Issue #43 ·
Willpower Is Partly Genetic: Plan Around It Instead
🧬 Understanding other ways to build your willpower, Getting accountability, Being aware of internal sense
This week in building health 👇
The persistent belief that it’s all about willpower
Have you heard these before?
“You just need to be more discipled.”
”Have more willpower and you’ll get healthy.”
It doesn’t even need to come from others.
Most of us talk this way to ourselves.
We are our own worst critics, and we are always driving ourselves to be more disciplined and focused.
But, here’s a little experiment…
What if you could never change the amount of willpower you had?
Imagine this for a second
You could never become more focused.
You could never get ‘more willpower.’
Whatever you have now…
That’s it!
How would you do things differently then?
Plan for the willpower that you have
Studies show that a part of willpower is simply genetic
We inherit our ability to focus from our parents.
This is NOT to say that our DNA 100% determines our destiny. But it highlights the point that to try to completely change our focus and willpower is like swimming upstream.
So…
Stop Trying to ‘Force Yourself’ - Work around it instead
My favorite example of this is snacking.
I’m a TERRIBLE snacker.
I love chocolate, I love cookies, I love chips.
And I KNOW that if there are snacks in the house, they are 100% getting eaten.
I don’t have that kind of willpower.
So when I’m out for groceries, I have a clear list— and I get only what’s on that list. No chips, cookies, or cakes.
So when I have a craving at home for a snack, I’m more likely to go for the fruit than the cookie.
Do yourself a favor and plan for your low willpower self
→ Read more on this idea here (7 minutes)
My favorite health things for the week
// one
Microdosing Fitness
6 minutes | Anthony Vennare
It’s becoming clearer and clearer than ANY amount of exercise is good for you.
Just 3.4 minutes per day of vigorous lifestyle physical activity (like climbing stairs or fast walking) led to a ~17% decrease in cancer incidence; 4.5 minutes translated to ~31%.
30–60 minutes of strength training per week reduces all-cause mortality by 10–17%, with additional inverse links to CVD, diabetes, and some cancers.
20 minutes of physical activity yields a 43% drop in the risk of developing depression, while exercise was found to be 1.5x more effective than leading antidepressants.
// two
Training Yourself to Be More Aware of Your Body
3 minutes | Anne-Laure Le Cunff
How in touch are you with what’s happening with your body?
We’re so bombarded by external sensations that our skill in recognizes how it feels inside is much weaker.
Here are a few questions you can use to check in— right now.
How does my body feel right now, in this moment?
Where in my body do I feel the most tension or discomfort?
Do I feel any sensations of hunger or fullness?
How is my breath?
Can I detect my heartbeat without touching my chest or wrist?
Practice this every once in a while to keep your internal sensation sharp
// three
Body-Doubling AKA getting an accountability partner
12 minutes | Casey Rosengren
This post is mainly about productivity and procrastination.
And how if you want to overcome it, it makes sense to find a partner (or a body double) to help you stay accountable.
From the post:
We all have important things that we find it hard to make time for (or outright avoid). If you learn to use it well, body doubling can become your secret weapon—a way to consistently perform in any area that brings up avoidance and procrastination.
The idea works really well for fitness too!
Get someone to show up with you— same time, same place.
It will do wonders for your routine
Until next time
Still waiting for our newborn.
I hope I can still send these out after— but I may be completely overestimating how much I’ll be needing to do once the baby is here!
Until then— Thanks and Have a healthy weekend,