Bill Cortright is a highly sought after international speaker specializing in personal development, motivation, wellness, anti-aging, weight loss, and stress management. Bill’s journey began at a young age struggling with weight loss and maintenance, resulting in a decade long fluctuation of 100 plus pounds three times before successfully losing the weight and eventually becoming a seven-time bodybuilding champion. Today he is one of the top experts in the field of wellness, weight loss and stress management. Bill is the author of the international bestseller The NEW Stress-Response Diet and Lifestyle Program and has the soon to be released sequel called TRUTH: The Real Understanding to Health. Bill has spent three decades coaching clients from around the world with his cutting edge scientific approach to total wellness. This new and innovative approach is the result of Bill’s personal experience of growing up obese and being diagnosed with diabetes. Bill realized that there was a major disconnect between the medical field and the diet and fitness industries. Patients are stressed, overwhelmed, tired, confused, depressed and frustrated. To create a real wellness plan everyone must work together and this has been the basis of Bill’s work. Bill’s lectures speak from the heart of his personal experiences of battling diabetes and obesity but also from his profound understanding how our body and mind work in creating a life of health and prosperity. Bill, now in his fifties has turned his attention to the unique needs of the body as we age and how to master our own genetics through lifestyle management. Bill’s new book TRUTH will address the science of self-discipline, brain health, reversing disease and managing stress with simple easy to do techniques that change lifelong habits. His mission is to motivate, educate and inspire people to live their best lives. Bill is resides in Miami, Florida with his wife, Linda and dog, Toby, and remains devoted to his five children and his work. Visit Bill at www.billcortright.com Twitter: @BillCortright Facebook: www.facebook.com/StressResponse Facebook author page: www.facebook.com/BillCortright Email: [email protected]
External url: http://www.amazon.com/TRUTH-Minute-Ending-Procrastination-Creating-ebook/dp/B015EFQZOA/ref=sr_1_70?s=digital-
Tags: Truth, Life Plan, procrastination, Life, mind, stress, response
Make sure you have a protein which is the key food in managing the Red Zone. This meal should consist of a healthy grain, low glycemic fruit, and a protein (bowl of oatmeal with blueberries and a scoop of whey protein).
I have tried protein rich breakfast and it was very refreshing and light. As a starter I had cereal in yougurt and then I had egg white with small quantity of beans. It was delicious as well as healthy. I also avoided oil for frying it. I feel energetic and ready to work now.
If you go too long between meals or if you skip meals the Red Zone fires up. When this happens the Green Zone shuts down and we usually binge and overeat unhealthy foods. So to prevent this, eat small meals every three hours between two regular meals.
Today I was as always working the whole day. While in office I always get something to chew or sip in the middle of work but today was an off day from office and I was working at home and neglected to take break and eat something.
After working for 3 hours I started to loose interest and felt demotivated. At that right time this activity clicked in my mind and I started to take some food tea / fruits every 3 hours. This gave me some time to relax and I literally felt recharged. Quite awesome.
It has also resulted in doing more work today!
Whey protein drink between meals is the easiest and best way to manage our stress response. if diabetic patients take a whey protein drink between meals their sugar levels will drop even if they didn't make any other dietary changes.
If you are trying to break bad habits such as eating sweets after dinner, compulsive shopping, smoking, gossiping, etc. use the “I won’t” response. Here is how it works: Say you are rolling along and doing fantastic on your new diet plan. You’ve had your dinner but there is a brownie on the counter. You eye that brownie and all your instincts are yelling for you to attack! The voice in your head says, “It’s ok, you exercised this morning and have been perfect on your eating plan.” You scream NO! Well, maybe one bite? My mother always told me it’s ok to have a little. But, I can have it on Junk Night, Right?
The Ten-Minute I WONT response works like this: You want the brownie but in order for you to have it you have a set rule. You set your timer for ten minutes and pull out your journal. Write anything that is on your mind, most likely you will write about the brownie. After the ten minute timer goes off if you still want the brownie then have at it. When it comes to changing eating habits this technique has worked wonders. The simple act of journaling turns on the Green Zone where it’s easy to say NO.
