Forgiving = Willpower?

We're growing our willpower at The Healthy Weigh...or should I say, our 'I will' power, 'I won't' power and 'I want' power...the three powers that make up willpower! This week we focused on two more practices that have been scientifically proven to build willpower. Willpower lives in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, and the more blood flow we can get to this region of the brain, the more willpower we'll have.

Our list of ways to boost willpower is growing by the week! The key to boosting willpower  however, is not in knowing about the things on this list...but practicing them. This week we focused on one of the willpower boosters that's not so fun...internal processing.

Here's our list so far:

Meditate

Rewards

Exercise

Internal processing

Revisit want power

Maintain level blood sugar

Avoid triggers

Complete tasks that you've been reluctant to do

Can you spell vulnerability? That was me, this week, helping our Team Challenge participants go deeper, by sharing my own story. This week we listened to "Coping Skills ~ Feeling Your Way Through Life."  We followed up on Tuesday spending time on forgiveness and grief. "Hard but good." That's the way one of our healthy weigh clients described the day!

We took a look at the coping skills that our society uses. Drinking, drugs, shopping, and over eating to name a few.Coping; wrestling or grappling with difficulties and acting to over come them. As we looked closer at our societies list, we realized that we are not coping at all...we're avoiding. Avoiding the pain of the past and present. Instead of overcoming and healing our issues and pain, we are numbing them.

At The Healthy Weigh, we are convinced that unless a person acquires a healthy list of coping skills and begins to use them to heal past and present wounds, they will have temporary success at best.

The feeling wheel was introduced this week as a great tool to identify feelings and begin to process them. For many of us, we are a bit handicapped when it comes to expressing our feelings. We were taught to feel; mad, glad or sad. Identifying our true feelings is the first step to being able to process what's really going on inside of us. We recommend that you keep your feeling wheel on the inside of a journal so that you can refer to it as often as necessary while you're journaling. It wouldn't be such a bad idea to put it on the fridge so that the whole family could benefit from it!

We spent most of our time Thursday talking about forgiveness. I believe that unforgiveness robs us of more joy than any thing else in life. I shared a technique or tool to help clients begin to forgive the people, including themselves, that they need to, to heal those wounded places inside. Forgiveness only takes one person, so it definitely is a process that we all find right inside of our own back packs! It is your responsibility to do the work to heal the places that are keeping you from living the life you were intended to live.

I inspired courage Tuesday...it takes a little bit to forge ahead and begin to use real coping skills. What I know is that a mind that is healthy, and emotions that are healed will effect a physical body more than any diet ever could!

Here's to courage to do the hard, but good stuff!

I love you all, I'm walking with you and want you to have your very best life.

Until next week.

Always encouraging you.

Letha

A Terrible Thing to Waste

We're growing our willpower at The Healthy Weigh...or should I say, our 'I will' power, 'I won't' power and 'I want' power...the three powers that make up willpower! This week we focused on two more practices that have been scientifically proven to build willpower. Willpower lives in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, and the more blood flow we can get to this region of the brain, the more willpower we'll have.

Our list of ways to boost willpower is growing by the week! The key to boosting willpower  however, is not in knowing about the things on this list...but practicing them. The brain is a terrible thing to waste...especially when it comes to the prefrontal cortex!

Here's our list so far:

Meditate

Rewards

Exercise

Internal processing

Revisit want power

Maintain level blood sugar

Avoid triggers

Complete tasks that you've been reluctant to do

When I look over this list of "willpower boosters," it makes so much sense.  A person who is practicing this kind of life style will absolutely have more willpower!

This person is centered and focused, (meditation). They are giving to themselves good things that bring them pleasure vs. food rewards that are really the cause of their pain. (rewards)  This person is  experiencing the "high"  that comes from regular activity. (exercise)  They aren't afraid to process past and current pain to avoid numbing their feelings with food, (internal processing) and when they feel their willpower weakening, they re-visit the real reason they are eating healthy. (want power) Because they are eating regularly, eating a balanced diet, and staying away from diet sodas, they are feeling physically satisfied. (maintain blood sugar levels) They don't test their willpower by bringing unhealthy foods into the house. (avoid triggers) They have discovered that some of the projects that they've been putting off aren't that bad after all, and they really can complete them, just like they can say no to the bad and yes to the good. (complete tasks that you've been reluctant to do)

Can you see why this person has more willpower??!!  It's not a matter of white knuckling it through life...It's a matter of doing the things to build up that prefrontal cortex so that you are living a balanced, healthy lifestyle on auto pilot.

It always goes back to this...change your thinking and you'll change your life!  We spend WAY too much time thinking about food, recipes, what we can and can't eat...and way too little time on this list of willpower boosters!

