10 Signs of Low Testosterone in Women

By: Anna Fleet

Many of us might not consider testosterone, a hormone in the androgen (or male) category, as vital for women. However, a woman’s sexual health can be extremely affected by decreased testosterone levels (or low T).

Testosterone hormone in women is emitted from the ovaries and adrenal glands, with levels of the hormone naturally increasing during puberty and pregnancy and decreasing with age and the onset of menopause. However, a sudden drop in testosterone can affect a woman’s libido, energy levels, and mood.

Here are ten common signs of low testosterone in women…

1. Fatigue

Women with decreased testosterone levels often notice a sudden drop in their energy levels. This can manifest in several ways; you may have a hard time finding the energy to get out of bed in the morning, or you just may feel drained of energy throughout the day. Physical activities which don’t normally cause fatigue may leave you feeling spent or exhausted, and you may struggle to get through what would otherwise be a normal day or work or leisure.

One of the telltale signs that your chronic fatigue may have an underlying cause (and could therefore be related to low testosterone levels) is that is is unrelieved by sleep. In other words, if you’re finding yourself chronically tired even though you’re getting lots of sleep at night or supplementing with naps throughout the day, a hormone deficiency could be the underlying problem. However, lots of medical conditions can cause fatigue, so you’ll have to see a doctor for a diagnosis.

2. Disrupted Sleep

Low levels of testosterone in women can also interrupt healthy sleep patterns. For instance, affected women may suffer bouts of insomnia, sleep apnea, or just struggle with frequent waking and other sleep disturbances during the night. Of these symptoms, sleep apnea is the most serious and troublesome. Over extended periods of time, sleep apnea increases your risk for heart problems. It needs to be diagnosed and treated to reduce your risk of these types of serious effects.

Researchers aren’t quite sure why reduced testosterone levels in women cause sleep disturbances, but the prevailing theory is that they may cause other imbalances in important regulatory hormones and brain chemicals that promote healthy, restful sleep. However, disrupted sleep patterns may result from any number of medical problems, or they might not signal an underlying problem at all. From a general standpoint, you should seek medical attention if your normal sleep habits are disrupted for four to six weeks, or longer.

3. Weight Gain

Weight gain commonly shows itself in women affected by low testosterone. For instance, a loss of muscle tissue may be followed by a sudden unexplained increase in body fat, particularly around the area of the abdomen. In fact, many researchers now believe that diminishing testosterone levels is a leading cause of midlife weight gain in women, if not the single most common culprit.

The weight gain associated with reduced levels of testosterone in women may also present alongside other noticeable changes in physiology. In particular, women with diminishing testosterone levels also experience changes in muscle tone and bone density, which can have a significant impact on the appearance and character of the body. These symptoms usually start to appear when women are in their mid-30s, but all too often, they’re chalked up to simply being a part of getting older when, in fact, they are treatable and, in many cases, reversible.

4. Decreased Libido

As we age, many of us tend to be less sexually active. However, when testosterone is low, women experience more sudden and extreme sexual changes—including reduced libido, vaginal dryness that makes intercourse very painful, and a general disinterest in sexual intimacy. This happens because testosterone plays an extremely important role in sexual arousal in both men and women, and people of both genders who are suffering from deficiencies will naturally have a decreased interest in sex.

Hormone replacement therapies and other treatments can restore your sex drive to normal levels, but you should proceed with caution, and you should never self-treat a suspected testosterone deficiency. Mood swings, the development of male secondary sex characteristics, increased body hair, chronic headaches and sleep apnea can all result from the improper treatment of reduced androgen levels in women. If you’re going to take testosterone supplements, they must be at the proper dosage to minimize your risk of these side effects.

5. Depression

Depression, mood swings, and other unexplained emotional symptoms can be caused by decreased testosterone levels. These symptoms occur because the hormone helps regulate more than just energy levels and libido; it also plays an important role in mood stabilization and mental focus. Other neuropsychiatric symptoms of low androgen levels in women include a generalized lack of motivation and a loss of interest in activities the patient once enjoyed. Patients also frequently complain of a pervasively “low mood,” which may not descend into full-blown depression but is nonetheless constantly present.

