Boosting Your Willpower for Staying Fit

Rebecca Lewis May 16, 2014

Ever wish you could choose apple over a big slice of pizza or a green tea smoothie over a large cup of ice cream? Willpower – we all wish we could have a little more of it, especially when it comes to sticking to a healthy diet.

For decades, scientists have tried to investigate the mystery of willpower. And some interesting findings have been revealed. One is that willpower is a limited resource. Scientists say willpower works more like a muscle. When overused, it will quit working. They call it “willpower depletion”. Recent scientific findings suggest that the muscle-willpower analogy may have a physiological common thread. How? Basically, muscles use glucose for energy and so do our brains. Because of this, more and more scientists are coming into the belief that as people deplete their willpower, they may also be depleting their glucose levels. Some experts say that hard-working brain cells may be using up glucose faster than it can be replenished when exercising self-control.

But not all researchers share the same notion. Some believe that willpower is all in the mind. For example, researchers at the University of Albany found that people in a good mood were able to overcome some of the willpower depletion that normally happens after exerting self-control. Furthermore, Dr Veronika Job and her colleagues at Stanford University recently found that people who actually believed that willpower was a limited resource did experience willpower depletion when tested. Meanwhile, those who believed that willpower was not easily exhausted did not show signs of depletion after exercising self-control.

Whilst more research is needed to fully understand the real mechanism behind willpower, the following tips may actually boost our willpower particularly when it comes to staying fit and healthy.

1) Conserve it. If willpower is a finite resource, then you want to use it wisely and efficiently. Don’t dwell into situations that require lots of self-discipline all at once. For example, if you have just started a tough workout plan; don’t get into a restrictive diet at the same. Allow yourself to progress slowly, but surely.

2) Train it. Whilst muscles can get exhausted when they are overused, they can also get stronger and more resilient the more you utilise and exercise them. Keeping the muscle-willpower analogy in mind, is it not possible to actually train your willpower the same way? A great way to strengthen your willpower is to adopt new habits slowly yet consistently. For instance, if you’re trying to make a diet overhaul, start by replacing refined grains with whole grains (such as brown rice for white rice). Then after a week, go ahead with limiting your food consumption. If you’re trying to incorporate exercise, opt for moderate exercises then gradually increase your phase and duration.

3) Keep your blood sugar regulated. This could mean eating smaller meals frequently. When you are properly satiated with the right foods (nutrient-dense, low-calorie meals), your energy levels will remain stable. And this positively affects your mood, behaviour and decision-making skills.

4) Visualise. If you can’t find the motivation to go to the gym or start a workout session, remind yourself of how good you feel after several minutes of exercise. If you’re being tempted to eat pizza rather than a healthier snack, remind yourself of how good and refreshing it is to eat fresh produce than to eat calorie-dense, nutrient-empty ones.

5) Meditate. According to Dr Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist at Stanford University, a few minutes of meditation each day can actually boost willpower by developing the areas of your brain that regulate emotions and affect decision making.

Would you like to share more tips to boosting willpower? Feel free to post a comment below.