Having a solid, effective nutritional plan to follow is a must when losing weight...but keeping it off for life requires more than that! It requires a lifestyle that promotes willpower. As a person who lives and works to maintain my goal weight, I'm very aware of the importance of living this balanced lifestyle. I'm working at this list all the time!

So here's to willpower and here's to celebrating the fact that we have the ability to grow it in ourselves! Until next week when we add to this list...work on that gray matter, it's a terrible to waste!

Always encouraging you,

Letha

WANT POWER...it's what fuels the engine!

We're growing our willpower at The Healthy Weigh...or should I say, our 'I will' power, 'I won't' power and 'I want' power...the three powers that make up willpower! This week we focused on two more practices that have been scientifically proven to build willpower. Willpower lives in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, and the more blood flow we can get to this region of the brain, the more willpower we'll have.

We revisited one of the most important parts of willpower this week, the part of willpower that fuels the engine...WANT POWER! When your willpower is running low you can find renewed strength by tapping into your want power. It's important to be able to think about these motivations. Motivation... the motive that causes one to act.

1. How will you benefit from succeeding at this willpower challenge? 
What is the payoff for you personally? Greater health, happiness, freedom?

2. Who else will benefit if you succeed at this challenge?
Surely there are others who depend on you and will be affected by your choices. How does your behavior influence your family, friends, co workers, and your community? How would your success help them?

3. Imagine that this challenge will get easier for you over time if you are willing to do what is difficult now.
Can you imagine what your life will be like, and how you will feel about yourself, as you make progress on this challenge?

As you face your challenges this week, ask yourself which motivation holds the most power for you in that moment. Are you willing to do something difficult for others, when you might not for yourself? When you find your biggest want power, the thing that gives you strength when you feel weak, bring it to mind whenever you find yourself most tempted to give in or give up!

Along with revisiting the importance of WANT power, we looked at a physical key to willpower...blood sugar levels.  Scientists consider glucose as one of the key nutrients needed by the brain for effective self control. Willpower drops when glucose drops. Willpower rises when glucose rises. It is as if running low on energy biases us to be the worst versions of ourselves.

So along with keeping blood levels stable by eating regularly and avoiding diet sodas and artificial sweeteners that trick the body into taking up glucose from the bloodstream in anticipation of a blood sugar spike, we learned that exercise regulates your body's glucose.

Let's look at our willpower booster growing checklist:

Meditate
Rewards
Exercise
Internal processing
Want power
Maintain level blood sugar

Learning that we all have willpower that we haven't tapped into yet is exciting. Learning that we have the ability to grow our willpower and assert more self control in our lives is powerful. We really can't use "lack of willpower" as an excuse any more. We've got what it takes to build it up...so the buck stops here when it comes to willpower!  I guess it always gets back to that all important question...WHAT DO YOU WANT!?

Always encouraging you,
Letha

The Miracle Drug For More Willpower!

We're growing our willpower at The Healthy Weigh...or should I say, our 'I will' power, 'I won't' power and 'I want' power...the three powers that make up willpower! This week we focused on two more practices that have been scientifically proven to build willpower. Willpower lives in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, and the more blood flow we can get to this region of the brain, the more willpower we'll have.

Researchers from Macquarie University in Sydney Australia did some intense research about a new treatment to enhance self-control (willpower). They were stunned by the findings. While they had hoped for positive results, nobody could have predicted how far-reaching the treatment's effects would be.  The trials guinea pigs were six men and eighteen women, ranging in age from eighteen to fifty years old.  After two months of the treatment, they showed improvements in attention and the ability to ignore distractions. In an age of thirty second attention spans, that would have been reason enough to celebrate. But there was more. They had reduced their smoking, drinking, and caffeine intake, despite the fact that nobody had asked them to.  They were eating less junk food and more healthy food. They were spending less time watching TV and more time studying. They were saving money and spending less on impulse purchases. They felt more in control of their emotions. They even procrastinated less and were less likely to be late for appointments.

When the findings came out... colleagues were asking, what is this miracle drug and where can I get a prescription?  The intervention wasn't a drug at all. The willpower miracle was physical exercise.  The participants, none of whom exercised regularly before the intervention, were given free memberships to a gym and encouraged to make good use of it. They exercised an average of just one time per week for the first month, but were up to three times per week by the end of the two month study. The researchers did not ask them to make any other changes in their lives, and yet the exercise program seemed to spark new found strength and self-control in ALL aspects of there lives. EXERCISE...our 3rd willpower booster!

As we take a closer look at willpower and the ways to boost our gray matter we also have to look at why some people seem to have a greater willpower reserve the others. Many factors influence your willpower reserve. Anything that puts a stress on your mind or body can interfere with the physiology of self-control, and by extension, sabotage your willpower.  Anxiety, anger, depression, and loneliness are all associated with less self-control. Chronic pain and illness can also drain the body's willpower reserve. 

