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A willpower muscle? Chances are, you’ve never heard of willpower described that way before. True enough, willpower isn’t a muscle per se, but rather a function of the brain that can be exercised to become stronger, much in the same way your muscles become stronger from exercise.
Willpower, i.e., self-control, is a function of the brain? It sure is. Most of us think of willpower as something intangible so it’s hard to wrap our minds around how to change it. Most people are under the belief that some people naturally have more willpower while others have less and that it’s impossible for someone with low motivation to become someone with high motivation. Not so!
Here’s how it works. The center for self-control (willpower) is located in the pre-frontal cortex of your brain. The ability for self-control is divided into three parts:
- ‘I want’
- ‘I will’
- ‘I won’t’
The ‘I want’ is essential to driving your actions, specifically in regard to those behaviors that you ‘will’ or ‘won’t’ engage in that will help you get to your goals. Most people trying to lose weight have some very strong ‘wants’ that help them in the short-term, but falter in maintaining weight loss because they never re-evaluate what they want in the present moment.
Example: Francis is overweight, has high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Her Dr. advised her to lose 25 pounds to decrease her health risk. Francis meet with a registered dietician (RD) for nutritional guidance and a personal trainer to get her started on an exercise regime.
Francis’ initial ‘wants’ included:
- Lose 25 pounds
- Improve cholesterol levels
- Decrease blood pressure to normal
Francis then defined her ‘I will’ and ‘I won’t’ behaviors as they relate to her ‘wants’.
I will …
– engage in cardiovascular exercise for 60 minutes, in my target heart rate, 6 days/week
– remain within the calorie range and food plan prescribed by the RD
– log my food and exercise in my MyFitness Pal
I won’t…
– go off meal plan
– skip daily exercise
– put myself in ‘at risk’ situations like going out to eat with people who overeat and/or don’t support me
Francis exercised her motivation muscle by writing down her ‘wants,’ ‘will,’ and ‘won’ts’ and repeating them several times a day until they became well-ingrained. As a result of her efforts, she was able to achieve her goals with more ease than she expected. She lost all the weight and a bit more, and her cholesterol and blood pressure moved into desirable ranges! But within a month, she began to drift back into old behaviors and started regaining weight. Why? She no longer was as motivated because her ‘wants’ had all been met. She forgot to re-evaluate her ‘wants’ once her previous goals had been met.
Fortunately, Francis met with her RD who helped her get back on track. Francis used the same motivation formula as before, but replaced her ‘wants’ with new short-term and long-term goals. Francis felt so great after losing weight and getting in shape, that she decided to train for a 5-K being held 3 months later as a new short-term goal. She also began creating long-term goals which included visualizing her future self as a vibrant, healthy, happy woman 20 years down the road, being active, enjoying her grandchildren, attending all their milestone events and being more fully engaged in life. Francis continues to check-in with her wants & goals every few months to make sure she is addressing her own motivational hot buttons that will help her maintain her weight loss.
What do YOU want? Start thinking about the things you want, both long and short-term, that relate to your health. These things must be powerful and you must write them down and rehearse them in your mind everyday to gain willpower strength. The goal is to value your healthy ‘wants’ MORE than your desire to engage in behaviors that keep you from getting those wants met.
I highly recommend purchasing ‘The Willpower Instinct’ by Kelly McGonigal. It’s life-changing. It’s the missing link for many of those in the weight loss/maintenance journey.
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