FINDING YOUR REASON STAY ON TARGET
Willpower isn’t simply psychological: raise your resolve with our physical hacks
Before he became the only Nikesponsored Ironman triathlete, John Mcavoy was serving time for conspiracy to commit robbery and possession of firearms. As a chubby child, he hated PE. His role models were notorious criminals who got their kicks from cars, watches and partying. This attitude took its toll, leaving Mcavoy “grossly unfit and overweight”.
In prison, however, Mcavoy spent his time doing press-ups, squats and burpees. He started knocking out 1,000 reps of each, not realising that this might be considered excessive. “People limit themselves,” shrugs Mcavoy. A couple of years after his release, he was back inside for plotting to rob a security van. But when a friend was killed while committing a robbery, he had a moment of clarity. “I thought, ‘What have I done with my life?’”
One day, Mcavoy noted that a certain inmate was allowed more than the allowance of three sessions in the gym per week and learned that he was rowing a million metres to raise money for charity. Mcavoy asked if he could do the same. “It was very rhythmic, very relaxing,” he says. He racked up the million metres in a month, so he asked if he could do two million, then three. While he was working his way to five million, a prison officer approached him with a list of indoor rowing records. Mcavoy broke the British record for the marathon, then the world records for 24 hours and 100km. Mcavoy puts some of his capacity for endurance down to prison warping his sense of time.
But now, he is fuelled by remembering the sacrifices he has made: all the hard training and missed social engagements. He sees working out as a privilege: “One day, I won’t be able to do it. There are people with no legs, no arms, dying on hospital beds. Feel alive, challenge yourself.” When not racing or training, he tells his story to children in schools and young offenders’ institutions. “I was an overweight kid in prison, and now I’m the only Nikesponsored Ironman,” he says. “If I’ve done that, anyone can do anything.” Turn In Early Sleep loss inhibits activity in the prefrontal cortex and limits your brain’s ability to absorb glucose, making you more impulsive. One study compared its effects to that of being mildly drunk.
Cool Down In a Journal of Consumer Research study, subjects experiencing “heated” emotions – anger, embarrassment – felt calmer after grasping a cold glass. Scientists also posit the strategy could put the brakes on rash decisions.
Feed Your Head A second croissant might not abet your weight-loss efforts, but neither will allowing your blood sugar to plummet. According to Florida State University, lapses in self-control are more likely when your brain is low on glucose.
“One day, I won’t be able to train. There are people with no legs, no arms, dying on hospital beds – so feel alive, challenge yourself”