When you try to do any new undertaking such as exercise, hobbies, any personal development, or budget keeping, the voice in the head usually says I will do it later or I will start tomorrow, I promise. Most of us experienced this when we were given a school project and a two-month notice of when it will be due. Yes, we start it the day before and work all night killing our self to get it done. The reason for this is the comfort zone resistance. Any type of work that you have told yourself you are going to do and you find yourself putting it off is perfect for the I Will Response.
The Ten Minute I WILL Response works like this: Set your timer for ten minutes and then sit down and do the work. The key is you only have to do it for the ten-minute period; once the timer goes off you are done. Or maybe you decide to continue to work a little longer. The key to change is consistent action. It does not matter that it was only ten minutes. The subconscious cannot tell time. This is a great tool for starting an exercise program, personal development exercises such as journaling, meditation and working on three or more projects at a time. It is the most amazing act of how ten minutes turns into a productive 1 or 2 hours of work. Or the work may end after the timer rings and you have stayed on a consistent track of progress.
Posture/ Presence is a success tool that will not only portray to the outside world that you are a winner but also to your inner self that you are a star. When that inner self-image gets the positive message then everything changes. Posture and presence are aspects over which you have control. This is about being aware of how you are feeling and how you are carrying yourself in that moment. Whatever the situation, act as if you have already succeeded. Simply put, fake it until you make it! The other great affect from acting in this manner is that you change over the Red Zone to the Green Zone and your change in posture actually changes your physiology. These two-minute changes (in the body stance) lead to hormonal changes that can configure your brain to be either assertive, confident and comfortable, or really stress reactive and feeling shut down.
Stand tall, head high with your hands on your hips and assume the posture of your super-hero. Hold that pose and feel the power for two minutes. Affirm, “I am strong and powerful!”
Hold your arms above your head as if you just broke the tape at the finish line of a big race. Hold the pose for two minutes. Affirm, “I am a winner!”
Look in the mirror and put a huge smile on your face. Hold the smile for two minutes. Affirm, “I am happy and I feel great!” Note you can do this without a mirror anytime you feel down.
In morning when I woke up, I came to know that something that was scheduled today is not gonna happen anymore. I was in a mood to get it done. I felt disappointed as my plan went wrong. But then I memorized this technique to counter that sadness. I smiled and smiled and smiled in mirror. It seemed artificial in start but then I felt funny and laughed. This simple technique turned a fake smile to laughter and I am doing great now.
When we get stuck in the Red Zone we procrastinate, complain, experience energy drain, feel anxiety, worry and fear. Journaling is one of the most powerful tools we can use. One of the fastest ways to flip the switch on the Red Zone is to write. By writing out the feelings that were pent up you shut down the reactive mode and switched to the calm responsive mode.
Use the timed “I Will” response and Journal for ten minutes to end each day. This can be done before you leave work or before you go to bed. Basically write about anything that is on your mind. Especially pay attention if you are procrastinating on any type of work that you know needs to be done. Focus in on why you are putting the work off!
Many of us get stuck in the Red Zone because we focus on what we don’t have and what is not working. Start each day by writing down ten things that you are grateful for. Examine the things we take for granted like our health, the air we breathe, our family, etc.
When we are in the Red Zone our breath shortens and becomes more rapid in order to prepare us for action. The physiology of the stress response is all about getting the body in a reactive mode to fight or flight. When we incorporate mindfulness breathing we can immediately shut down the Red Zone and turn on the Green Zone. This technique can be used anytime and anyplace.
The key in the breathing technique is the exhalation because the exhalation breaths are directly connected to the Green Zone. Take a deep breath in and let it out. On the next breath inhale to a count of ten. As you breathe in count slowly 1through10. Then hold the breath for a count of ten. Then exhale slowly to a count of ten. Repeat this pattern for two minutes or as long as it takes until you feel the calm of the Green Zone. This is a great technique before working on a project or even before entering a meeting.
It is so magical, amazing. I have tried it many times after joining this course. It feels like all my stress and anxiety is been taken out with breath. It’s meditating as well. Simple but awesome!
