Don’t test your will power. You only have so much of it.
I was fortunate enough to get a wee break there the other week and we were on half board in Spain.
It is interesting to watch human behaviour around food in this situation.
Think about it – here is a time when your stress levels are pretty low (well mine were anyhow).
At a time when you can switch off and ditch some of the key decisions that you make about life on a daily basis, there were folks piling into food with abandonment.
On average for example we make around 300 decisions PER DAY surrounding food from what, when, how and where we cook.
There is no wonder therefore that it can become pretty tough at times to stick to a regime that requires MORE rules and decisions.
The more comprehensive the nutrition plan or diet book that you have plucked from the shelf, the more decisions you ultimately have to make!
It makes for a pretty rough ride with compliance rates very low.
So, as I watched folks move around the displays it became evident that when faced with unlimited foods on offer it is very hard to say ‘no’.
There were folks literally piling it up. Their will power had diminished.
‘Where’s the feckin famine?’ I thought.
There were other folks taking their time and having a few light courses and a few light treats.
The leaner you are the easier it is on a physiological basis. A wee hormone called leptin tends to tell you when you are full and had enough. In folks who are carrying extra pounds their fat cells will also be ‘leptin resistant’ whereby they basically don’t get the message that enough is enough.
They will continue to nibble and nibble and nibble until something ultimately distracts them. You are literally fighting against your hormones, which is like trying to discipline a toddler. Eventually they get the message.
It is tough saying enough. I have a sweet tooth, more than you can imagine and when your mum ran the school tuck shop my will power with boxes of crème eggs got severely tested and failed on numerous occasions.
So what do you do?
Don’t – test it.
Change your environment is the biggest step you can make. If you have a sweet tooth don’t deny it but don’t make it easy to access. Go and shop for it. Testing your will power by leaving it in the cupboard at home is a recipe for failure.
Your will power will be tested on numerous occasions like a) trying not to clubber your boss in the face b) wring your children’s necks c) being polite whilst on the phone to a bank agent or d) ignoring the guy who cut you up at that roundabout.
There is also a HUGE case for keeping the decision making process very simple.
Like, did you drink 2 litres of water today? Yes or no?
Or did you eat some vegetables with every meal today? Yes or no?
Or did you hit the hay by 10.30pm 5 out of 7 nights this week? Yes or no?
These are simple decisions but ones that are far more likely to set you up for success rather than failure.
Then there is the ole goal setting side of things. Why are you doing what you do? Sometimes dialling into this can really help ramp up your will power.
It is like a turbo on your will power levels.
Feeling down and just about to plough into that doughnut? Stop. Take a minute. You wont eat this because you are sick of feeling like a blob every time you meet your mates.
So I would have a look at your goals before trying to set your will power dial to ‘ON’.
So be careful how much will power you run on each day and work around it. You only have so much to play with.
John Lark is owner of Sphere Fitness. Check out the website at spherefitness.ie
