Change Your Brain Every Day - How to Break the Self-Defeating Holiday Cycle

Episode Date: December 17, 2018

In honor of Tana’s achieving second-degree black belt status, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana discuss how training habits and willpower come into play during the holiday season. Learn how to break the cycle of surrender that many of us succumb to during this time of year, and how the mantra “a black belt is just a white belt that never quits” relates to our struggles with health issues during the holidays and all year-round.

Welcome to the Brain Warriors Way podcast. I'm Dr. Daniel Amen. And I'm Tana Amen. Here we teach you how to win the fight for your brain to defeat anxiety, depression, memory loss, ADHD, and addictions. The Brain Warriors Way podcast is brought to you by Amen Clinics, where we've transformed lives for three decades using brain spec imaging to better target treatment and natural ways to heal the brain. For more information, visit amenclinics.com.

The Brain Warriors Way podcast is also brought to you by BrainMD, where we produce the highest quality nutraceutical products to support the health of your brain and body. For more information, visit brainmdhealth.com. Welcome to the Brain Warriors Way podcast. Hey, everybody. So excited. This is a very special day for us and a special podcast and a special live chat. We found out today, feel better fast and make it last. Made the Christian Book Association's bestseller list. That's awesome.

And we have some very special news for you. But first, one of the reviews from the Brain Warriors Way podcast. I really appreciate how Tana has shared her personal story. I can really relate and appreciate the inspiration. I love the work you are both putting out to the world. Thank you. Keep up the amazing work. Well, thank you. We love when you leave reviews. It's our payment, if you will it makes us happy and so but today we have a very special announcement Tana Amen wife of Daniel and mother Chloe is getting her second degree Kempo black belt she is a a very dangerous person. She, I mean, if I ever thought I'd be rude to her, I've just like put that aside. Um, but I just, I couldn't be more proud of you. Thank you. I'm super excited. So I just turned 50. One of my goals, I did. Oh my God. Yeah.

I didn't know that. Yeah. So I turned 50 on the first and one of my goals was always, I told myself that I was going to be healthier at 50 than I was in my forties. And the truth is, is it started off a little rocky. I was a little worried because things, things towards that 49 mark started to, I felt like we're going sort of the wrong way. I had surgery and then, then just a bunch of my neck, I hurt my neck and my back. And I'm like we're going sort of the wrong way. I had surgery and then just a bunch of my neck, I hurt my neck and my back. And I'm like, oh, wow, this is like getting more challenging. But true to the warrior mentality, if you've read Brain Warrior's Way, and like this woman says, I've shared my story.

It's like when things start to get really hard, you always say the best way to get me to do something is tell me I can't. There's that little bit of just a fighter in me. It's also called oppositional defiant disorder. Yeah, but if you channel it correctly, it can be very powerful. So when I started to really not feel well, I started to slow down and then all of a sudden I went, nope, nope, not going to happen. So I started to really fight it.

And so what I want to really leave you guys with, I love the expression, a white belt is just, I mean, a black belt is just a white belt who never quit. And so really, I mean, so many times in this process of getting my black belt, I'm going to relate this to your health. So many times in the process of getting my black belt, I was told you can't practice because first it was my heart rate because of the medication I take for the thyroid cancer. Then it was my back. I have scoliosis. There were all these reasons why I couldn't practice.

And initially I would listen to it. And hitting things makes your spine worse. And my favorite line in Creed is when he says he sees Creed hitting the bags because he's really mad about something. And he goes, well, it's a lot less expensive than seeing a shrink well that's how i'm sorry but that's how i feel about like it's so fun to just go hit stuff there's like this huge endorphin release so i love it i love it i've actually never had that oh i love it so much i can't even tell you what it feels like to just go hit stuff and kick stuff and just like so anyways i'm grateful you don't do it to me yeah no you gotta do it do it to the right do it in a very safe environment it's just so fun so what are some

uh let me let me finish what i was gonna say okay about so so i started to feel like i was going downhill and i'm like no this can't happen so what i want to tell you going into the new year everyone does this whole new year new you thing and. And I'm turning 50. I turned 50. And I decided, okay, I know the brain warrior's way. I wrote about it. But now it's time to really like step back and think about it like the people who read our stuff, right? What do we tell them? Get your numbers checked.

Go get assessed, right? So I started doing that like from ground zero. I started having everything assessed. And so... So for people who don't remember. Right. So it's mastery. How do you develop mastery over your brain and your body and your life? And it starts with mindset. Right. So you have to have the mindset of a warrior, which is armed, prepared, and aware. Right. And so your mindset is right. And then the A is assessment, just like you just said. So I'm going and I'm getting these assessments. And one thing I want to add is you should have a good trainer.

So Master White is my... Well, so S is sustenance and T is training. Right. And so you always say you don't start on fight day. You don't start training on fight day. You have to train and be prepared for fight day way in advance because if you start training on fight day, you're going to lose. Right. So I have an amazing instructor, Master Bob White.

He's just awesome. And you should have someone that you trust that guides you. It's a physician or a mentor or someone that you trust to help lead you on this journey, to help you get well. And so we think of getting well as you need to have a warrior mindset. And that's what we want you to start thinking about. So in this assessment process, like I started thinking about all the things I was concerned about, and I just started getting them assessed one by one, check it off, right? Time to get a colonoscopy.

I'm 50, right? Time to get all my blood work redone. Time to get all of this stuff done. My thyroid, all of this stuff, my neck and my back. Now, I still practice, even though I was told because of my neck and my back, don't do it anymore. Right. But you make adjustments.

