Help Your Willpower

I just finished reading an article published by the American Council On Exercise entitled "Why Willpower Isn't Always Enough". The basic idea of the article is that most people trying to lose weight usually fail because they tend to impose strict rules about eating that lead to feelings of being deprived. Strict eating rules and feeling deprived are actually associated more with weight gain than weight loss. Why? Because the more someone deprives themselves of "forbidden" food, the more he/she is going to crave it and eventually give in to the temptation.

The key is not to impose strict rules, but to work on changing actual behavior or lifestyle. The people who have the most success at losing weight and keeping it off are the ones who change actual eating habits. When you are able to intentionally make a permanent change it is usually going to be a positive change. Positive change will always bring you greater success at reaching your goals than negative change.

How do you change behavior/habits? The article lists 5 ways to help change behavior. These are mostly common sense, but I've found in my own life that sometimes it takes seeing "common sense" written out for me to be able realize it and follow it.

1) Avoid Tempting Situations- This one pretty well explains itself. If it isn't in the house, you can't eat it. If you don't go to the donut shop, you won't eat donuts.

2) Self-monitor- If you want to know what your intake is, Write It Down. Using a food journal is strong predictor of successful change. (Check out Meal Plans 101 to the right-it does this for you)

3)Set SMART Goals- Goals should be Specific-Measurable-Attainable-Relevant-Time bound. If you set your goals properly, then you will have a game plan to follow. Example: "I would like to lose 12 pounds in the next 3 months. I will do this by exercising for 1 hour 4 days per week and limiting dessert to one meal each week."

4)Practice Behavioral Substitution- Things like boredom and stress cause people to eat. If you find yourself starting to eat something for any reason other than hunger, then try substituting another behavior. Example: go for a short walk when bored

5)Retrain Your Brain (and taste buds)- Find healthier food choices that you enjoy. The key is make healthy eating something you look forward too. The more you eat healthy food that you enjoy, the more you are going to "crave" it. Which increases the likelihood of reaching your goals.

When it comes down to it, you're still having to use "willpower". The difference is making it a positive thing (i.e. develop enjoyable healthy eating habits) as opposed to a negative one (i.e. severe restricted eating).

Lose Weight Sitting On The Couch

Writing my previous post got me to thinking about how people, in general, view exercise and weight loss/management. I've had more than one client come to me in recent times wanting to lose weight, but making the statement "I hate to workout!". So the obvious question is "Can you lose weight without exercise?".

In theory, the answer to that question is "yes". If an individual were to simply take in fewer calories than he/she burns just going through normal daily life, then he/she should lose weight. For example, Joe Anybody goes to work everyday, sits at a desk all day, comes home, watches the news and SportsCenter, and goes to bed. As you can see, his day would not come anywhere close to being called active. Assuming he knows how many calories he's burning, he should be able to eat less than that and lose weight. In theory.

However, this never happens in real life. I've worked with hundreds of clients and the ones who are actually reaching their goals are the ones who are exercising in some shape, form, or fashion. Why doesn't just eating less work? If you eat less than you burn, then shouldn't you lose weight? Simply put--No.

You see, exercise provides the stimulus the body needs to make changes. In fact, regular physical activity helps the body maintain and regulate just about every system it has. And I don't mean walking for 30 minutes 3 times a week either. I mean good, physical exertion 5-6 days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes and preferrably 45-60 minutes. When the body goes through physical exertion on a regular basis it sees a need to adapt and make changes that are going to allow it to continue. Excess fat gets burned, bone density increases, muscle increases, and the cardiovascular system improves. Physical activity forces the body to change.

When it comes down to it, there just are no magic pills for weight loss. It takes hard work and commitment. You have to persistent and consistent. If you want to change your body, then quit watching SportCenter, go outside and DO SOMETHING!

Want Quality of Life--Do This

We are lucky to be living at a time when just about anything we want is within easy reach. If you take a look at society in general, nearly everyone you see is able to obain all of their needs and most of their "wants". Technology has advanced exponentially, even to the point that things that were a dream a mere fifty years ago are now reality. While all of these gains are great, there do seem to be some unintended consequences.

Society in general is far less active than it used to be. Kids spend most of their free time text messaging and playing video games, adults are tied to work through their blackberries, and people who used to care less about computers now can't go one day without internet access because the're afraid they'll miss something on Ebay.

Now don't get me wrong, I like the value the internet brings to my life. I like the way I can use technology to make my business run more efficiently. Yes, I would be bothered if I couldn't check my email when I wanted to. The point I want to make is that we have to be careful not to let the things that are supposed to improve our "quality of life" actually ruin it.

Humans were not made to be sedentary. Our bodies are wonderful machines that, like most machines, need to be used in order to function properly. In fact, the number one thing I would recommend to improve your "quality of life" is get active. Ride a bike, swim, walk/run, play a sport, lift weights, just DO SOMETHING. How many times have you seen or heard a news story about a ninety something year old person who still lives on their own, goes wherever they want, and has a mind that's as sharp as a tack. You know why? Because they're always going and doing.

So, to summarize what I'm trying to say, I don't care if you eat cheeseburgers and donuts everyday. If you want to feel better and have more energy, then get moving. I'm not condoning poor nutrition. Everybody should eat properly and I'll cover that topic in later posts. What I'm saying is that if you only choose one thing to improve your health, wellness, and "quality of life", then it should be get as much physical activity as you can.

What is practical?

Today there are tons and tons of information about human fitness available from more sources than any one person could ever hope to go through in a lifetime. It seems every week brings a new infomercial about a product that promises to be the end all be all answer for everyone's fitness and fat loss needs. With so much information and misinformation floating around these days it can be extremely hard to figure out what to listen to and what to ignore.


That's where I come in. You see, I'm a fitness nerd. I love to check out anything and everything fitness related. Whether it's a new gadget on the latest infomercial or a recent study in the Journal of Exercise Physiology. I love talking to anyone and everyone about exercise and human performance. My goal with this blog is to help you wade through all of the "stuff" that's out there and then figure out what is useful, what is not, and how to apply it to your exercise plans so you can reach your fitness goals.


There are some great products out there for fat loss, muscle gain, nutritional plans, and endurance performance. There are a lot of great fitness professionals out there who really know how to get results. I want to share everything I've learned and am still learning about fitness, fat loss, etc and how you can apply it in a "practical" manner. I'll post interviews from top fitness pros who know what they're doing. I also want to answer your specific questions. I want to give you the information you need in simple, straightforward terms. So please check this blog often and feel free to send me your comments and questions.