We have all fallen into the trap of giving into the pleasure of the moment and drifting back into a warm winter bed for an extra snooze – how wonderful….
Unfortunately, once the alarm goes off again, and then again, it doesn’t feel worth having missed the morning workout, and running late, and being in a mad scramble with no time for breakfast!
When I think about it, hitting the snooze button in the morning doesn’t make sense; it’s like reliving the nightmare of having to get out of a warm bed over and over again!
Getting up in the morning doesn’t have to be a battle of wills and conquering the “I have to” and “I don’t want to.”
Dr. Vanessa Patrick of the University of Houston showed that by using certain words in our conversation, we can have power to resist temptation.
A strong refusal motivates us to achieve our goals
Saying “no” effectively to temptation is critical if we are to move in the right direction with our fitness.
Dr. Patrick found that when participants in the study framed the refusal as “I don’t,” for example “I don’t eat cake” instead of “I can’t eat cake” they were more successful in resisting the desire to eat the unhealthy food.
The findings from the study over a ten day period measured the participator’s ability to resist temptation with self-talk:
- “I can’t eat cake……” 1 in 10 participants were able to resist temptation
- “No thanks” 3 in 10 participants were able to resist temptation
- “I don’t eat cake!” 8 in 10 participants were able to resist temptation!
Abracadabra! I DON’T seems to work like magic!
It’s no wonder that so many self-help books focus on self-talk as a motivator to living a healthy life.
When we say “I don’t” we feel empowered because we have acted with determination, taken personal responsibility for making a solid, irrefutable choice. Who will argue with you when you don’t?
But when we say “I can’t” we feel dis-empowered because we give governance to something outside our self. Like a child who is “not allowed cake” we will rebel for the injustice of being deprived!
We can then be easily persuaded – go on eat the cake – its only a little piece – you can run it off later….
We must, therefore, listen carefully to our self-talk and make sure that what we say we could say to our dear friends without hurting their feelings or derailing their efforts to get fit and feel better.
Let’s now have fun with I DON’T to improve our health instantly!
- I DON’T have processed food in the house!
- I DON’T have an alcoholic drink during the working week!
- I DON’T skip my breakfast!
- I DON’T munch on junk when I feel lethargic in the afternoon!
- I DON’T skip my daily 9-minute workout!
- I DON’T hit the snooze on cold winter mornings!
Live well with fitness!
Anna
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