Weight loss, willpower and jump-starting your workouts
What does it take to make meaningful, lasting lifestyle changes? Some may argue it takes a fair amount of willpower to develop new habits, but a person can’t rely on willpower alone.
In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Donald Hensrud, a Mayo Clinic physician specializing in nutrition and editor of “The Mayo Clinic Diet,” offers strategies that can help people achieve their weight-loss goals.
WHAT IS WILLPOWER?
Merriam-Webster defines willpower as the ability to control one’s own actions, emotions or urges.
When it comes to pushing away the potato chips and picking up the walking pace, it’s easier said than done. Hensrud often
hears from patients that they don’t have the willpower to undertake weight management.
“I think everybody has
willpower. It’s not a matter of willpower, there are powerful forces causing us to eat more and to do less activity,” says Hensrud.
It’s a matter of coming up with strategies to deal with the challenges.
“… and these strategies need to be practical, realistic and enjoyable enough to be sustainable. We can’t just not eat. We have to eat. Nobody has perfect habits,” says Hensrud.
He says coming up with strategies to eat healthy, low-calorie, nutrientdense foods can be a way to game the system, and not just rely on willpower.
“That usually doesn’t work in the long term,” he says. “It’s a matter of changing habits and coming up with new lifestyle changes that will fit the bill and help us manage our weight as we move along.”
Hensrud says it’s important to be kind to yourself, too, and to ask yourself if you are ready for the challenge.
JUMP-START YOUR WORKOUT
Many people promise to exercise more in the new year, but jump-starting your workout routine can be challenging if you’ve been sitting on the couch for a while. It can seem like a daunting task.
Dr. Nathan LeBrasseur, director of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging at Mayo Clinic, says it’s never too late to get moving, even if you’re an older adult.
Starting a workout program or being physically active takes motivation and commitment. The key is to start slowly and do something you take pleasure in.
“If you hate swimming, don’t try to start to become a swimmer. But (if) you enjoy dancing or other activities (such as) gardening, those are forms of activity that once you engage in, you increase your consistency and compliance that will have the most health benefits,” says LeBrasseur.
Being active can build muscle strength and improve cognitive and cardiovascular health.
“Three percent or 30 minutes a day of our waking hours, if we commit that to physical activity, will have huge benefits,” says LeBrasseur.
And for those young at heart, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.
“As we get older, dedicating time, purposeful time, to getting some form of aerobic exercise or endurance exercise, like walking or cycling or swimming, and also getting some form of strength training is critically important,” says LeBrasseur.