!) but you definitely know it’s not good for you. Yet it’s always there, seriously testing your self-control.
The thing that keeps you coming back to your vice or your bad habits is dopamine – the chemical your brain releases when it really likes what you did right there. Once your brain gets a taste of the good stuff, it sends you signals to do it again: More coffee, please!
It’s easy to feel powerless and at the mercy of this feel-good hit, but take it from the many Centr members who have managed to kick their cola habits: you CAN retrain your brain.
Life is all about balance, but when you’re determined to keep making strides towards your fitness goals, it’s essential to minimize the things you know are setting you back. To keep making progress, you’ll need to know which vice ‘type’ you are. Pick the type that best fits from our rogues' gallery of vice types and we’ll help you break the chains.
1. The ‘I’ll just have one’ Drinker
“Catch up, tonight? Sure, I’ll just have one!” But do you ever really stop at one?
Maintaining your social connections is a must and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying a glass of your favorite brew every now and then. But overdoing it can undo all your hard work.
If you’re hitting a bar with friends, let them know the goal you’re working towards – they’ll cheer your dedication in sticking to the sparkling water. If your “just one” is more “just one a night”, try cutting back to one a week. It may be tough at first, but take note as the small benefits add up: like how much better you sleep or how many more reps you manage to get in. Save that ice cold brew for the end of the week and cheers to a job well done!
2. The Cheater
Just one little medium-sized pizza won’t hurt, right? You’ll go back to your healthy eating plan tomorrow… Four dinners later, your one medium pizza has turned into a certified burger, fries, soft serve, fish ‘n’ chips, and hot dog binge.
Putting rigid rules around food and then making excuses for breaking the rules is a road that only leads to guilt and recrimination. In fact, we’re not big fans of the term ‘cheat meal’ at Centr – we prefer the term treat meals and enjoying a bit of flexibility and spontaneity within a healthy lifestyle. Rather than restricting ‘bad’ foods and getting into a deprivation/binge cycle, try instead to stick to the 80/20 principle – where your meals are 80% clean and healthy, 20% relaxed and treat worthy. And enjoy your food!
3. The Sweet Fiend
Whether it’s a can of Coke, a box of chocolates or an almond croissant fresh from the bakery, you’re a sucker for the sweet stuff. You’re a sneaky snacker, too – stashing candy in your top drawer at work or commando rolling to the pantry under the cover of darkness.
You can’t ask your dentist to remove a sweet tooth (trust us, we’ve tried), but you can find healthier alternatives – without giving up your 3pm craving crusher! Our Carrot Cake Bliss Balls are a healthy, delicious treat you can make at home in just 15 minutes, then stash in your drawer, bag or car ready for whenever the sweet urge strikes.
4. The Chimney
The only things that should be smoking around here are your tight glutes and seriously strong core. Even if you only reach for a cigarette when you drink or you get stressed, you’re impacting your body’s ability to perform at its best during exercise.
Firstly, take note of what triggers you to want to smoke. If you can alter those habits, you’re already halfway on the road to quitting. Speak to your doctor or pharmacist about quitting methods that might work for you and look for support services such as Quitline in Australia, Quit Now and Smokefree in the US, or the Smokefree National Helpline in the UK.
5. The Sleeping Giant
Always feel like there are not enough hours in the day? Maybe that’s because you spend so many of them with your head on the pillow! You know when you’re hitting the snooze button and mentally shifting your morning workout to an evening workout again, you’re more than likely not going to get around to it.
Sleep is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle, but you need to find balance. Try setting yourself a sleeping routine – a set time to hit the pillow, no tech in bed, and no more hitting snooze. We’ll help kick off your routine with a sleep visualization so effective, no one knows how it ends…
6. The Procrastinator
The Procrastinator leaves not just a trail of chaos in his or her wake, but high stress, low self-esteem and a whole lot of unfinished business. Yup, it may not be as sexy as sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, but putting everything off to the last minute is a vice as troublemaking as any other.
To get back to making things happen, you’ll need to stop kidding yourself that you thrive on pressure and all that busy work is making you appear productive (myth, busted!) and nail which type of procrastination is holding you hostage. The truth is, there ain’t no dopamine hit like the one you get when you get things done.
