Peak Nutrition. Maria Hines
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are great for powering through seasons, spurring energy and motivation to accomplish them. But they also have a downside: they’re not sustainable and can eventually lead to burnout.
A more sustainable way of approaching and creating goals is with internal motivation. Also known as intrinsic motivation, it comes from inside you. With intrinsic motivation, you don’t need punishments or rewards to get to the goal. Instead, your focus is on the process of achieving the goal—the way it makes you feel and how it makes you who you are. Intrinsic motivation is why outdoor athletes love being outside, doing incredible things in nature. Feeling the chill on your skin and being empowered by what you are accomplishing are your motivation. These feelings remind you each day why you do what you do. You need both types of motivation to reach a goal. And you also need to create the right habits (see chapter 2 for tips on creating and sustaining a habit). This chapter covers falling off the wagon, bad habits and how to break them, the power of failure, and why creating rituals might be your key to success.
FALLING OFF THE WAGON
When you fall off the wagon, remember to have self-compassion. It’s easy to criticize yourself, but it’s not constructive. Criticism doesn’t help you move forward. If you feel like you’ve failed, ask yourself, Am I going to give up? If the answer is no, then failure is just another step toward success. Collect your failures. However, when you feel agitated, mad, or bad, take note of your internal thoughts. That is the first step toward changing those negative thoughts—becoming aware of the process. Then you can start to change it.
Mercedes: For example, I have struggled a lot with self-destructive thoughts over the past few years, and I finally did something about it. I completed the self-esteem pack in the Headspace meditation app. I highly recommend this or similar meditation guidance if you struggle with negative thoughts and want to change your internal dialogue (see the Resources section for more information). Sometimes things do suck for a while. For you to change, you may have to hit rock bottom before you end up wanting to change.
BREAKING BAD HABITS
If you’ve lost motivation and need to break a bad habit, it’s important to understand what patterns have become linked together to form the habit. Mercedes: For example, I had a habit of eating “red-light” foods after work. To change this behavior, I had to break a chain of patterns. I learned through close observation that I would eat junk food only when I was on the couch watching TV. So I first changed the food I ate, because I still had this feeling of wanting to snack on something. I ate carrots and bananas instead. Then I basically stopped watching TV right after work. Instead, I would sit on the couch with my dog and a cup of mushroom hot cocoa and enjoy that instead. If I am going to watch a show, I need to wait until I have had a meal and am 80 percent full. This process of figuring out my triggers has helped a lot! It doesn’t mean I don’t do it ever, but I don’t snack on red-light foods nearly as much now.
THE POWER OF INTENTIONALITY AND THE VALUE OF FAILING
Setting intentions around goals helps you focus on what you really want, make improvements that are very specific, and improve overall awareness. For example, if you know that your climbing footwork needs improvement, when you get to your next training session, instead of saying “I will work on my footwork,” set a specific intention about the footwork. Try something like, “I will be silent and precise with my feet every time I place my foot on a hold.” This is very specific and intentional. And, if you fail, you can correct it and know where the failure stemmed from.
RED-LIGHT FOODS
This system of categorizing all your foods using a stoplight metaphor, from red to green, is used by Weight Watchers and Precision Nutrition and a whole book has been written about it. Create a list for yourself, and try to figure out what situations trigger you to eat red-light foods. Can you design a system to avoid them on a more regular basis? What situations trigger you to eat greenlight foods? Do more of those! You don’t have to be perfect—just better.
Red = “stop and think.” These are foods that you can’t seem to stop eating. Hand-to-mouth frequency and speed are high. Mercedes: For me, these are Chicago-style popcorn (caramel and cheddar mix), pasta, milk chocolate anything—the list goes on.
Yellow = “caution.” These are the foods you can potentially stop yourself from overeating. Mercedes: For me, these are regular popcorn, apricots, dates, rice, yogurt, cheese, potatoes.
Green = “safe to go.” These are foods you feel confident eating because you won’t overindulge, so you won’t feel guilty. Mercedes: For me, these are mostly vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, and nuts.
PEAK PROFILE
STEPH DAVIS
Medjool dates: I buy them in bulk from my local health food store. They are easy to keep everywhere (in a pack lid, car, cupboard), are nutrient and calorie rich, and have a low glycemic index. Dates are great for baking, too.
I make most of my own food because I love cooking and primarily eat whole foods. A lot of that started because it was such a challenge to find food that doesn’t have added sugar; I started making soy milk several years ago because I got tired of buying “plain soy milk” only to discover it had added sweetener. It turns out that it’s also very easy to make other staples like hummus, falafel, salsa, kimchi, and protein bites for much less money than it costs to buy them premade.
I’ve started drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning, before any tea or anything else. It reminds me to focus on hydration all day. Worst habit: I’m usually not hungry first thing in the morning; I need to go hike or something before I want to eat, so sometimes I don’t do a great job of eating breakfast.
I’m not celiac, but I notice that if I eat a lot of things made with wheat flour, I don’t feel great. I especially avoid it before bed.
I’m not much of an indulger. I think being on a plant-based, whole-foods, low-sugar diet for so long (18 years) has made it so I don’t really have food cravings (except for things like brussels sprouts).
Both. Van. Fleece.
Steph Davis is a plant-based climber and BASE jumper. She lives in Moab, Utah, with her husband, Ian, dog, Cajun, and two cats, Lana and Mao.
Intentionality requires slowing down, being curious,