A few years ago I went to a Christian Marriage Conference called “A Weekend to Remember”.  It was amazing!  There was one thing in particular that I heard that weekend from one of the presenters that literally CHANGED MY LIFE!

It’s the 20-Second Rule. He said that when you are in the middle of an argument with your partner, or you are having a “heated” conversation……… before you open your mouth to say something back at your partner, take 20 seconds and THINK!  Yes, THINK!  Think about what is really going on. You know your partner loves you, he or she is upset and doesn’t really mean what they said.  Instead of blurting out something that you will later regret and don’t mean, take a few seconds to think.  This will probably make you either, stay quiet, and not say anything in that moment, or at the very least you won’t say the horrible thing you were planning on saying.

This really did change my life and not just with Danny, but with every friendship and relationship I have.  So many times we get into arguments or disagreements with others and we end up saying things we don’t mean and ending potentially great relationships because we act IMPULSIVELY, without thinking, and we hurt others.

Why am I telling you this?

I am telling you this because you can use this 20-Second Rule, not just when you are in a heavy discussion with your partner, friend, or family member, but you can use this with FOOD.

The other day I was talking to a client who was telling me how she “PICKS AT FOOD” all weekend.  When I ask her at the beginning of the week how she ate over the weekend she says “pretty good”.  But as I dig deeper, I see that she made so many poor choices.

Why?

Because she acts IMPULSIVELY!

So I told her about the 20-Second Rule and how you can apply it to food!  I do this all the time!  That’s why I told you it changed my life, because I use it with everything.

How does this 20-Second Rule apply to food?

So many times we all act IMPULSIVELY with FOOD.

You are at the office and there’s a bowl of Hershey kisses so you just grab a few and eat them, even though you are not hungry.  The kids are eating chips so you grab a few handfuls even though you have a meal sitting in the fridge waiting for you.  You eat some of your husband’s fries even though you have a meal right in front of you. YOU ARE ACTING IMPULSIVELY.

If you take a few seconds to think before you act impulsively and stuff your face with something that is going to make you feel bad anyways after you eat it, MOST OF THE TIME, you wouldn’t eat it.

Trust me, this happens to me all the time!  I go to reach for something NAUGHTY, but I STOP, THINK, and then act. This is what usually goes on in my crazy head.

“Do I really want that?  Is it going to be worth it?  Am I really going to enjoy it or will I just feel bad after I have it?  Am I really hungry? Am I wanting this out of emotion?”

After a few seconds of talking to myself, 99% of the time I don’t eat the NAUGHTY FOOD.

I urge you to try this!  I said this to my aunt many years ago and she said it totally changed her life as well, and she makes much better choices with her food now.

I would love to hear some 20-Second Rule stories, so as soon as you start using it, make sure to share!

Check out Super Trainer Johan Duluc's Blog for some inspiration today.