The Green Zone is activated during the exhalation of the breath; the less breaths we take per minute the calmer our state. Take a deep breath in and imagine that you are exhaling slowly through a straw. The goal is to get our breaths down to 6 to 8 per minute. So, breathe in deep and release slowly for at least two minutes.
Many times life can move at a very fast pace and we can get stuck in certain patterns. When we get stuck in a negative pattern we turn on the Red Zone and experience anxiety and stress. As long as we are stuck we will procrastinate or self-sabotage our efforts to grow. One technique is setting notices that pop up and remind you to be positive. You can set these alarms up at different times of the day on your phone. When they will appear it causes you to change focus. It’s a friendly reminder that you can choose a positive focus for any situation. Here are a few examples but make sure the alarm resonates with you personally.
1. Now
2. I Believe
3. Good Things Begin To Happen Now!
4. All Is Well
5. I Am Success
6. I Am A Winner
7. I Am Perfectly Guided
8. I Am A Star
9. I Can Choose Peace
10. I Am Calm
When it comes to stress management a little bit of exercise can change your life dramatically, especially when it comes to procrastinating. Once we are in the Green Zone we are managing the stress response, which allows us to make responded choices versus reactive choices. Also by turning on the Green Zone we activate the wellness part of our nervous system lowering our heart rate, slowing our breathing and increasing brain function. When we are highly stressed our body, even at rest, is like a teakettle boiling (stuck in the Red Zone) and the moment we start to exercise the steam lets out and the body relaxes (enters the Green Zone).
Give yourself 10 minutes or longer to take a walk. Outdoors is best. If weather or obstacles make that impossible use a treadmill or you can actually march in place. Walk at a moderate pace, enough to get your heart rate up slightly. The thing is the Green walk has one purpose and that is to switch the Red Zone over to Green.
The Green Zone walk is designed to manage the response and switch us from the Red Zone to the Green Zone. Here are some strategic times to use this technique:
Before Work. By taking a simple 10-minute walk you get your nervous system ready to roll into the Green Zone and you are ready to start the day with gusto.
Lunch Break. Taking a 10-minute walk at midday changes your entire focus. The stress response is more prominent in the afternoon as the day wears on. The Green Zone walk actually refocuses the nervous system to the productive Green Zone.
After Work. The after work Green walk will not only help you with managing stress but it also can help with your relationships. By taking a simple ten-minute walk around the block before entering the house resets your stress response and allows you to respond to your family.
It’s by far one of the most effective tools when it comes to managing the stress response. Just think about it. If you follow the technique you will be exercising 30 minutes each day. WOW! SIMPLE!
The benefits of meditation are many and varied from reducing stress to increasing one’s cognition and creativity. Additionally, meditation heightens our concentration, allowing us to be more productive. This happens because when we meditate we stimulate the Green Zone (parasympathetic nervous system), which strengthens the frontal cortex of the brain. This part of the brain is key to memory, calmness in attitude, recuperation and overall health.
Meditation trains the brain to enter the Green Zone’s pause-plan response, which is the opposite of the stress response. Meditation is the exercise for the brain. It only takes 5 to 10 minutes of mindfulness exercise to create changes in the brain and your overall habit patterns.
This meditation can help you quickly release any unwholesome emotion or stressful situation and bring yourself back into balance whether you are traveling, at work or at home. The key is to be mindfully aware of your breathing.
To do this you breathe in through your nose for a count of ten, hold for a moment, and then out through your mouth as if you are breathing through a straw, you can choose to count to ten during this exhalation; the important thing is to exhale slowly as this turns on the Green Zone. Set your timer for the amount of time that you want to do this exercise and then forget about the time. Keep following the routine until you feel comfortable just watching your breath.
When you first start this exercise your mind will race with a million thoughts and that is ok. Your job during meditation is not to shut off the thoughts; it’s to be mindful of the thoughts passing through. In other words just watch the thought without judgment and focus on the breath. If you find yourself caught up in a thought then simply repeat the ten count upon inhalation and visualize the straw as you breathe out.
It is important that you do not complicate the exercise. Mindfulness training is simply becoming the observer of your mind.
