Once we understand more about how the body functions under stress and what happens when the load exceeds our resources, we want to learn to recognize these effects in our thinking.
When our prefrontal cortex is in charge we call this our logical mind. It is able to thoughtfully consider information and render a decision. It tries to maintain order through strict discipline, sometimes trying to motivate us with threats, promises or hurtful language.
If our goal is to lose weight and we believe that starving ourselves will achieve that goal, then it becomes the duty of the logical brain to starve us. And as long as stress does not exceed glucose, then it remains in charge.
When our amygdala is in charge we call this our emotional mind. It is able to short-circuit logical thought and react to stress and danger immediately through the fight or flight mechanism.
Like the logical brain, it is also trying to keep us safe. But even if our logical mind believes that starving us will equal weight loss, the emotional mind is only concerned that we are starving and wants to eliminate the starvation threat.
What is important to recognize is that they are both representations of ourselves, and they both want the best for us. But we need to understand they both exist and each has value.
So the point of this lesson is to introduce you to the idea of the Observer. The Observer is our ability to sit back and observe the actions of both the logical mind and the emotional mind without judgement. Just understand they both exist, and that they both have valid claims to our well being.
In 1938 Walt Disney released a cartoon called Donald’s Better Self. The cartoon opens with Donald Duck laying in bed and the alarm going off. The version of Donald with the halo, turns off the alarm and reminds Donald he needs to get up for school.
But the version of self with horns encourages Donald to get more sleep. At this point in the cartoon they both have his best interest in mind. And we have all seen similar cartoons and get the idea that we sometimes have to choose between competing thoughts.
Observing our thoughts means being able to recognize they are simply thoughts and not some universal truth. We need to able to consider how we arrived at that idea. Did it come from personal experience, television or magazines, a health advisor, or is it just somehow in the generally accepted narrative?
Are we having an emotional reaction to it? If we are having an emotional reaction such as fear or anger, then we know automatically our reaction is being formed by the amygdala, and may or may not have been considered by the prefrontal cortex.
People decide on an exercise and nutrition philosophy based on marketing, and once they self-identfy with that camp they often believe everything published in that world to the exclusion of anything from out of their camp.
Throughout this course we ask you to test certain concepts as they apply to you personally to develop appropriate solutions. To be successful at this you have to be able to recognize when you cling to emotional beliefs, and apply critical thinking skills to determine if that belief is valid.
But, when you genuinely arrive at a solution that works, you will be able to defend it from personal experience and test new information against your solution to see if it changes.
So, understand that thoughts are just that, thoughts.
Determine how you arrived at them and if they are still valid.
Be willing to test things for yourself and determine what is your right answer.
This is an excerpt of the RESOLUTE online weight loss and metabolic repair course inspired by the work of Dr. Ray Peat, Dr. Broda Barnes, Dr. Brene Brown, Dr. James Prochaska, Dr. Martha Beck, Dr. Judith Beck, and Dr. Hans Selye.
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