Do you ever hear yourself asking ‘Why do I have no willpower?’, or saying ‘If I just had good willpower then I could lose weight’ So many who approach me for help blame themselves and their lack of willpower for everything that feels wrong in their life.
Willpower is defined as ‘the ability to control or restrain yourself and resist instant gratification to achieve long-term goals.’
It’s a common misconception that we either have willpower or we don’t. In fact, we can influence the strength of our will power by looking into the beliefs we have about overcoming our behaviour and whether we truly believe we have what it takes! Let’s take a look at why you might find your willpower is low at the moment.
It is thought that willpower may be affected your energy and stress levels and how well you sleep. I have also found in clinic, that depleted nutrients, blood sugar dips and alcohol will often impact the efficiency of an individual’s self-control.
Past research has suggested that that willpower itself is a limited energy resource which will deplete when needing to exert self-control. However, recent studies indicate that perhaps will power is not a limited reserve of energy after all. The findings concluded that only the individuals who believed that their willpower was a limited resource ended up with less resolve and determination to achieve their goals. This illustrates yet again how our beliefs drive our behaviour. Our Mindset is critical. It is essential work that I do with my clients on the Food Freedom Method.
Other researchers who share the belief that willpower does not just ‘run out’ have found that we all have the capacity for self-control, as we all have emotions. It rises and falls depending on what is happening to us and how we feel. If we think of willpower in this way, we can learn the strategies to manage it. If our motivation is low, we have the power within to strengthen it once again.
But sometimes a lack of motivation is long lasting. Here, we can truly begin to observe and understand why. This is where coaching can be so powerful – and how I help my clients find a new path, gain motivation, and ultimately overcome their challenges.
Tips for strengthening your willpower:
Eat consistent, balanced meals – avoid food restriction and skipping meals.
Prioritise your sleep - check out my blog ‘9 steps to a better night’s sleep’ HERE
Plan and prep- Build consistent habits that are achievable. For example being organised with food shopping and meal planning and adding structure into your day.
Move your body -but find what’s right for you. Movement can improve willpower by helping you overcome any impulses to eat unhelpful foods. If this is something you struggle with – avoid pushing yourself into punishing exercise that you don’t enjoy. Instead, choose activities you are more likely to gain pleasure from. It could be anything that rocks your boat from walking in nature to dancing in your kitchen!
Trouble shooting unhelpful situations will help to strengthen your self-control in the long run.