Willpower Doesn’t Exist
Jun 18, 2024 11:31 pm
Happy Tuesday, !
Most people who try to avoid starting a fitness program—or who start one and fall off the wagon—end up blaming themselves. “I didn’t have enough discipline.”
“I wasn’t feeling motivated enough.”
“I knew I didn’t have the willpower to stick with it.”
The truth is that succeeding with an exercise or nutrition program has little to do with discipline or motivation.
And when it comes to willpower, guess what? Willpower doesn’t exist.
Say, what?
Let me take one of these terms at a time and explain where most of us go wrong.
Discipline: Most people think they need the discipline to succeed with a fitness or nutrition program, which suggests that they need the ability to force themselves to do something they don’t want to do … in the face of numerous distractions to do things they do want to do, but aren’t supportive of their goals.
The discipline trap starts with a limiting belief. For example, “Every time I start an exercise program, I end up quitting.” Or, “Whenever I sign up for a gym membership, I go for a few weeks and then never come back.” If that’s what you’re expecting from the get-go, then no amount of discipline can keep things from spinning out of control! Instead of setting yourself up for failure and hoping you have enough “discipline” to succeed this time, try something different. Try changing your beliefs.
Motivation: It’s very common for people to think they’ve failed with a fitness or nutrition plan because they lacked “motivation.” But what does this really mean?
What they were really lacking was action. Motivation does not result in action; it’s the other way around. Putting simple actions first – committing to 2 strength workouts a week and drinking half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day, for example – will create momentum. And while it might feel like you’ve finally found the motivation to succeed, what you’ve really found is the actions that produce momentum.
Willpower: What you need to finally succeed with your health and fitness goals isn’t willpower. It’s the structure of a plan that makes sense, and you can actually follow, guidance from a caring coach who helps you overcome obstacles so you never get stuck, and the accountability that comes from having someone checking in with you regularly so you’ll be more likely to stay on track.
If you’ve fallen off track with your health and fitness goals, it’s not your fault. Stop relying on discipline and replace it with positive beliefs. Forget about motivation and choose action instead. And leave willpower in the rear-view mirror and replace it with structure, guidance, and accountability.
Make those changes and watch your results take off.
Committed to Your Success,
Coach Lu
Ludwight Rigueur, SMTh, SMTr, LMT, Qigong Instructor
Rigueur Soma Performance
w: https://rsomaperformance.com
Booking Page: shor.by/RSPbookPage