Developing Your Will Power

“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”- Yogi Berra

Someone just asked me “What percentage of getting in shape is nutrition and what percentage is the workout?”

I don’t like percentages. It’s like asking which is more important to a car- the engine or the tires? They both are important.

But, without gasoline, neither the engine nor tires are worth anything at all. I think the mental approach to fitness is like the gasoline. In particular, the will to act and improve! Willpower. It is what fuels the whole process. I have worked with many people who have made amazing progress. The people who were the most successful were the ones who were prepared to approach fitness aggressively.

Everyone knows cookies and pizza are bad for them. They know exercise is the right thing to do. They are not stupid! They haven’t been living in a cave their whole lives.

The problem lies in that they are just unable to act. They are unable to apply what they know and that begins within the mind. For a trainer to tell a member “Don’t eat cookies anymore and do this workout,” is ridiculous. It’s like telling a heroin addict not to buy heroine and take up knitting.

Achieving results is more than nutrition and exercise. It is psychological. If this isn’t dealt with on some level, then the fitness journey will be a short one. To make the permanent change, you gotta dig deeper and start challenging your willpower.

We ALL have will power. We just have to exercise it. Our muscles don’t get stronger overnight from exercise. Well, we must also exercise our willpower on a regular basis in order for it to strengthen.

Each workout you don’t skip is a positive step towards strengthening your mind. Each workout is one step closer to creating a new habit and a new you, mentally and physically.

Every time you find yourself wanting to buy a chocolate bar, turn it into a competition within your mind. It’s not about the chocolate bar. It’s a Willpower Challenge! Your inner self is challenging you. If you put the chocolate bar down before getting in line at the grocery store, your willpower has become that much stronger! The more times you win the challenge, the more powerful your mind will become!
It isn’t easy in the beginning. But lasting change will come from sticking with it. You can do it!