Stop relying on willpower
YOU probably already know what you ‘should’ be doing to be healthy. More vegetables and less takeaway, right?
But when life gets busy, it can be really hard to stay on track.
Perhaps you’ve even told yourself, “If I just had better willpower, I’d get healthy and lose weight”. If so, it’s time for a reality check.
You do not need better willpower to get healthy. Relying on willpower to be healthy is like relying on your cat to wake you for an important meeting – it may happen but it’s very unlikely ... and there are much better solutions.
You see: willpower is completely unreliable. It’s like that friend who constantly cancels plans on you at the very last minute – and is too busy flirting with the bar staff when you really need a wingwoman.
Willpower is good for some tasks like getting through a boring presentation or smiling when your mother-in-law suggests you don’t clean your house often enough, but it doesn’t help you stay healthy.
If you want health that lasts longer than a manicure, you need to get back to basics and make health more enjoyable.
Instead of relying on willpower, I teach my clients to always stick within the ‘Enjoyment Zone’.
It’s simple. Instead of doing things that feel like a chore, invest your energy into healthy habits that you enjoy. If it’s not enjoyable or easy enough, it’s probably not sustainable either.
And please know that it’s perfectly fine to compromise intensity to get more consistency.
After all, 20 minutes of exercise you enjoy is better than an hour at the gym that never gets done.
When it comes to health, done is always better than perfect.
Next time you’re struggling to stick to a health habit, ask yourself: How can I make this more enjoyable? Am I sticking within the Enjoyment Zone or do I need to pull back so it’s fun again?
If sad salads don’t spark joy, add more pleasurable ingredients – feta, salad dressing and carbs – so it’s something you actually want to eat.
I recommend you spend far less time worrying about the amount of sugar in your salad dressing and far more time thinking of ways to make life easier and health more enjoyable.
In the Enjoyment Zone, health becomes doable and it’s far easier to stay consistent – without effort.