The mood-based symptoms of reduced testosterone levels in women are often misdiagnosed and treated with antidepressants and other drugs, when hormone therapy holds the potential to yield similar results with a lower risk of complications and side effects. While these symptoms may be among the most noticeable, you should evaluate yourself carefully for the presence of others to reduce your risk of a root-cause misdiagnosis.

6. Osteoporosis

Bone deterioration is another common result of lowered testosterone in women, though this symptoms typically does not appear right away, but rather develops gradually over time. Testosterone plays an important role in bone production and maintenance, and when levels diminish, the body is no longer able to maintain bones as well as it once did. In fact, declining testosterone production is one of the leading causes of osteoporosis, a medical condition which affects millions of women, most of them over the age of 50.

Women with osteoporosis are more susceptible to bone breaks and fractures, which may not sound serious, but can actually cause severe complications, particularly in older patients. Fortunately, there are many different treatment options available to women who have osteoporosis, many of which cause an appreciable rise in bone strength. Your doctor can check for bone problems using simple, inexpensive tests, including X-rays.

7. Irregular periods

The sudden drop in the testosterone hormone can also cause changes in menstruation. In most cases, these changes manifest through irregularity of the menstrual cycle and lighter-than-normal periods. In older women, and in women with severely depleted levels of testosterone, it is possible to miss periods altogether. While women naturally experience decreases in their testosterone levels over time, beginning in their late teens or early 20s, menstrual irregularities are a sign that the problem has progressed to the point where treatment is necessary.

Women with low levels of testosterone may also experience other symptoms of menopause and premenopause. Specifically, hot flashes and mood changes such as irritability may occur. If you’re experiencing signs of early menopause and you aren’t yet in the usual age range for your fertility to be in such decline, hormone deficiencies may be the root cause of your health issues. In most cases, these problems are reversible.

8. Anxiety

Even though testosterone is considered a “male” hormone, studies link a decrease in normal levels to a increased anxiety, which can, in extreme cases, cause symptoms like panic attacks. Again, these symptoms occur because testosterone plays an important role in mood and neuropsychiatric regulation, and hormonal fluctuations can cause changes in brain chemistry that trigger symptoms.

As mentioned, anxiety isn’t the only psychiatric symptom associated with low testosterone in women. Depression and a consistent and pervasive low mood can also result. Like depression and low mood, anxiety symptoms are often misdiagnosed and, as a result, mistreated with unnecessary drugs. However, you should note that testosterone supplements can also cause mood imbalances. In particular, they can trigger major mood swings and an increase in aggressive behavior. Always proceed with caution, and always make sure that you’re not taking too much testosterone or you might experience some unpleasant side effects.

9. Hair Loss

Hair loss is one of the more visual symptoms of low testosterone, as the hormone supports healthy hair production and maintenance. This symptoms most often manifests in patchy hair cover on the head, or even baldness in women. Body hair is also affected, though these symptoms are typically less noticeable, particularly in women who regularly shave their legs and armpits.

As mentioned, one of the possible side effects of hormone replacement therapy is increased hair growth. This may be a good thing if depleted testosterone levels have caused you to lose hair, but if not, they may be unwanted. It’s extremely important to take supplemental doses that will restore your testosterone to normal, rather than excessive levels. This will keep the possibility of developing such side effects in check, and can help reverse many of the symptoms of androgen depletion. If you undergo this type of therapy, you will require careful, regular monitoring by a health professional.

10. Anorgasmia

Anorgasmia, or the inability to have orgasms, is a common symptom for women with plummeting testosterone levels. This difficulty with achieving pleasure from sex is usually accompanied by a drastic drop in sexual desire overall. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that a woman’s ability to achieve orgasm will return even if the underlying hormonal condition is successfully treated, though many women do go on to recover full and normal sexual function. Many medical professionals believe that an inability to achieve orgasm is more a psychological than a physiological issue.