Mindful eating is the type of eating that many of our parents tried to teach us— slow down and chew your food. If you are having a meal and at the same time working or watching the news you are most likely eating in the Red Zone. When we eat in the Red Zone our digestion system is shut down leaving little chance that our body can use the nutrients we just consumed. Also, when we are in the Red Zone the Green Zone shuts down so there is no pause-plan response and we overeat. Finally, if we eat in the Red Zone our metabolisms is in a flight or fight state so we will crave sweets and are more likely to binge on bad foods to end our day.
Before we jump into the technique make sure you develop a couple of other eating habits that will reinforce the Green Zone. Do not eat and watch television. Do not eat and work. Don't eat if you are angry or stressed out. Simply pick one of the techniques to change your state before you eat the meal. Finally, try the following technique for a few weeks and see what happens.
Simply eat your meals using your opposite hand. What it forces you to do is be mindful of what you are eating because if you are not in the moment, you will spill your food. When the pause and plan response is activated with the Green Zone turned on it will cause you to fill up faster and have optimal digestion.
The act of writing clears the subconscious and allows us to switch our nervous system over to the Green Zone where calm and wellness preside. Studies show when people write about emotionally difficult events or feelings for just twenty minutes at a time over three or four days, their immune system’s functioning increases.
When you want some outcome, pull a note pad journal out and write to the universe what it is you want. The simple act of writing down an outcome right before you start an activity flips you to the Green Zone so you are responsive and mentally clears anxiety, worry, and any negative thoughts. You can use this technique before meetings, events, speaking engagements, anytime you want to get focused quickly.
The idea behind this simple journal is to get the universe on your side. Simply take the notebook and write to the universe what you want to happen. Once you write the note, tear the entry off and throw it out if you like. This is your straight communication to God or Universe for guidance. It will put you in the Green Zone state so you can respond to challenges instead of reacting to them. The simple act of writing it down switches you over from being stressed, to being in the now.
Unmanaged stress causes our muscles to become tight as stress hormones change our body’s environment. The tense and release technique is a quick stress relief tool especially before you go to sleep. Here is a simple guide:
1. Lay down on a bed or a comfortable flat surface. Let the body sink in and take a deep breath in, counting slowly as you inhale to ten. Hold the breath in and count to ten. Slowly release the breath again using the ten count. Repeat this process 3 to 5 times.
2. Once you are semi-relaxed start with the left foot by squeezing it together and holding it for a few seconds then release it. Then flex the calf muscle the same way, holding the tension for a few seconds and then releasing. Work your way to the leg muscle, squeeze and release. Then repeat the same process on the right.
After you have done both legs follow the same procedure throughout the rest of the body. Squeeze and release the buttocks, abdominal muscles, chest, back, each arm and then finish with the facial muscles and neck area. This whole exercise should take no longer than ten minutes.
3. Once you have completed the Tense and Release technique take a few deep breaths and just relax for a few moments.
Awareness is the key. The moment that you catch yourself procrastinating, complaining or just feeling uncomfortable simply follow the process listed below.
Feel It. When you feel uncomfortable or find yourself putting off doing what you know you should be doing, take a moment and feel it. Simply pause, take a breath and ask yourself, “What am I feeling in this moment?”
Release It. After taking a moment and seeing just what you are feeling try to pin point where you feel it and give it a label. For example, I am feeling anxiety and I feel it in my stomach area. Do not complicate this. Once you have identified the feeling take a deep breath and release it to the universe.
Relink the feeling to a positive anchor. After the release simply replace the feeling with a positive affirmation. The ‘I Am…’ affirmations work best with this exercise. Let’s say that you had a feeling of anxiety about talking to your boss. After the release simply affirm, “I am strong and confident!” and then go to it.
What this powerful technique does is reprograms the subconscious on the spot. We procrastinate when we step outside the comfort because of our programmed fears.
