Hey all! So, I have had this shocking and engaging device known as the Pavlok
( I am not paid by Pavlok
June 24, 2015
Pavlok Video Diary #3
It has been four weeks since I first started using the Pavlok
. Within the first 3 or 4 days, I stopped biting my nails. Now that my nails are getting long, I have the occasional tendency to want to bite them but knowing I have the Pavlok
Two weeks ago I had a habit coaching call with Jason from Pavlok
to help me through the habit breaking process and his focus was very positive. He would ask me thought provoking questions focusing on the bigger picture regarding how changing habits positively changes your life. We also discussed being in the present when in the midst of doing your bad habit as the shocking wristband really brings awareness to your actions so you can consciously stop it.
The shock you administer is a negative consequence to your actions but, Jason reminded me that there needs to be positive rewards when having met your goal. Being that I stopped biting my nails (for which they are making it a tad difficult to type right now due to their length), I needed a reward. My rewards were a verbal high five and a manicure. Over the last 25 years of biting my nails, I have gotten maybe 2-3 manicures which were pointless because I would chew on my nails chipping the nail polish. But not this time! I got a manicure and my nails looked fabulous for a week!
While maintaining my non-nail biting status, I also discussed with Jason my ketogenic diet and using the Pavlok to help me stick to it. A ketogenic diet is a high fat, moderate protein, low to zero carb diet. This diet is the only diet I can do where I don’t feel hungry, I don’t have cravings and I can maintain my weight and be a happy girl. BUT, when I am making my kids lunches and the cheesy crusts I cut off my kiddos’ grilled cheese is calling my name, I just have to take a bite or two or three. OR, when I am making cakes (which I don’t really do much anymore just for this reason), a yummy bowl of peanut butter buttercream will be taunting me with its luscious smell and I will eat 3 cups of it.
Well, last week I had to make a few big cakes in which one of them required peanut butter buttercream. DRATS. I did still have a few bits of the frosting but it stopped there as I shocked myself for every bite and this kept me from eating more than a few tablespoons avoiding the “eat 3+ cups of frosting” scenario. I would call that progress, especially in the beginning!
The only issue I am running into is the fact that when fighting your bodies primal survival mechanisms to eat sugar sitting in front of your face I am finding the shock needs to be stronger. I cannot adjust the severity of the shock because I don’t have an iphone to download the app to control it.
Think of the dog running through the invisible shocking fence to get to freedom enduring the few seconds of shocking because its so worth it to be free! Its like that with my frosting dilemma. I will endure a couple shocks to get a couple bites of frosting. But, it still kept me from downing the whole bowl! I would call that success.
So far this Pavlok has helped me make positive changes. Think of the implications this would have in the fitness realm, giving you a tool to hold you accountable….
May 30, 2015
Pavlok Video Diary #2 (48 hours)
As humans, we are creatures of habit. Habits are things we do as part of our routine and they get us through our day. When we do something over and over again, it can be done effortlessly without really being engaged. Like making dinner in your kitchen everyday. You can do this easily because you know where everything is, you do it daily and you don’t have to be mindfully engaged to perform many actions. Now, make dinner at a friends house and see how effortlessly you can make that happen…. not. You don’t know where things are causing you to have to engage your brain to really think about what you are doing.
We have many daily habits but, some are good and some are bad. Breaking a bad habit or trying to start a good one takes time and effort.
Let’s detour to health and fitness…. once you are in the habit to fit in your exercise or make healthy food choices, its easy to fit them in. But getting there can be tough. By nature, our primal instincts want us to conserve energy and seek out high energy food sources. Pair that with modern conveniences and we have a recipe that can derail our health goals.
marywalker.org
You can do anything you really put your mind to, but you have to choose to do it. Some of us… I mean, most of us need a swift kick to get started.
What’s my swift kick… this Pavlok. I am trying out this Pavlok wristband to see if it can help me to stop biting my nails. A habit I have done since 5th grade! (so, 25 years? shut up!).
You can see my Pavlok Video Diary #1 which is far more exciting than #2. Really its totally boring. I have been wearing the Pavlok for 48 hours with a lot of success. I know I bite my nails when I am stressed or really thinking hard about something, studying, reading etc. In this video I recorded myself working on the computer (a time when nail biting is more frequent for me) but I didn’t bite them once! -(don’t worry, I increased the speed 1000x) . I wanted to bite my nails but I have become so aware of it that I can stop myself… aside from the fact that I don’t want to get shocked either.