One thing to keep in mind is that testosterone supplements have not yet been approved by the FDA for use in women, and that some researchers contend that there hasn’t been enough research done into the condition to warrant safe treatment. If you’re diagnosed with low testosterone levels, you should carefully weigh the potential benefits of treatment against the drawbacks and seek multiple medical opinions if you have unanswered questions.

20 RULES FOR STAYING FIT, STRONG AND RIPPED

Bodybuilder Pauline Nordin gives us her words of wisdom to achieve and maintain fitness goals.

BY PAULINE NORDIN

1: Weigh food with a scale. Don't eyeball or use measuring cups unless you're on the road/at a party.

2: Always try to beat your previous workout set performance. The attitude is "always go for more."

3: If you're stranded without gym access, without weights, and have already rested too long, do prehab exercises and body weight moves that challenge you. One-leg squats, one-arm push-ups, etc. Why not use the opportunity to focus on the weakest links?

4: Don't sweat small extras, like some oil in your veggies UNLESS you see a fat gain and are trying to lean out. 

5: Keep track of everything. Feelings, heart rate, blood pressure, weight, temperature, breathing, etc.

6: Use two kinds of rep ranges: one for strength (1-5 reps), and then for time under tension, which means lower weight but more reps. 35 lbs. with 10 reps is 350 lbs., whereas 6 reps with 50s is 300 lbs.

7: If you cannot get the range of motion you like, drop the weight so you do. Don't deny you're doing half-ass work.

8: If you have only 30 minutes to do either weights or cardio, do cardio. Why? I don't like speed training with weights. Personal preference. And more rest usually equals more strength.

9: Only consume a caffeinated drink pre-workout. I don't have a morning cup of regular coffee unless I work out after.

10: Get plenty of salt from mustard, broth, etc. Salt doesn't make me fat, it just makes me hold a little more water. It's okay. No sodium = lowered performance.

Pages

11: Do unilateral moves, usually first in leg training, because I have one more dominant leg.

12: When you get pain somewhere or something doesn't feel right, seek out the cause and work it out. For instance, trigger points or too tight muscle fascia.

13: If you want a treat, make sure you know the potential consequences and ask yourself if it's worth it. 

14: Always psych yourself up by telling yourself you're strong even though you may not feel like it. Don't acknowledge lack of energy.

15: When at a restaurant, either special order or pick out the best option and never fall into the "Ah, damn it, it will sabotage my efforts anyway, so why not eat it all?" mindset.

16: Use creatine and don't mind the little subcutaneous water retention. It's worth it.

17: Don't eat 6 times a day because some people say you should. I eat three big meals and take pre- and post-workout BCAAs.

18: Allow time for your body to change.

19: Never count the calories you burn via weight training.

20: Always keep a food journal and a workout journal.

19 Ways to Torch 200 Calories

Losing weight doesn't have to be a major undertaking. We found 19 easy ways to burn calories that don't require a trip to fitness boot camp.

By Susan Hall

1. Cut a rug

Invite some pals over, turn on some tunes, and have a 37-minute dance party. You know you haven't forgotten the Macarena.

2. Say ahh

Give your honey an end-of-the-day massage for 42 minutes and you'll burn around 200 calories. Just make sure you get one in return.

3. Move things around

Liven up the layout of your favorite room with 30 minutes of furniture rearranging.

4. Hit the bull's-eye

Spend 1 hour and 10 minutes at your favorite watering hole playing a fun game of darts with friends.

5. Make over your casa

Give your living room a fresh hue. Rolling on a new coat of paint burns 204 calories an hour.

6. Scrub-a-dub

Throw a barbecue, but first vacuum, sweep the patio, and straighten up.

7. Hit the market

Buy groceries for your fete (45 minutes of cart-pushing burns 117 calories), carry them inside (5 minutes of schlepping them up stairs burns 43), and put them away (40 calories in 14 minutes).

8. Bat a birdie around

Challenge partygoers to a friendly game of badminton and burn about 200 calories in 40 minutes.

