5 Ways to Boost Your Willpower

So maybe you polished off the donuts in the office break room this morning or maybe you slept in and missed your morning workout. Some might just blow it off and say "Oh I just dont have any will power, I'll start over on Monday". But is "willpower" something real inside of us or just an easy excuse to make us feel better when we've slipped up on our healthy choices? According to scientists and psychologists who specialize in this sort of thing, what we call “willpower” is actually just a combination of self-control and smart decision–making strategies.

This is a good thing!! It's good because it means you can hone in on your willpower like any other skill. And, just like your 21 Day Fix workouts or your PiYo workouts it gets easier the more you do it. Here are five easy ways to tap into your willpower!

1. Change what will power means to you.

Some feel that you are either born with it or you're not. That its just simply impossible for some to have any willpower or self control. But instead of thinking its something we were blessed with or not lets try to create a game plan for how we'll find it and use it! Let's look at different situations and try to set up a game plan for how we will conquer it!. For many people when they say "I cant go to the gym" or "I dont like veggies", " I dont like Greek yogurt" it really means they CHOOSE not to or maybe they havent tried it enough different ways to find one they like. Instead try looking up recipes on Pinterest for how to prepare veggies, try sitting down to evaluate how much TV you watch, video games you play or happy hours you attend. I'm pretty sure if you did a little rearranging of your schedule you'd find plenty of time to go to the gym! Believe in your willpower, find a few strategies that work for you to set yourself up for success, and voilá, you’ll have the willpower you need.

2. Set yourself up for success.

If you know certain foods are your trigger foods, the ones that will make you binge and eat the whole container, just dont buy them!! If you can resist buying chips at the grocery store, you only have to resist temptation once. If you buy the chips, you’ll have to resist temptation every single time you walk past your kitchen. Another great way to set yourself up for success is to buy healthy foods like fruits and veggies and prep them right when you get home. Wash, chop and bag them, but don't stop there. Dont stick them down in the bottom vegetable drawer. Keep them front and center so when you're feeling the urge to munch on something it will be right there when you open the doors!

3. Rest and De-stress

This may seem silly to some, like whats the big deal about getting 6-8 hours of sleep? Or how can my workplace stress possibly affect me at home. But the truth is it absolutely can!! When we're stressed we want comfort. We grab whatever whenever we can to make us feel better. This can easily derail our hard work and cause us to pack on some serious pounds over time. So take some time out of your day whether first thing in the morning or after you've had a chance to come home and change but sit in peace and quiet, do some stretching and meditating. Also get to bed at a reasonable hour. Staying up late watching tv causes us to gravitate to the kitchen and stare blankly in the pantry or fridge just looking for something to munch on. Head to bed early with a cup of tea and a good book. You'll thank yourself in the morning.

4. Keep an eye on your sugar intake.

So we all know when we are STARVING we are likely to grab the first thing we can get our hands on. But this is usually at a drive through window or candy bar at the check out isle. This is usually because we've waited too long to eat and our sugar levels have dropped and we need something NOW. So the trick is to not let that happen! Aim to eat small meals and snacked every 2-3 hours to improve your odds of resisting junk food or candy bars. 

It has been found that exercising self-control can actually lower your glucose levels. It’s possible that the more decisions you have to make, the more your glucose levels dip, and the harder it is to make a healthy choice the next time. In other words, resisting that donut on your commute to work might make it harder to walk past the candy dish in the office, or turn down greasy takeout at lunch. So rather than relying on sheer self-control, see if you can find ways to avoid tempting situations—for example, find a route to work that doesn’t pass your favorite bakery. That way, you’ll have plenty of willpower left for the temptations you can’t avoid.
 

5. Focus on tomorrow’s goal, not today’s mistakes.

When you're starting a new workout or healthy lifestyle change, it’s easy to obsess over the occasional slip-up—a high-calorie snack here, a skipped workout there—and lose sight of your long-term goal. But the ability to bounce back after a setback is more important than the ability to make perfect choices all the time.

So the next time you’re tempted to curse your lack of willpower, remember that self-control is a skill—and like any skill, you’ll screw up a few times while you’re learning it. What’s important is that you keep going. Determine your weak areas or obstacles and make a plan to overcome them. Put your plan into practice, evaluate it and adjust it if necessary. And expect to stray from the plan and know that you can keep moving forward. One bad day wont make you fat, just like one salad wont make you skinny. You need to find balance and know that you have the tools and support to get back on track the very next meal!

If you are looking for support and accountability on your own personal transformation I'd love to chat! Please shoot me a message on Facebook.

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