Need more willpower?

Exercising regularly, saying no to a choccy biccy or drinking soda water instead of wine on a night out…that takes a lot of willpower, right? WRONG! People often talk to me about not having any willpower and so they use this as an excuse for not reaching their health and fitness goals. But let me spin the idea of willpower on it’s head for a moment.

Willpower is overrated, and if you’ve got it then that’s great but I want to encourage you to think about habit forming instead. Once something becomes a habit (ie. it’s second nature), you don't need willpower, it’s just simply WHAT YOU DO. Think of it like brushing your teeth, it’s doesn't take you willpower to brush your teeth, it’s just a habit that you do everyday. And not a particularly exciting one either, but we do it nonetheless because we know it’s good for us so we should do it.

Habit forming is about identifying your bad habit. It might be eating cakes at work when someone brings them in to the office. Put yourself in that position right now and I bet you’re thinking ‘I haven't got the willpower to say no’. What if you created a new habit for every time you were faced with cake at work? It might be drinking a glass of water, going to see a colleague or taking a healthy snack out of your drawer instead. The more times you try this habit, the sooner it will become second nature and not willpower. We are creatures of habit, so give it a go!