9. Act out

Help your guests burn off even more of that barbecue fare by leading them in an hour of charades.

10. Sing, laugh, repeat

Settle in for an hour of Glee and participate by belting out those lyrics; you'll burn more if you do it standing, chorus style. When it's your turn to rest your chops, laugh. Singing zaps 136 calories an hour, and 20 minutes of giggling torches another 67.

11. Bypass the boob tube

A 2-hour game of Scrabble will make you smarter and 200 calories thinner.

12. Hit the mini links

When's the last time you played putt-putt? All it takes is about an hour to slash 200 calories.

13. Weed and seed

Make your yard happy by uprooting those pesky weeds for 25 minutes (127 calories) and planting some new seedlings (77 calories for 15 minutes).

14. Relive recess days

Join the kids in a 20-minute game of hopscotch (113 calories) followed by 22 minutes on the trampoline (87 calories).

15. Strike out

Meet your pals at the local bowling alley for an hour's worth of friendly competition. Give extra style points to the person whose outfit clashes most with the rental shoes.

16. Shop it off

Hit the end-of-season sales -- you'll torch 11 calories for every outfit you try on.

17. Get your om on

Unwind with some Vinyasa yoga. Flowing from Sun Salutations to standing poses like Triangle will burn 200 calories in about 25 minutes.

18. Clean your machine

Wash and wax your ride, and you'll burn 204 calories in 40 minutes. Straighten up the inside of your car, too, and you'll melt those cals even faster.

19. Tap your toes

Fidget throughout the day and you could burn an extra 200 calories before dinnertime. Researchers say people who fidget burn 350 calories a day more than non-fidgeters.

6 Easy Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

by Rachael Rettner

The new food plate unveiled by the Department of Agriculture today (June 2) sends a clear message: eat more fruits and vegetables. Chances are, you've heard this message before. And chances are, you're guilty of not heeding it. But meeting the daily requirement for fruits and vegetables need not be such a struggle.

Here are six easy ways to get more of these important foods into your diet, according to Heather Mangieri, a nutrition consultant and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Start early

To get in the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, start eating them early, with your morning meal, Mangieri said. This could mean adding bananas to your cereal, berries to your yogurt or vegetables to your omelet, she said.

Don't hide the fruit

Make fruits and vegetables visible to encourage everyone in your family, including yourself, to eat them, Mangieri said. Set out a fruit bowl in the kitchen or have carrot sticks available for snacking. Take some time to prepare the fruits or vegetables, if needed, so they are ready to eat.

Frozen is good

Frozen vegetables, such as peas and carrots, are a great way to make sure you always have vegetables in the house, Mangieri said. They are easy to prepare and keep for a long time. Mangieri recommended steaming them and adding them to casserole dishes. And frozen vegetables are usually just as nutritious as fresh ones , according to Keri Gans, who is a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

At mealtime, think of the veggies first, not the protein

The new guidelines recommend half of your plate be filled with fruits and vegetables. Try to approach your meals by basing them on what vegetables you'll have, and then think of the grains and protein to go with it, Mangieri said.

You can drink your fruits and veggies, to a point

Look for labels that say "100 percent" fruit or vegetable juice, because those can be a way to get a serving of fruit, according to the USDA. However, you have to be cautious about portion size and make sure you know how much a serving is. You don't want to end up consuming extra daily calories from juice. In addition, whole fruit also provides fiber, which is part of a healthy diet.

Have fruit with your sweets

"Fruits are nature's natural candy," Mangieri said. She recommended pureeing berries and adding them as a sauce to desserts such as ice cream. While the ice cream is not good for you, a fruit sauce without added sugar is better than something else you might add to your sundae, such as chocolate sauce, she said. Portion control is key with desserts, she said. Desserts are OK now and then if you're meeting your nutritional needs from other foods and exercising to make sure your calories in equal your calories out.

You can also use fruits to make a smoothie. Mangieri recommended using yogurt and no added sugar. "We have this heightened sense of sweetness just from overdoing it on sugars," Mangieri said. We should try to get back to basics and let fruit be sweet enough for our taste buds, she said.

