Stop Snacking & Scrolling

A few weeks ago, I gave you a Stress Eating Cheat Sheet and showed you how to improve your eating when stressed. An element of this included working on being better around food, drink and exercise during times you are not actually stressed. You should aim to become the kind of person who naturally does the behaviours you are trying to motivate yourself to do currently. For example, it is entirely possible to become someone who exercises without thinking about it, a person who does not want to overeat or naturally prefers healthier foods. This can be achieved by training your neural connections, which we have discussed many times before, but also by optimising your relationship to dopamine. 

Dopamine is a chemical messenger in your brain that plays a big role in driving motivation and encouraging behaviours that help you reach goals. When dopamine levels spike, your brain registers this as something positive and rewarding. This system worked perfectly when previous generations had to put in effort to get a dopamine reward, but in today’s world, the dopamine system is constantly being bombarded. If I want a dopamine hit now I could just open my phone and almost every app is designed to trigger it.  

There is nothing wrong with dopamine per se, it is more about the pathways you are using to obtain it. Positive dopamine pathways would include working on your goals, studying, exercising, spending time with friends, learning about topics that benefit you etc. The problem is there are plenty of negative dopamine pathways including eating high calorie foods, social media, WhatsApp messaging, playing computer games, searching the news, porn, drugs, gambling and much more. The problem with the latter is they are quick rewards for low effort, which means you are much less likely to do the positive activities which give you perhaps less rewards and require more effort. 

A secondary problem is that the more dopamine stimulation you have in your life, the more you will need as you become accustomed to the frequency. This usually results in a loss of mental focus, reduced confidence and a general reduction in your ability to focus on goals. This comes alongside an increase in the use of negative dopamine pathways which accelerates the cycle. 

In specific relation to your health & fitness the dopamine system has a huge impact. A big increase and reliance on eating highly palatable foods, particularly sugar or junk foods, will usually undermine your progress through increased energy intake. The general lack of goal focus someone who is overstimulated has will usually rip apart your health & fitness efforts. When you are used to getting easy dopamine from food or your phone, the slower rewards of exercise or sticking to a nutrition plan feel less appealing.

You cannot completely remove yourself from modern life. Phones, computers, and social contact are essential, so the answer is not to live like a monk. Instead, the goal is to stop the progressive creep of dopamine overstimulation. If you never hit reset, you can easily end up with lower drive and increased distractions. You should periodically pull back by removing or reducing certain dopamine spikes for a set period. This simple action can re-balance your system.

The win lies in doing short resets. These do not have to be extreme. Simply removing the worst dopamine stimulators for a period of time makes a big difference. This could be switching off notifications, limiting social media, following a pre-planned meal structure, or doing a partial digital detox. With food, removing the constant search and reward cycle can bring immediate peace and calm. Sticking to a pre-set meal and snack plan, even for a few days, bypasses the dopamine seeking behaviour and resets your system. This creates a noticeable feeling of calm and improved focus.

What Does This Mean For You – 

Dopamine resets, sometimes called dopamine detoxes, are one of the most effective tools you can use to improve your consistency and energy towards health goals. If you feel like you are easily distracted, unmotivated or chasing quick-fix behaviours, your dopamine system is probably overstimulated. You would therefore benefit greatly from a reset. 

I put a simple framework in my book and also have one for my clients to use in the member area exercises. You do not have to go to extremes. You can use a menu of small challenges such as temporarily removing certain apps, cutting back on sugar, reducing caffeine, or pre-planning your meals. Your aim is to do the task for a few days. The main benefit is you regain control and create more space for purposeful action. Most people report feeling clearer, calmer, and much more focused on their training and nutrition once they reset their dopamine behaviours.

If you have never tried a dopamine reset before, consider starting with some smaller tasks for a few days. If you are ready for a bigger challenge, try a partial or full detox. The most important thing is to start and experiment with what works best for you. You should be aware that most of us will need to return to this every few months to stay on top of the modern world. 

Photo – Me in Dubai last August where I didn’t check my phone for 5 days 🙂 & exercising this weekend for a Dopamine hit:

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