I have a challenge for you…
As you know, to build a lean, strong, healthy body you have to consistently eat the right amounts of the right types of foods.
And as you know, equally important to building a lean, strong, healthy body is not eating (or drinking) the wrong amounts of the wrong types of foods.
(You also have to consistently do the right amounts of the right types of exercises.)
But as we have talked about many times in these newsletters, what the vast majority of us struggle with isn’t “what” we are supposed to eat, but how to actually do it.
Which brings me to my challenge.
Now the purpose of my challenge is to help you build willpower by using a controlled environment to replicate a particularly challenging situation you most likely face on a daily basis. And to give you an opportunity to “bank” a victory in these types of situations that you can come back to and draw upon when you are forced to handle one of these situations in real world conditions.
So, here is your challenge…
Think about your favorite type of indulgent treat.
It could be chocolate, cake, candy, soda, or wine. (Or another of the literally thousands of potential calorically dense nutritionally light foods and beverages that are the real cause of our weight gain and health decline.)
Just make sure it is something “unhealthy and / or indulgent” that you know you are going to have a hard time resisting.
Then, find someplace quite and private and take that food or drink and lay it out right in front of you.
Maybe pick it up and hold it in your hand as well.
Do whatever you need to do to trigger that back and forth situation in your head where one side of your brain is begging you to give in and have “just one bite,” but where your logical brain is screaming at you that you know shouldn’t have whatever it is that is in front of you.
Then, once you are in this back and forth and you can feel that tug of war between your emotional and logical sides, and you can feel how much you want to give in, close your eyes, start breathing deeply, and recognize that you have the power of choice in this situation.
Then, pick up whatever food or drink you have in front of you, find the nearest trash can, and just throw it out.
That’s it.
That’s the whole challenge.
Why Am I Doing This Again?
I know this may seem weird.Maybe it is.
But willpower is a developable skill.
And the only way to develop your willpower is to put yourself in situations that challenge it.
However, the key here is to put yourself in a situation that challenges your willpower just beyond its current level.
A level that is high enough that it genuinely challenges you and forces your willpower to grow, but not so difficult that it overwhelms your current abilities.
The second take away from all this is to “bank” a memory of a time when you were literally faced with a food or drink you didn’t think you could resist… and you resisted.
These types of memories and experiences are powerful.
They teach you, viscerally, that you have real tangible power over something that you thought you could not control.
And finally, accomplishing a challenge, especially one that is tied so directly to your ultimate goal of losing weight, staying lean, and being healthy, is simply going to feel great.
You’re going to carry this accomplishment with you for days.
But What If I Give In?
But what if you give in?What if you end up eating or drinking whatever you put in front of you?
Does that make you stupid, or weak, or a loser?
NO!
I can’t tell you how many challenges that at first overwhelmed me and I could not accomplish.
And I can’t tell you how many challenges I’ve set out to accomplish that have kicked my butt time and time again.
They key here is, if you can’t get through this, and you give in, come back and try it again.
And always remember these three key points.
First: Grit is one of the single most important characteristics needed to build a lean, strong, healthy body,
Second: Grit is a developable skill.
Third: What makes you a truly gritty person is not your ability to accomplish a task the first time you try. It’s your willingness to come back and attack that task again and again until you do accomplish it.
So Get To It!
You have your marching orders.Go find whatever paragon of unhealthy decliousness you love but know you shouldn’t have, put it in front of you, and get to fighting.
As I said, I know this sounds weird, and it is definitely “outside the box,” but often times we can find great value by going outside the box.
Finally, for more ideas like this, check out James Clear and to learn more about how to develop your willpower and grit and pick up Angela Duckworth’s best seller, “Grit.”
Zach
Founder & Director of Zach Moore Training.
And everyone, if you found today’s article insightful, inspiring or enlightening SUBSCRIBE and if you have a friend, family member, colleague or peer who you think would benefit from what we’ve talked about here today, pass this email on.
One of the best things you can do for those you care about is helping them to build a healthy and great looking body. A body that is strong, capable and moves without pain and a body in which they feel confident and happy.