Why Do We Crave Sugar, Salt and Fat?

by Seema Chandra

You pick up that doughnut because you can't wait to bite into its spongy texture, let the sweet notes hit the right spot, and slowly carry you away to bliss land. But did you know that food manufacturers actually have a standard called Bliss Point. Seriously, I am not kidding. For every food there is an optimal concentration at which sensory pleasure is at its maximum. The bliss point pretty much determines what we eat and drink and how much. Food researchers say that people love sugar, especially kids. So until the bliss point is reached, the more the sugar, the happier we are.
 
There is no doubt that The Big Three, sugar, fat and salt make food compelling. They make it tastier. They leave us wanting more. And there is a science behind this. Countless foods in grocery stores either have these loaded as a core ingredient, like in meats or bread. At other times they are loaded as a layered ingredient. Cheese coated chips for example.
 
When we put food rich in sugar, salt and fat in our mouths, our taste buds in the tongue send a signal to the lower part of our brain. The brain in turn stimulates neurons. The neurons in our brain are part of the "opioid" circuitry or endorphins. When we eat highly palatable foods, in other words, foods filled with sugar, salt and fat, they enable the body to perceive a highly rewarding experience. 

Rewarding foods tend to be reinforcing.  We want to go back for more. We can't stop at the first chip or chocolate bite. It has been proved scientifically that the combination of sugar and fat is a strong reinforcer.
 
Apart from sensory pleasure, our eating patterns are also influenced by our history of personal experiences. What we ate during our childhood could strongly influence us. If the circumstances around eating a rewarding food are pleasant, it becomes an emotional experience which gets stored in our memory. When we recall that food, it will stimulate desire.
 
But desire can also carefully calibrated. Sugar, salt and fat are not enough to make you eat. It has to be the right amount of each.  It has to be the coming together of these tastes that can do the magic. A cream filled cookie is appealing because of the texture and the unique taste of crunchy biscuit combined with the sweetness of the cream filling.

The food industry employs people whose main job it is to get the desirable mix of attributes. A small group of scientists who create most of the food that is consumed in the USA are called flavorists. I happen to meet one now in India who is advising big fast food chains about their line of products in India. It left me quite horrified to learn the procedures that are followed before giving the green signal to a new product. Do you think manufacturers of sugar products actually tell you how much sugar they add to their products?  Or do they leave you with the amount of sugar that occurs naturally in their products. Well, that's a story for another time.

Fast Food Nation, a bestseller for many years written about the fast food industry in the US says, and I quote, "A flavorist is a person with a trained nose and a poetic sensibility. In order to give processed food the proper taste, the flavorist must always consider the food's "mouthfeel". It's the unique combination of textures and chemical interactions that affect how flavour is perceived. It gauges the most important properties of food - the bounce, creep, breaking point, density, crunchiness, chewiness, gumminess, rubberiness, lumpiness, springiness, slipperiness, smoothness, softness, wetness, juiciness, spreadbility, spring-back and tackiness."
  
I can almost visually see my packet of chips being analyzed to death by a flavorist in a white lab coat, sitting in a food factory with computer screens, digital read outs and graphs and charts on the wall. I don't know about you, but I have suddenly lost my appetite.

Is Spelt More Nutritious Than Wheat?

By Monica Reinagel, MS, LD/N, CNS

Q. "My husband and I make all our bread from whole grain spelt flour and feel fuller longer (and generally better) eating this than store-bought, whole-wheat bread. What do you think about spelt? Is it better for us than wheat?"

A.  Although it is closely related to wheat, spelt has a reputation for being a healthier choice. Some people also prefer the flavor, which they describe as mellower and nuttier than regular wheat. And, unlike rice, oat, and other non-wheat flours, you can substitute spelt flour in recipes that call for whole wheat flour with reasonably good results—because it has a lot of the same properties.

Is Spelt More Nutritious Than Wheat?

