The body positivity movement

• Hedonia: superficial pleasures such as looking good. They are more concrete and often short-lived.
• Eudaimonia: a sense of meaning and purpose that contributes to overall well-being. 

We tend to focus on superficial rewards to motivate ourselves to achieve our goals. But rewards that contribute to our overall well-being are more helpful in maintaining our motivation in the long term for the lifestyle changes we desire.

A strict diet and determination can transform the body into a thinner self. However, the mind struggles to follow the transformation. The perfect weight becomes the measurement for success, and any deviation from it feels like failure.

Beauty is not restricted to certain types of women at all. You don't need to be thin to find love.

Women should not feel that their bodies are tied to the perfect body of other women.

We must be attentive to the input we consume. It affects us in deep and profound ways.

Avoid watching endless hours of mindless television or uncritically ingesting the worst of popular culture erodes character. Try instead reading books, listening to podcasts and attending conferences.

We have to be more intentional about the people we choose to associate with:

• If you want to lose weight, hang out with people who make good diet and exercise choices.
• If you want a better marriage, socialize with people who have healthy ones.
• If you want to make more money, associate with people who are successful.

• Various studies point out that sleep influences two appetite hormones, leptin (to decrease appetite) and ghrelin (to stimulate appetite), which is also known as the hunger hormone.
• Lack of sleep is associated with higher levels of ghrelin and lower levels of leptin, making the person more likely to overeat.

• Sleep-deprived people crave for and also end up eating more carb-rich foods and sugar.
• Sleep duration affects the release of insulin in the body, that affects our glucose levels, and prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
• Research shows that exercise prevents the damage done by lack of sleep and also makes one eat less.

To stay healthy, one has to sleep more and also do regular exercise.

Pessimists are good role models for those who are "yes men". 

If you only have around you people that agree with you, you are being set up for failure.

Optimists often fail to have a Plan B because they believe they can control all the elements within Plan A.

Pessimists can alert a team regarding the risks that would require a Plan B.

• Fear of being wrong. People with this fear are extremely focused on rules, ethics, standards, and “right vs wrong.”
• Fear of not being good enough. Those with this fear tend to be insecure, intensely focused on their image, and desperate to prove their worth. 
• Fear of missing out. This drives leaders to constantly seek new opportunities and experiences and to pursue multiple interests at once.
• Fear of being victimized or taken advantage of. Those suffering from this fear feel the need to win every battle and can be defensive and controlling.

In the first phase, take a close look at your history. Examine the choices you've made and the reasons behind those choices.

For instance, not putting effort into pursuing your own interests but instead, activities in which you can excel could point to the fear of not being good enough.

Eat a sufficient amount of calories and carbohydrates to keep your body “fed” and satiated. Once you learn to recognize these signals in your own body, it becomes much easier to trust your instincts and repair unhealthy relationships with food.

Give yourself “unconditional permission to eat.”

People realize they don’t really want that food that was forbidden before; they just got caught up in society telling them they couldn’t have it.

It is marked by intense concentration, a sense of timelessness, and a loss of self-consciousness. It’s a deeply healing and enjoyable state and one that greatly contributes to our happiness.

• They meditate.
• They exercise regularly. “Surveys show that exercise may very well be the most effective instant happiness booster of all activities.”
• They stop and smell the roses. 
• They spend time with their furry friends.
• They spend time outside.

The best body language for influence depends on your goal. Make sure your body language matches your words to make you more effective.

• If you want to increase the attractiveness of an offer, think sales-y. Use animated movements. Lean forward. Move and speak quickly.
• If you want to reduce resistance to what you're saying, think calm and authoritative. Specific gestures. Lean back. Move and speak slowly. 

It is important to balance the appearance of authority and warmth.

• You show authority and power by your upright posture, your command of physical space, purposeful stride, a firm handshake, and palm-down gestures.
• You communicate warmth nonverbally with open body postures, palm-up hand gestures, full-frontal body orientation, positive eye contact, synchronized movements, nods, head tilts, and smiles.

Recognize and silence your inner critic.

An example of your inner food police: if you're scanning a restaurant menu and you catch yourself saying "That’s not healthy. That’s too many servings. That’s too high fat, " that voice is not yours, although it feels like it. It's only fueled by external messaging.

Food isn’t good or bad. Don't fall for this 'black or white' way of thinking.

Health and nutrition exist on a gradient. Keeping your health in mind when making food choices is totally in line with intuitive eating, but being rigid about healthy eating isn’t.