You got to make a change. It’s time for us as a people to start making some changes; let’s change the way we eat, let’s change the way we live, and let’s change the way we treat each other. You see, the old way wasn't working so it’s on us, to do what we got to do to survive. ―Tupac Shakur
There are three key elements that foster change. One, having a strong purpose to create the WHY factor. Two, knowing exactly what you want with a clear vision. Three, the management of the stress response. Change requires action and doing the work needed to create the result we want. We must beat procrastination.
In The Ten Minute Life Plan Author will give you a dozen techniques that will turn on the self-discipline response and end procrastination in ten minutes or less. These are techniques he has used for the last thirty years and are now backed by the science of self-discipline. The Ten Minute Life Plan techniques will keep you moving forward toward whatever it is you desire. In other words, the techniques will help you to do the work.
It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things. ― Leonardo da Vinci
Your subconscious never sleeps. It is always on the job. It controls all your vital functions. Forgive yourself and everyone else before you go to sleep, and healing will take place much more rapidly. ―Joseph Murphy
It does not matter what you want to change; there is a distinct process that must happen before it becomes part of you. When we change our life we assume a new role. That role might be an ex-smoker, healthy dieter, exercise persona or even new spiritual beliefs. The challenge to making a change is this: every new role requires a new self-image or in other words a new picture and programs in our mind. Developing that new picture takes time. Our habits and behaviors are programmed in our mind. If you change that programming, the picture you have of yourself will then change your life.
In order to achieve the goals we are striving for, we have to change our habits from the core. To change these programmed habits we must take consistent action until the so-called action becomes automatic. I have never met anyone who did not want to change at least something about themselves; they all seem to be waiting for that magic moment to start. Procrastination, resistance to change, leads us to a life of excuses and regrets.
The Power of the Mind
Dr. John Hagelin, a quantum physicist, made a great statement: “Our body is really the product of our thoughts.” This observation is so powerful when it comes to any type of program to change our body and health. The fact is our thoughts have a profound effect on the stress response and it’s this affect that determines whether we do our work or put it off for tomorrow. Procrastination and action are controlled by the state of the body’s chemistry at any given time. The thought affects the brain, which becomes the chemist for our body and this creates the chemistry in our environment or our body. It’s this chemistry that drives us to respond or to react.
Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life
Managing the subconscious mind is key to all your success and failure. You begin to control your subconscious by managing your thoughts and your conscious input. When we change our programming, our thoughts automatically become productive and everything changes including our health.
The New Year’s Resolution Phenomenon
It has nothing to do with determination, and it has everything to do with programming and our ability to conquer procrastination. To create new subconscious habits we must do the work on a consistent basis.
Habits
All habits, both good and bad, have been programmed in your computer (subconscious). Unfortunately, much of it is without your consent. Whatever is programmed determines the action you will take on a regular basis; in other words, your habits. Most people will follow their family traits unless they understand how to change deeply embedded habits and patterns. These programmed traits have a direct effect on the actions we take and the life we ultimately will build. Other programmers are our teachers, role models, coaches, television, the media, and the culture where we come from, religion, and other value systems.
The Challenge of Changing a Habit
Our subconscious programming is where we hold our habits, beliefs, and values. If we want to change a habit, we must change the programming. The challenge here is that the subconscious is designed never to change. When it comes to personal development of any kind it is essential to understand that the same process that unconsciously protects our body is standing guard over our habits, both good and bad.
The subconscious mind and its programs are protected against change by what is known as your comfort zone. The comfort zone has one purpose— it is designed to make sure you do not change the program of the subconscious mind. The comfort zone is essential for our survival but it is also the saboteur of all change. The comfort zone is the resistance, the fear we feel when we attempt any type of personal development. What is programmed in your comfort zone comes easy for you; it’s automatic.
Most of us go through life and wonder why we do the things we do. We set out with good intentions to change our lives and seem to always end back where we started or even worse off than when we began. Using the Ten Minute Life Plan techniques have only one purpose and that is to drive you outside the comfort zone so you can do the work that needs to be done to create change.
Resistance to Change
Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones. We have to break the rules. And we have to discover the sensuality of fear. We need to face it, challenge it, dance with it. ― Kyra Davis
Comfort Zone and Resistance to Change
Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. ―Steven Pressfield
The comfort zone is evil. It is what holds us back and causes us to live a life unrealized. Pressfield calls this resistance “the force that you feel when you know you should do something but decide you will do it later,” and as we know, later never comes. Success comes from action but resistance will kick you in the gut to stop that action at all costs.