With all the wheat-bashing going on these days, it’s not surprising that people are looking for alternatives.  But is spelt actually better for you than wheat?  

As you can see in the chart, spelt has twice as much vitamin K, while wheat has 6 times as much selenium. Other than that, however, the two grains are quite similar in vitamin and mineral content. Spelt is substantially higher in sugar than wheat, which may explain why many people prefer the taste. Whole wheat, on the other hand, is somewhat higher in fiber.

Is Spelt Safe for Celiacs?

Wheat is higher in protein and gluten—and the gluten it contains is stronger and more elastic, which explains why spelt breads don’t rise quite as high or have quite the same texture as whole wheat breads.

Make no mistake, however: spelt does contain a substantial amount of gluten, making it unsafe for anyone with Celiac disease. As for claims that people with wheat allergies may be able to tolerate spelt, this is entirely anecdotal. Because spelt is a sub-species of wheat, anyone with a true wheat allergy would be well advised to avoid it.

Is Spelt Better For You?

Based on the nutritional properties, it’s hard to make a case for spelt being significantly better (or worse) for you than whole wheat. I think this really comes down to individual preferences. If you prefer the taste or you find it more satisfying, I can’t see any reason not to enjoy it. (And who wouldn't prefer home-baked bread to store-bought?!)

Just remember that all grains, even whole grains, are best enjoyed in moderation.

- See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/is-spelt-more-nutritious-than-wheat#sthash.kJUuguix.dpuf

Engineer Life: Set Up Habit Changes So It’s Hard to Fail

by Leo Babauta

In his excellent ebook about changing habits, blogging friend Scott Youngdescribed the process of forming habits as walking home through fresh snow. The first person to go through the snow has to forge a path through the snow, and it’s difficult … but others will follow in that path and it gets easier and easier.

Forming a habit is a matter of forging that initial path until it’s harder not to take the path. Who wants to forge a new path through the snow?

But let’s take that concept a little further: what if you engineered it so that even the initial person forging through the snow would rather take that path than another, because it would be harder not to take the path.

Engineer your habit change so that it’s harder not to form the habit.

Why habit changes fail
I think I can safely say that all of us have attempted and failed at creating a new habit or changing an old habit at a few points in our lives. It can be hard to change old ways and create new ones.

The problem is that creating a new habit can be difficult. The reason: negative feedback.

Negative feedback is when we do something, and it is painful, or difficult, or we get criticized, or in some other way get a bad feeling rather than a good one. Difficult exercise, for example, contains inherent negative feedback, as it is more difficult than sitting on the couch. Quitting smoking contains negative feedback, because you suffer withdrawal pains and urges.

Positive feedback, on the other hand, is when you get compliments from friends and family that you look thinner or healthier, or the satisfaction from the number on the scale dropping. It’s the encouraging comments I get on this blog. It’s the great feeling when finishing a good run or a 5K.

But when the negative feedback makes the habit change difficult, especially in the first few weeks, habit changes often fail. That’s because it’s easier to quit the habit change than to keep doing the new habit, because of the negative feedback. It’s easier to take a puff from a cigarette than to suffer withdrawal pains. It’s easier to sit on the couch eating potato chips than to go out for that run.

Habit changes fail because the negative feedback from doing the new habit outweigh the positive feedback, and it becomes easier not to do the habit.

Engineer the habit change
So how do we overcome this problem? Think of it from an engineer’s point of view:

1. When negative feedback outweighs positive feedback, habit change fails.
2. To make the habit change successful, positive feedback has to outweigh negative feedback.
3. The solution: increase positive feedback and/or decrease negative feedback until the ratio favors the habit change.

Think of it this way: if you want to take a certain path in the snow, put obstacles along all other paths so that it’s difficult to go anywhere but the path you want to take … and have the path you want to take shoveled, so that it’s easy to take that path.

You can engineer your habit change so that it’s harder to quit than to do the habit.

How to do it
You have four options in your custom engineering solution. In each, I’ll give some ideas, but you’ll have to come up with ideas of your own to fit whatever habit you’re trying to change.

