The topic for this article was suggested by Christine C, who asked for tips on maintaining willpower in the face of tasty snacks. Thanks Christine! Here we go…

There is this thing that Matt Inman from The Oatmeal calls the blerch. You’re probably familiar with it. It’s that thing that tells you to stay in bed instead of going out for a jog, or to take just another cookie from that packet on your desk. That’s when you need to tap into your reserve of willpower and make yourself choose the option which doesn’t give you immediate gratification.

The problem with willpower is that it is a very finite resource indeed. If you want consistency, you cannot assume it will always be available. Even the most resolute iron willed people can cave in if they are constantly tested. It is almost inescapable, and you really don’t need the worry of dealing with this on top of your daily dose of stress. Every difficult choice you have to make during your day will sap some willpower. Fortunately, this is one of those cases where it is acceptable to cheat mercilessly and stack the deck in your favour.

In taoism, there is a concept that rather than striving for an objective, you should set up circumstances which make that objective occur. Rather than trying to win, become the kind of person who wins, so to speak (our friends at SCMS have a brilliant article on this topic). Remember how we said that every choice you have to make saps some willpower? One way of limiting the drain is limiting the number of choices we need to make.

Let’s try and take a leaf out of that particular book. Want to cut down on snacks or soft drinks? Don’t keep any in the house. Want to exercise more? Make sure your equipment is always ready to go, or if you’re into body weight training, make sure your exercise space is always clear. If you’re into schedules, set aside a time of your day to train.

If you’re trying to change things around, think big but work in small steps. Remember: limited willpower. If you make sweeping changes, you will need time to adjust, during which you may be rather miserable. Being upset is very likely to draw you back into your old, comfortable behaviour. Avoid that by making small changes. This works like any other skill in your life. You cannot go from ‘person who doesn’t know what a guitar looks like’ to ‘epic rock legend’ in a week, so why would you try and do that with your life?

If it is of any encouragement, it does get easier as you go along. Just sticking to something long enough to make a habit of it already puts you at a great advantage. In our case, we were in a situation where every new achievement – no matter how small – left us thinking “OK, let’s see what else we can do”. For some, the simple fact that they have invested time and effort into the process of improving themselves made them more determined not to let things slide. Find out what makes you tick, and use it.

That is all well and good as long as you have a routine, but you’ll also need to take into account random happenings which might throw you off. Say someone offers you a treat you really like. For some people, like Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness, it’s easier just to refuse. Snacks – especially sugary ones – have ways of playing with our brains, so having just one is the harder option. Mr. Kamb’s preferred option is to stick to “I do not eat (insert whatever it is here)” and decline politely.

Others may prefer to be more lenient, though it is important to pay attention or they may find themselves sliding. One particularly good piece of advice that came to us via Brendan C is to eat the treat later, at the time of your choosing. It is the difference between eating something just because it appeared in front of you, or eating because you consciously chose to. In both cases, the idea is you do not make yourself feel that you are denying yourself, which could leave you obsessing about the treat.

This can also be applied to exercise – can you commit yourself to work out at another time in the day if you have to miss your normal scheduled slot?

Either way, it is all about retaining control of yourself. There’s an exchange in the Supernatural episode “My Bloody Valentine”, where Famine is making the townspeople binge on their secret vices, which sums it up beautifully:

Castiel: Where is your hunger?

Dean Winchester: Huh?

Castiel: Well, slowly but surely, everyone in this town is falling prey to famine, but so far you seem unaffected.

Dean Winchester: Hey, when I want a drink, I drink. When I want sex, I go get it. The same goes for a sandwich or a fight.

Castiel: So, you’re saying you’re just well adjusted?

Dean Winchester: God, no. I’m just well fed.

Source: IMDB

There are a few more ways to make things easier for yourself. To begin with, do not think of fitness in negative terms. Telling yourself that you are denying or forcing yourself is a fantastic way to set yourself up for failure. Exercise should not be a chore, and definitely not a pain. It should be enjoyable. Don’t grin and bear it if it isn’t – look for activities you do enjoy, or at least really want to be good at. Healthy food does not have to taste like paper. Many options are tasty – look for decent recipes. Rest properly. If you’re well fed, well rested, and having fun, you’re much more likely to want to continue.

Next: measure progress properly. The importance of this cannot be overstated. If you cannot see progress, you will lose steam and stop. Keeping track of your progress, especially in the early stages gives you a good boost. Just remember that your rate of progress will slow down over time. This is normal. It just means you’ve reached a point where your current regimen has done everything it can for you, and it’s time to move on to something awesomer (or just maintain the current regimen if you’re happy where you are).

Finally: be efficient. Research and experiment to find what works best for you. In terms of exercise, doing a few full body exercises can take much less time than doing individual isolation exercises for the same muscle groups. Less exercises and less time translates into fewer compromises you need to make. Similarly, all food is not created equal, so find stuff you like that makes you feel full and gives you the nutrients you need.

Willpower is a thing of the mind, so little hacks and tricks go a long way to preserve it. Pick whichever way works best for you – you know your own head best. If you have any mind-tricks which works especially well, let us know!

• Header image by EnzoMle, public domain, via http://pixabay.com/en/big-buddha-buddha-statues-sunset-420008/
• “The cake is a lie” screenshot from Portal, Valve Software.
• Yoda image from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back, Lucasarts.