Never Shop Hungry

In this exact moment that you are reading this sentence you are in an empowering mind state, and you are motivated to become healthier. I know this because you have chosen to invest your time in reading a book that gets you closer to these health goals, and not an activity that takes you further away.

However, the dangerous thing about your mind is that it doesn’t naturally stay in this empowering state. In fact, one of the quickest ways a disempowering mind-state can be achieved is skipping just one meal. You are all of a sudden ‘starved’ and your initial health goals look silly compared to the mountains of food you would love to eat. It is easy to make bad decisions when you feel bad so we have to try our hardest to avoid this ‘binge-mode’ feeling especially when it has the power to do the most damage such as at a party, or when you are grocery shopping.

When you go shopping you are literally determining what you will eat for the next 7 days so it is critical that you are in an empowering mind state for this time. In a recent study, researchers found that people who hadn't eaten all afternoon chose foods higher in calories when shopping than those who ate a small snack just prior to their shopping experience.

Shopping with another person can help keep you on task, too. If there is somebody physically there telling you to put the pack of biscuits that you just threw into the trolley back on the shelf, then you’re far less likely to end up purchasing them, and thus far less likely to end up eating them when you get back home! I know that you’re motivated and that your willpower is immeasurable, but we all slip up sometimes! It’s great to have somebody you trust there to back you up in your fleeting moments of weakness.

Another way to reduce the amount of junk that you end up bringing back with you from the grocery store is to shop for your groceries online. This ensures that you are not tempted by other products as you pass through the aisles, and can simply get what you need! This is also terribly convenient, as you can shop on your phone on the way to work, leaving more time for the things that you love later on! You should try and add in some additional exercise to make up for the exercise you missed out on at the grocery store, but this exercise can be much more enjoyable! Go for a walk with the kids or take the dog down to the park! Far more exciting than lugging around a basket trying to navigate around a pack of people, each of whom seem to have less spatial awareness than the last!

Action Plan: Schedule your grocery shopping time just after a meal, or eat a healthy snack before you leave home to ensure that you are making the correct decisions from an empowering mind state when you are in the store. Another great tip is to write a list, this will stop you getting distracted by things that you don’t want or need and succumbing to their clever advertising tactics. Remember that you can’t eat what you don’t buy! Don’t fall prey to roaming each and every aisle of the grocery store – get in, get the stuff you need and get out!

Learn What You Currently Eat and Drink