Health, Healthcare, Men's Health, Women's Health
So you’re trying to eat healthily and exercise. You want to lose a few pounds, tone up, have more energy and feel better about yourself. And this time it will be different…. if only you can maintain enough willpower to stick with it. Sound familiar? And then your willpower wanes and you start beating yourself up for being weak and giving in to temptation and then give up…. again. Does this also sound familiar?
We tend to think that willpower is like a muscle which needs to be worked, strengthened, and constantly flexed. But it’s much more helpful to think of it as a state of mind which is constantly changing as a result of your physical and emotional environments. Concentrate on changing some of the environmental factors rather than on flexing a mental muscle which doesn’t really exist and you’ll make things easier for yourself:
1. If you’re not being tempted, then you don’t need willpower. So consider how you can remove temptation from your environment. If you don’t want to find yourself eating crisps out of boredom in front of the TV in the evening, don’t have crisps in the house. If you’re tempted by the bread basket when you’re eating out, ask your friends to put it at the other end of the table, out of your reach. If your friends don’t want the temptation either, ask the server to take it away. What’s your own personal temptation and what can you do to remove it from view or place it further out of reach?
2. Be aware that many salty and sugary foods are purposely formulated to be moreish. You’re meant to find them so irresistible that you can’t stop eating them – the problem isn’t you, it’s the food. So ditch the guilt, but ditch these foods too. Know that you are never going to be able to flex that imaginary mental muscle enough to eat them in moderation, so keep them for a very occasional treat.
3. If you do eat a sugary or high carbohydrate snack or meal (and that includes many low calorie, low fat foods), don’t be surprised if shortly after you’ve eaten it your energy levels slump and your mind turns to food again – the food you just ate will have given you a blood sugar spike followed by a blood sugar low, which then causes cravings. Those cravings aren’t a lack of mental muscle but a physical condition. So try to avoid meals and snacks which are mainly carbohydrate and choose meals which have a good proportion of protein and good fats; these will give you a more prolonged, steady supply of energy and most importantly no extreme blood sugar peaks and troughs, so you won’t be craving more one hour later.
4. Fully commit to your plans. Take note of the language you’re using – when you say “I’m going to try to go to the gym three times this week” you’ve already given yourself a get-out clause by using the word “try”. Commit to your plans by removing that word, and then tell others what you intend to do. It’s always easier to let yourself down than it is to let others down, so make a commitment to go running or do a dance class with a friend who will expect you to show up. Be that person who follows through and does what they say they are going to do!
5. Speaking of friends, endeavour to surround yourself with supportive and positive people. If your friends are constantly trying to tempt you to eat what they know you don’t want to eat, and try to persuade you to go to the pub rather than the gym, then you’re going to struggle. Similarly if your partner is constantly ordering takeaways and inviting you to share. Ask for support from your friends, partner and family and they should be happy to give it.
6. Understand that healthy living does not have to be 100% perfect. Aim for 80-90% healthy, and don’t beat yourself up for having an occasional treat. Being kinder to yourself in this way will have a positive effect on your long term results. Accept that it’s OK to have an occasional treat and you’ll be less likely to throw in the towel after a moment of indulgence, because you won’t have broken any self-imposed and overly-restrictive rules.
Next time you find yourself feeling guilty about having no willpower, give yourself a break! Willpower isn’t quite what it seems. Make some changes to your environment, get support from your friends and family and allow yourself to enjoy an occasional treat. You should find that healthy eating regime much easier to stick to!
Joanne Henson is a health and weight-loss coach, specialising in helping people with a history of failed diets and fitness regimes to change their relationship with food and exercise for good. From unhealthy beginnings she overcame her own obstacles and now motivates and inspires others to become the healthier, leaner, happier people they’ve always wanted to be.
Joanne is the author of ‘What’s Your Excuse For Not Eating Healthily?’* and ‘What’s Your Excuse For Not Getting Fit?’* Both are available on Amazon in Paperback and Kindle format.
Joanne Henson Follow Joanne on Twitter: @Joannemh and @whats_yr_excuse
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