Your brain is hardwired for novelty
- Marcia Howard
- Aug 18, 2023
- 3 min read

Today I have one of my favourite assignments for you … it’s to set a goal bucket list!
Do you have a bucket list?
Not a forever bucket list, but one for the rest of this year.
Doing this will help you SKYROCKET your motivation...
Because your brain is hardwired to like new, fun, and different things.
When you try something new – or take up a new challenge – it fires up the “feel good” part of your brain.
This is a pretty nifty hack to keep your motivation levels high.
Here it is - factor “novelty” into your goal equation!
Doing this can keep you moving forward and excited about continuing with your goals and healthy habits.
Here are a few ideas of what I’m talking about:
Eat a plant-based diet for an entire week (or month!) - I promise your life will change.
Do a recipe challenge where you cook 2-3 new meals (from scratch) every week.
Learn to swim, golf, ski, bodyboard, or how to play tennis
Be able to hold a plank for 2 minutes
Challenge yourself to one week without any added sugar
Meditating every day for one month and journal your progress
Eat one raw food meal every day for a month
Set a daily activity goal for a week or month, and use your fitness tracker to chart your success
Take a cooking class
The list of ideas is endless!
The whole point is to try NEW, FUN things that support a healthy lifestyle.
Like being able to walk/run a 5K, which I guide you through in my latest free resource, the 8-Week Get Moving Walking Plan, which you can get here: LINK HERE
This is just one thing we work on with our clients – helping them create meaningful goals … and having fun making them a reality!
Here is your first assignment - a recipe for you to try.
Marinated Peanut Sauce Chicken Skewers

Serves 8 -
What you need to do
½ cup (130g) natural peanut
butter, creamy
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. tamari
2 tbsp. sesame oil toasted
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
4 green onions, minced,
divided
4 tbsp. cilantro, minced
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
3 lbs. (1.3kg) boneless skinless
chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch
pieces
½ cup (75g) chopped peanuts,
to serve
red pepper flakes, to garnish
12 metal skewers (or bamboo
skewers, soaked in water for
minimum 30 minutes)
1 cucumber, peeled & sliced
Method
In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, garlic, tamari, sesame oil,
white wine vinegar, half of the green onions, cilantro, ground ginger
and salt.
Add the chopped chicken to the peanut sauce, toss until evenly
coated. If you have time, allow it to marinate for at least 1 hour or
overnight.
When ready to cook, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a wire
rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and spray it with a little oil.
Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers, lay it onto the wire rack
and place into the hot oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until the
chicken has cooked through.
Serve with sliced cucumber, garnished with chopped peanuts and
red pepper flakes.
If you enjoyed this recipe and would like to have more like this? Sign-up for my mailing list and I would be happy to share my 15 Sexy Recipes For A Sexy Body.
Sign-up HERE
Committed to your success,
Marcia Howard
www.mybloatedbelly.com
PS: Heads up – I am opening up 2 spots in our newest transformation program. If you’re ready for actual results and want to know how we can help you, let’s talk. Schedule a call here: LINK HERE
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