1. Increase positive feedback for the habit. Some habits have instant positive feedback, but often the positive feedback is delayed. It takes awhile to lose weight. It takes awhile before your blog starts getting encouraging comments. This delay in positive feedback is what causes many people to fail, because in the crucial first few weeks they are getting mostly positive feedback.

Instead, find ways to have instant positive feedback. The more, the better. Add as many of these (and others you can think of) as possible to increase chances of success. Some examples:

• Creating a log or journal of your habit let’s you feel satisfied that you’re actually doing the habit.
• Joining an online forum, where you can receive positive feedback from others going through the same thing. Quit smoking forums or running forums are two examples I’ve used. The Zen Habits challenge forum is a great idea.
• Join a real-world group, such as a book club, a running club, a class, etc., where you can get similar feedback from people.
• Reward yourself, early and often. Small rewards are appropriate, but celebrate every little success.
• Email or talk to people about your habit change, giving them daily updates. If people expect the daily updates, you will feel motivated to do your habit so you can tell people about it.
• Blog about it. If you have a few readers, they will most likely be encouraging.

2. Decrease negative feedback for the habit. First you have to list the negative feedback for your habit. For quitting smoking, there are urges and withdrawal pains. For exercise, it can be an exertion, which takes effort and energy. Analyze the negative feedback for your habit, all of them, and see how to decrease them. Some ideas:

• For quitting smoking, reduce urges and withdrawal pains with nicotine gum or patches.
• For exercise, reduce exertion by only doing a little bit in the beginning.
• For eating healthy, reduce the negative taste feedback by eating healthy treats, such as berries, or adding a little bit of good fat or a little salt to make things tastier.
• For reducing sweets, reduce urges by eating little treats, such as a bit of dark chocolate, or fruits.
• For developing the reading habit, reduce boredom (if that’s the problem) by reading exciting and fun books. Thrillers are favorites of mine.

3. Increase negative feedback for not doing the habit. You want to make it hard not to do the habit. As hard as humanly possible. So to do that, you need to put all kinds of negative feedback on yourself for not doing the habit. Some ideas:

• If you join a forum or a real-world group or give people you know regular updates, or update your blog readers (see ideas in #1 above), you will face the embarrassment of having to tell people you didn’t do the challenge.
• Get a partner or coach or trainer, or your spouse, to make sure you do the habit, and to nag you if you don’t.
• If you’re trying to develop the reading habit, remove all other temptations.
• If you’re trying to exercise, get rid of the TV and Internet and make your house uncomfortable, until you do your exercise. Once you exercise, get your cable TV box or Internet modem back from your neighbor who was holding it for you.
• If you’re trying to quit smoking, tell your kids not to let you smoke.
• I’m sure you can think of many others — get creative!

4. Decrease positive feedback for not doing the habit. What tempts you not to do your habit today? Give this some thought, and then decrease those positive things. Some ideas:

• If you’re trying to exercise (a common example), there is often positive feedback from not exercising, because it’s relaxing to stay home. So if that’s the case, reduce the relaxation at home. Get your spouse or kids to nag you. Get your mom to call you. Remove the cushions from your couch. Be creative!
• If you’re trying to stop procrastinating, the positive feedback for procrastination is the fun of going on the Internet (for example). Well, disconnect from the Internet or use a utility to block the sites that waste your time.
• If you’re trying to wake up early, there is of course the positive feedback that comes from sleeping in. Set up multiple alarms all around your room. Have people give you wake-up calls, so you can’t sleep. Have people waiting for you at the track for your morning run, or waiting for your phone call for an early business call.

Final word: In the end, be sure that you’ve engineered it so that it’s harder not to do the habit. If you fail, just add more of any or all of the above four options and try again. Don’t give up!

Comments:
I thought this would be useful for anyone can wanting to install change in their lives - which is just about everyone. It will just show you that internal change is a slow process but it involves repetition that is being reinforced all the the time or sufficiently enough to become permanent.