Mental Traps, Andre Kukla’s book on unproductive thinking skills, describes 11 forms of thinking that produce nothing of value, but sap our energy and waste time. It’s not the content of the thoughts, but the way we think about the content that makes a mental trap.

Mental traps tend to stay around because people may be unaware of their thoughts, do not see their thinking as unproductive, or from force of habit. However, once a mental trap is recognized as such, it can be eliminated like any other bad habit. The outcome is generally less stress and more energy.

The first mental trap Kukla addresses is persistence, which he defines as continuing to work on projects or be in situations that no longer have value for us. Persistence differs from perseverance where we pursue our aims despite obstacles. To persist is to stubbornly continue without enjoyment in a task or situation simply because we started it. Situations where we may persist range from boring television shows to daily routines, jobs, and relationships.

Why do we persist? Sometimes because we feel that stopping will waste the time that we have already put into an activity. But that time is irretrievable while the time we will save by stopping could be put to something more rewarding. Often though we persist because we fail to re-evaluate our goals or because we think that the alternative is even worse. We think that leaving a relationship will lead to being alone for life, or leaving a job will result in penury. Once we buy into our rationalizations we are tied into perpetual persistence, but being aware of the dilemma can lead to breaking free from inertia and making a change.

Persisting in things we are not doing is more difficult to recognize and to change. How long will we persist in not eating olives, which we once tried and disliked, or in not going skiing because we fell down so often on our first lesson? Doing an activity tells us whether it still has value for us, but when we refrain from doing something we cannot tell if the value has changed. Kukla suggests that we never give up on anything forever. Our likes and dislikes, courage and abilities can change over time, and we may be surprised to find value in something that once held no value for us.

To learn about the other mental traps read Mental Traps: Stupid Things That Sane People Do To Mess Up Their Minds or keep checking back here as the other traps will be covered over time.

This is the final post in this six-part series on foods that burn fat. When eating for healthy weight loss, herbs and spices are likely the   last food you think of. But many herbs and spices have similar fat burning effects to other foods – they may act as a diuretic, stabilize the blood-sugar or energize, detoxify, or heat-up the body. Herbs and spices also have other advantages for use in weight loss – they are low in calories, high in nutrients, easy to store and relatively inexpensive.

When choosing herbs or spices for healthy weight loss, stick to the ones you normally keep in your kitchen for cooking. There are some herbs, such as ephedra, which although good fat burners have dangerous, sometimes fatal, side effects. With so many safe weight loss herbs and spices and other foods you can eat to lose weight, it is not worth risking your life or health by taking ephedra. You may want a body that’s drop dead gorgeous, but don’t you be the one that drops dead.

Unless otherwise noted, the weight loss herbs and spices below should be used liberally every other day.

Cayenne pepper stimulates the metabolism by about 20 percent, and may cause intense sweating.  Besides being a weight loss herb it also has a high content of vitamins, especially vitamin E.  Use it in moderation

Cinnamon causes weight loss by heating up the body and stabilizing blood sugar by making cells more responsive to insulin.  It also prevents unwanted blood clotting, and stops Candida.  Use a half to one teaspoon of cinnamon every other day.

Cloves are one of the thermogenic weight loss herbs and spices, blasting up  the metabolic furnace and stimulating digestion.  Use sparingly as they are strong tasting.

Use an eighth to a quarter of a teaspoon of cloves three times a week.

Cumin is a popular spice around the world.  The seeds are high in potassium, protein, iron and thiamine, and are potent antioxidants that enhance cumin’s ability to detoxify the liver and stimulate weight loss.

Mustard is a useful thermogenic weight loss herb that boosts the metabolic rate by almost 25 percent. High in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, mustard is best bought as a powder. Prepared mustard is three times less effective than the powder as a weight loss agent.

Garlic both energizes and detoxifies the body and stabilizes blood sugar.  It is a powerful cholesterol zapper, and contains more than 100 biologically useful chemicals including trace minerals, vitamins, amino acids and fibre.  It is an excellent weight loss herb, and also fights cancer and heart disease, lowers blood pressure and acts as an antibiotic and anti-fungal.

Eat two to six garlic cloves every other day. If you have a bleeding disorder or take anticoagulant medicine, check with your doctor before taking garlic.

When eating for healthy weight loss, using  foods that burn fat will help you reach your goal  faster.  Herbs and spices are fat burning foods that add zing to your diet and have other health benefits besides promoting weight loss.

photo credits: spices by exfoody; cloves by elenadan