I haven’t been reluctant to shock myself when needed. If I bite my nails, I hit the button. It doesn’t hurt, its just uncomfortable.
May 28, 2015
1 Sure Fire Way To Stop Bad Habits! It Will Shock You!
It’s widely known that 20-30 days time is required to break a habit with consistency and what feels like hard work. But according to Maneesh, the CEO of Pavlok, the habit breaking process can be accelerated and have higher success rates! The Pavlok site states that 45% of people succeed in breaking their habit on day 1 and nearly everyone changes their habit by day 4 with this type of aversion therapy.
I personally have been trying to stop my mild nail biting habit for years, and years, and years… I might not do it for a few weeks at most when I really think about it but then I start right back up again chewing away. And most of the time, I do it without thinking because that’s what habits are, they are rituals you do daily without thinking about them.
As a beta tester, I just got my production prototype Pavlok wristband in the mail about a week ago (which I should have gotten months earlier but that is neither here nor there). And, it sat on my counter for the week. I opened the box to check it out but didn’t read any of the info, I didn’t take the wristband out… nothing. Why did I not eagerly go through the pamphlets, charge that bad boy up and don the Pavlok? Well, I wasn’t too excited about the idea of being shocked nor was I excited about the idea of stopping my bad habits… it takes work to do that. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy a challenge but I can be known to procrastinate (also a habit this shocking wristband can help me with).
Check out me shocking myself for the first time and then convincing my husband to do the same:
What is the Pavlok?
According to the the company, “Pavlok is a one button shock system that makes habit change inevitable.” Its a wearable device that can vibrate, beep, shock and flash LED’s. The Pavlok can be self administered by hitting the button on the wristband or by hitting the go button from the app on your iphone. The app also gives you or your friend the ability to adjust the level of voltage delivered.
The science behind the Pavlok
The Pavlok system is said to be based on aversion therapy. Therapies which stem from the research of behavioral researchers like Pavlov and Skinner. Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist discovered the “conditioned reflex” in 1901. Pavlov did experiments on his dogs by adding a stimulus (bell) to an existing behavior (salivating to food). His result was getting his dogs to salivate to a bell alone without the presence of food – a stimulus affects a behavior. B.F. Skinners operant conditioning experiments also apply here where he used rats to negatively or positively reward them to influence their behaviors.
Essentially, Pavlok is based on aversion science and reinforcement conditioning in hopes of getting your subconscious to associate those habits with the “pain” sensation of a shock, or a vibrate or beep and even financial rewards or consequences.
Maneesh explains your brain in several parts: 1) the human brain (neocortex- will power, cognition, thoughts, language etc), 2) limbic system (emotions), and 3) the reptile brain. The reptile brains’ focuses are the fundamental needs like survival, physical maintenance, hoarding, dominance, preening and mating. It also controls automatic functions like breathing and heart rate. This powerful part of your brain understands pain and pleasure and this is where the rituals of your habits have to be reconditioned. If your reptile brain associates pain with a behavior or ritual, it will avert you from that behavior or ritual over a period of time. This is probably why I have a serious aversion to tequila after having a little too much fun in college resulting in a very negative ending ;).
The following is a pretty interesting podcast on the experiments Maneesh had done on himself and what brought about the idea of the Pavlok.
What do you get?
The Pavlok comes with the wristband, a USB cord, evidence booklet, an instructions booklet, two stickers and a quick start guide. And of course the app you can download to your iphone to remotely control the features on the wristband.
How it all works
- Get a pavlok
- Choose the habit you want to break
- Start the self shock program
Every time you are doing a behavior you shouldn’t be such as nail biting, you or a friend can hit the button on the wristband or from the app on your iphone. The wristband administers a safe shock that is adjustable to your comfort level from a pinprick to strong as hell.
Sounds a bit strange right? So far, I have had to hit my lightning bolt button for nail biting 6 times today. I tend to bite my nails when I am working on my computer or driving. My husband caught me doing it the first time and hit the button. The next day, I caught myself nail biting and hit the button with no problem. Its not painful, its just uncomfortable. I did somehow manage to shock myself accidentally 2x while I was talking with my hands and resting one over the other here and there…. maybe this will keep me from waving my hands around like a lunatic when I am talking (I can’t help it, its in my Italian heritage, right along with talking obnoxiously loud!)
There you have it.
What is the 1 sure fire way to stop a bad habit?
Get a Pavlok!
*I am not sponsored or paid by the Pavlok company to endorse their products.
Get Fit. Go Figure!’s Featured Woman:
Top Posts & Pages
