CHALLENGE
No matter who we are, we all have at least ONE Monkey on our back that is keeping us from being the BEST we can be. Those PESKY Monkeys come in the form of small (or big) bad habits that slow or even STOP our progress each and every time we work toward personal revolution.
There are a couple of reasons why those Monkeys on our back are SO hard to get rid of. First off, habits are easy-peasy to continue! Things that are habits and shape our daily life come without thought or effort. They are simply part of our routine. And, as we know, having a daily routine makes life EASIER so that we can FOCUS on those things that are necessary outside of daily needs while everything else is on auto-pilot.
So, when BAD behaviors or habits become a part of simply “what we do”, it’s super easy to just to keep repeating them without thought, and before you know it, days, weeks, YEARS have passed and you STILL have that bad habit Monkey strapped FIRMLY to your back.
There is also a CHEMICAL reaction involved in habits that initially creates enjoyment, a chemical in the body called, Dopamine. Every bad habit is enjoyable in some way shape or form in the beginning, and when you experience pleasure, your brain releases dopamine. This pleasurable chemical reaction related to that Monkey on your back will keep you going back for more, even after the enjoyment is no longer there.
The TOUGH part is when you attempt to leave that Monkey behind, Dopamine will give you nasty cravings. This chemical reaction will occur even when the habit no longer gives you the enjoyment that you felt initially, THAT is why you keep going back for more, even when you KNOW it’s not good for you and may not even FEEL good anymore. Sucks, huh?
Whether it’s that “one” glass of wine every night, nibbling on your kids snacks, sneaking a smoke when stressed, sending yourself into a spiral by constantly comparing yourself to others due to scrolling on Social Media or ANYTHING in between.
WEEK 5 is ALL about identifying the Monkey hanging on YOUR back, ADMITTING to YOURSELF that this Money is INDEED HOLDING you back and figuring out HOW are YOU going to get RID of that damn Monkey for GOOD!
This week’s Intention Challenge is to tackle and begin the process of TAKING DOWN one of the Monkeys and getting it OFF of your back!
IDENTIFY that Monkey on your back and take OWNERSHIP of the NEED for you to set it FREE! THIS is not as easy as it sounds. Many times we have to dig DEEP in order to ALLOW ourselves to SEE that nasty Monkey for what it REALLY is.
Discover the TRIGGER that activates your Monkey. Whether it’s stress from work, family issues, self-esteem, memories from your past or ANYTHING that triggers your CRAVING for your bad habit, REALIZE the TRIGGER for what it IS, a TRIGGER for a BEHAVIOR that you want to change.
Then, write DOWN these trigger situation(s) and along with it write down how you FEEL after giving IN to your bad habit. Don’t hold back about how BAD you feel when you give in, and how the short term pleasure does NOT OUTWEIGH the subsequent guilt, possible health effects and SETBACK toward your success!!
Tell yourself how your health, goals, and personal VICTORIES are WAY more important than that damn Monkey!!
Write this note to yourself and keep it somewhere you can EASILY access it when that trigger STRIKES. When you are TEMPTED to give in to that Monkey, PULL OUT this note and READ your OWN powerful words.
Seeing in your OWN HANDWRITING how giving in to that bad habit truly makes you FEEL, will GREATLY assist you from giving in and INSTEAD choose a healthy alternative.
REPLACE the Monkey with a POSITIVE activity:
Feel like sneaking a smoke? Instead, take the Dog for a brisk walk.
Tempted to grab that glass of wine? Instead, treat yourself with some sparkling water and frozen fruit ice cubes in a fancy glass while listening to your favorite tunes.
Tempted to SCROLL, put down the phone and pick up an interesting book.
Finding a POSITIVE alternative to caving in to that Monkey on your back is KEY in altering your behavior.
AWESOME NEWS ALERT! DYK that a LARGE percentage of those living the Fitness Lifestyle BEGAN working out in the FIRST place as a way to get some sort of Monkey off of their OWN back? YES! It’s true! Those who live the Fit Life are NO different than YOU! They have simply ditched their bad habit and REPLACED it with a good one.
AND as an added kicker, Exercise releases Dopamine! So as we make physical exercise a GOOD habit in our lives, it will replace the Dopamine release found in the BAD habits we are shaking OFF.
Give yourself GRACE. Never forget that this HABIT has taken TIME to weave itself into the fabric of your daily life and will take TIME to get OFF of your back. Realize that you likely WILL have setbacks and moments where you give in to the temptation but that is NOT reason to throw in the towel and quit. If you fall off the wagon, jump RIGHT back on and keep moving FORWARD toward getting that Monkey off your back for GOOD!
This week we are CONTINUING our Fitness Challenge Workouts!
Take your WEEK FOUR Results and work to add ONE or TWO more reps to last weeks totals.
If you can not add those additional reps within the 60 second time frame, no worries!!! Take a little EXTRA time to get at least ONE more rep on EACH exercise than you did last week.
THIS is how we make PROGRESS!!! Only THREE WEEKS LEFT to reach those Fitness Assessment Goals, let’s make a DENT this week in getting there!
For this Fitness Assessment, you will chart how many of each of the following exercises you can complete in 60 seconds.
You are not competing against ANYONE except yourself, so HAVE FUN, stay SAFE, and listen to your body at all times!
It does NOT matter if the number you finish is ONE or TWO or 1/2 of a Repetition! It is a START and THAT is all that MATTERS, that YOU are STARTING something to IMPROVE yourself, improve your HEALTH, and improve your LIFE!
The Monkeys on our back are often embarrassing and very private struggles. We are not asking your to show the world your Monkey unless you are comfortable doing so.
So THIS week, it’s all about encouraging OTHERS think about changing THEIR bad habits and begin to make a CHANGE as well.
As part of the Fitness Community (YES, you are now part of the Fitness Community!) You have the responsibility to encourage OTHERS to change their lives for the better as well. YOU NEVER KNOW who YOU will inspire simply by being YOU!
You can choose from ONE of the following or post ALL THREE for the Week 5 Engagement Challenge.
DISCLAIMER: Weekly Prizes are chosen from Posts shared on Social Media outside of the Challenge Group and/or The B-Spot.
Your Social Media MUST be public in order for us to find your posted content. The hashtags below MUST be used on every week’s engagement challenge to qualify for a prize!
#BombshellFitness #BombshellChallenge #BombshellInc #TeamBombshell #ThatBombshellLife #BombshellEvents #8WeekChallenge #TransformationChallenge #Transformation