Action Is the Answer
It’s about living in the Green Zone of our nervous system which gives us the ability to respond to life instead of reacting to it.
Redesigning Your Comfort Zone
Action is the key to change and what we have programmed in our subconscious mind determines the actions that we take on a regular basis. The very first step, we must be willing to change. In Livin’ In The Green Zone the number one Success Principle is Purpose. Change does not come from common sense; it comes from a strong want and purpose.
Much of this reluctance to change is directly related to stress in two ways. First, most of our early programming was given to us during times of stress. The second way stress and the stress response sabotages change is it causes us to be in a reactive state and not take the action that we need to take to create change.
The Snap Back Effect
The snap back effect is when we begin to self-sabotage our efforts to grow. New roles in life whether it is your new thinner body, income, new relationships or even new spiritual practices require a new self-image and comfort zone programming.
When creating new programs and habits the snap back effect will be ever present and I have found that there are distinct testing periods that we must go through while creating change. They are as follows:
Testing Period One: 30 Days. It takes thirty days to really start expanding the comfort zone. This 30-day testing period is the hardest because it is when resistance and the comfort zone are the strongest.
Testing Period Two: 12 weeks. This testing period occurs after 12 weeks from the point that you started your personal development quest. This is when our patients hit a plateau and begin to get panicky.
Testing Period Three: 6 months. This is a testing period that really is connected to your self-image. New roles require a new self-image, in other words as you begin to change you must make sure the picture of your new life match your pictures in your mind, your self-image.
Testing Period Four: One Year. When you reach one year from the time you stepped out of your comfort zone and began the personal development quest you then reset your life. It takes one year to create the program of the new habit.
Our Survival Responses
You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. ― Marcus Aurelius
Self-Control Mechanism
Stress Response
The stress response cannot be shut off; only managed. When it is not managed we will crave sweets, procrastinate, be reactive and live a life in a constant anxious state of being. Even more pressing is the fact that when the stress response is running hot we become compulsive and all self-control goes out the window.
Pause-Plan Response
There is actually an opposing response to the stress response and it is called the pause-plan response. The pause-plan response connects you to the self-control regions of the prefrontal cortex of the brain. To help the prefrontal cortex, the pause-plan response redirects energy from the body to the brain.
Procrastination; I Will Start Tomorrow
My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time. ― Charles Dickens
The System of Discipline: Red Zone/ Green Zone
Managing the two nervous systems is the key to self-discipline, self-control and willpower. The sympathetic nervous system is reactive and directly in connection with the Stress Response (Red Zone). The parasympathetic nervous system is responsive and directly in connection with the Pause-Plan Response (Green Zone). The action we take or don't take is directly linked to the management of these zones.
BioMax Five Links
BioMax refers to maxing out your biology by managing the Red Zone stress response and activating the Green Zone’s pause-plan pause-plan response. When the Five Links are practiced together, they will give the body what it needs to repair and manage the stress response.
Link One: Meals: You have to eat to lose.
Link Two: Hydration: You’ve got to drink to shrink.
Link Three: Circulation: Are you a Cheetah or a Lion?
Link Four: Lean Body Mass: The key to increasing your metabolism
Link Five: Junk Night: Have your cake and eat it, too!
Every success story, every great leader, inventor, writer, and spiritual guru had one thing in common— they had to overcome procrastination. Procrastination is a tool of the comfort zone to keep us stuck in a life-loop of chasing our tails. Procrastination is the resistance we feel when we finally step out and make a decision to better ourselves. To defeat procrastination is simple but it does not mean it is easy. If your actions are causing you to feel anxiety, worry, or fear, and if they are making those around you uncomfortable, that is GOOD. It means you are on your way to creating your authentic life that is built by your standards. Any of the dozen techniques will work when you feel that grasp of resistance. Author wishes you peace, love and inspiration on your journey.
Dream Big!