So I'm willing to make the adjustments, and I never had the idea of getting my black belt in mind because I was told, okay, well, you're probably never going to be able to practice like that. And all of a sudden enough time went by and I realized my master came to me and he said, it's time for you to test. I'm like, what? Wait, I was just doing it for the journey. I was literally and truly enjoying the journey.

And that's what I think that we try to tell people is really focus on the day, the journey, enjoying the moment, um, and being the best you can each day. And you'll be surprised at what you can accomplish. So white belt that never quits. Right. Because if you see some of the beasts I train with, like I'm not one of them, right? But I just show up. I give my best every time I go in and I always tell myself, you know, when I walk in that door, I'm going to leave it on the mat.

I'm going to leave whatever I have on the mat today. I'm going to give my best, whatever it is. And if you just think that way every day in life, what can you accomplish? What can you get done? So. And e is essence so it's sort of like why we talk about all the time um r is responsibility because it's not about you it's about generations of you and why it's years long. Now, I know I just wrote a book called Feel Better Fast and Make It Last because that's what everybody wants. Nobody wants to feel better slowly, but the brain warrior's way is forever. Right. It's you never stop. And yes, you're going to fail

or you're going to have a hard time. Yeah, I don't like the word fail. You're going to fall. But get up. But you just turn around. I was somewhere recently, I think for public television, and I was raising money for public television. We were talking about if you want to keep your brain healthy or rescue it

if it's headed to the dark place you have to turn around so if you're going to the dark place right if things aren't working for you you've fallen off the wagon if you will the wagon to brain hell turn around right right so many people when they make a mistake or they get into a bad rut they go oh well I've fallen so I'm just gonna stay here so I'm just gonna stay on the ground the freak is that we have a new grandbaby right Haven who's almost six months old and when you put her on the floor she moves her feet right oh it's the cutest thing you've ever seen she literally looks like a little like one of those little wind-up things you put her on the floor, she moves her feet. Right. Oh, it's the cutest thing you've ever seen. She literally looks like one of those little wind-up things you put in water.

She looks like she's so funny because she wants to go so bad. And so when she starts to walk, which is going to be soon, sort of like her mother, she is going to fall over and over and over again. And when you practice martial arts, you fall over and over and over again and when you practice martial arts you fall over and over and over again so you gotta learn how to do it safely you only fail when you don't get up that's it

you're so intense you don't get to be a second degree black belt without being intense so for those of you who don't know she's a very dangerous woman and she not only has a black belt in taekwondo So for those of you who don't know, she's a very dangerous woman. I'm actually a protector. And she not only has a black belt in taekwondo, she's now got her second degree black belt in kenpo.

And it's because she shows up on a regular basis. So if you're struggling, the issue is don't quit, show up. And the more you fall, the more experience you have in getting up. So get your mindset right, assess your brain with know your important numbers. Scans completely help. We'll talk more about that. Sustenance, food is just absolutely critical. Now, when I first did Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, we started the first class December 1st. Yes. We started it December 1st.

The week of Christmas, the average weight loss was 2.5 pounds. I love that. There's no rule you have to get fat. Not only no rule, it's irritating to me. So this is like, it's like, what is this cycle that we do? This like, this really self-defeating cycle. I just want you to stop and think about it for a minute. And I've done it.

I did it for years before I changed my lifestyle. Okay. What is that self-defeating cycle? Every year. Okay. I'm going to stop taking care of myself starting in October, right? With Halloween. Stop taking care of myself.

I'm just going to like give up because I know it's going to be too hard. Too hard. What? Aren't you so glad that the warriors that like defend us, our police officers, our soldiers,

don't give up when it gets hard? So you don't give up. And so just because it's hard, so that you give up, you eat terrible, you stop sleeping well, time change, travel, all this stuff happens,

the stress of the holidays, you gain a bunch of weight. Most people start to feel really lousy about themselves and physically lousy, change, travel, all this stuff happens, the stress of the holidays, you gain a bunch of weight. Most people start to feel really lousy about themselves and physically lousy, more heart attacks on Christmas day than any other day of the year. That should tell you something right there. So we go through this process, the self-defeating process, and then we do, oh, just kidding, new year, new you. What is that? It's insane. It's insane. It's insanity. So stop that. You got to train all year. That does not mean you can't have fun. That's why in the cookbook, there are like over 20,

there are like 25 desserts and like treats and things like that. Healthy things you can have that make you feel. And the cookbook actually did really good last week. So I'm very happy. Right. The holidays. It always does well during the holidays. You know what I tell people, and the longer I do this, the more I begin to understand, you are a habitual creature. You will do what your brain has done. Right. And in the Brain Warriors Way cookbook, you just have to find 20 recipes. And there are, what, over 100 recipes.

You only have to find 20 recipes you love that love you back and there there's a whole holiday guide on how to do holidays not only in a healthy way with all the healthy recipes but if you go somewhere and you are going to have a bite of something don't sabotage your entire plan you know there's a whole way to like make the holidays work. So we're going to talk more about that coming up. But for those of you watching, listening, Santana, a congratulations note. I'm so proud of her and I want you to be proud of her too. Stay with us. And I want to say thank you to all of the people who have mentored me and helped me along the way. It's been quite the journey and you don't do it without having a team of people.

You must have a community to help you through. So thank you, Master Bob White, Barbara White, and just so many people that have helped me along the way. Use the code PODCAST10 to get a 10% discount on a full evaluation at amenclinics.com or on our supplements at brainmdhealth.com. free signed copy of the Brain Warriors Way and the Brain Warriors Way cookbook we give away every month.