My studies of willpower  have encouraged me to continue to challenge my clients at the Healthy Weigh to keep pursuing emotional and spiritual wellness as they follow their nutritional plans. Our 4th willpower booster is to do the INTERNAL WORK of weight loss to heal and relieve stresses that are keeping them from having more willpower. I guess it's about dieting from the inside out!

Our Willpower boosting list is growing...here's what we've got so far:

1. Meditation

2. Rewards

3. Exercise

4. Internal processing

As we continue to grow this list, I'm convinced that my clients are going to see themselves resisting more temptations and meeting more of their personal goals!  Big brains and lots of gray matter...that's what we're after!

Always encouraging you,

Letha

Train Your Brain For Willpower!

We're growing our willpower at The Healthy Weigh...or should I say, our 'I will' power, 'I won't' power and 'I want' power...the three powers that make up willpower! This week we focused on two practices that have been scientifically proven to build willpower. Willpower lives in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, and the more blood flow we can get to this region of the brain, the more willpower we'll have.

Two ways to spark that blood flow...meditation and rewards.

Neuroscientists have discovered that when you ask the brain to meditate, it gets better not just at meditation, but at a wide range of self control skills, including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control, and self-awareness.  People who meditate regularly aren't just better at these things, over time, their brains become finely tuned willpower machines. Regular meditators have more gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, as well as region of the brain that supports self awareness.

The good news is, it doesn't take a lifetime of meditation to change the brain. Some researchers have started to look for the smallest dose of meditation needed to see benefits. Meditation increases blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, in much the same way that lifting weight increases blood flow to your muscles.

The studies regarding rewards for permanent change are powerful.  In neuroscience, the reward system is a collection of brain structures which attempt to regulate and control behavior by inducing pleasurable effects.  It is in the brain circuit, that when activated, reinforces behaviors.  The circuit includes the dopamine containing neurons, part of the prefrontal cortex. Humans are seekers of pleasure. The problem with dieting is that we have our pleasures mixed up.  We have convinced ourselves that food (over indulgence) is pleasure, when food is the cause of our pain.

To lose weight and keep it off for life, we must recognize that we will continue to seek pleasure, and we must change how we feel about food so that it no longer is our source of pleasure. The reward system while losing weight and working to keep it off, does just that. By choosing new pleasures, flowers, a walk in the park, a new book, etc., we will begin to choose new behavior with our eating, to guarantee the pleasure of the reward...the real pleasure. Every time we make a choice to reward ourself we grow our willpower! Even the suggestion of a reward is enough to spark the blood flow to the prefrontal cortex.

Understanding and being more aware of how our brain works and how willpower works is making a difference for me.  I hope it's doing the same for my friends at The Healthy Weigh. This week it's all about meditation and rewards.  I look forward to next week when we take a close look at what we are really meant to resist.

Always encouraging you,
Letha

WILLPOWER...Can We Strengthen It?

The Healthy Weigh has started their 16th Team Challenge. For the next ten weeks we'll be focusing on WILLPOWER! As I've studied the subject recently, I'm convinced that willpower can be strengthened. I wouldn't be spending 10 weeks talking about it if I didn't think so. We're going to be looking at how self-control works, why it matters, and what we can do to get more of it.

Our levels of personal willpower distinguishes us from each other. We've all been born with the capacity for willpower, some of us just use it more than others.  Studies show that people who have more willpower/self control, have better control of their attention, emotions and actions. They are happier and healthier. Their relationships are more satisfying and last longer. They make more money and go further in their careers.
They are better able to manage stress, deal with conflict, and overcome adversity. They even live longer.

When pit against other virtues, willpower comes out on top. Self control is a better predictor of academic success than intelligence, a stronger determinant of effective leadership than charisma, and more important for marital bliss than empathy. Bottom line...if we want to improve our lives, willpower is not a bad place to start.

We are going to be taking a closer look at science and our brains regarding willpower. Neurobiologists as well as psychologists have much to say about the subject. Understanding the science of willpower will give us strategies for developing self-control and greater strength to pursue what matter most to us.

Next week I'll be focusing on the three powers that make up willpower. Will Power, Won't Power and Want Power!  Stay tuned for more about willpower!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

What Do You Want?

This Tuesday we will have our first weigh-in for our ten week "WILLPOWER" Team Challenge! I can't help this morning but to look ahead to June 18th, the finale of this challenge, and think about that day! History WILL repeat itself so I know what June will hold for the participants of the Spring Team Challenge 2013. I can hardly keep my feet on the ground thinking about it.

Tuesday, April 16th, over 80 teams will walk into The Healthy Weigh feeling nervous but excited! They will weigh in and record their official weight for the beginning of this 10 week challenge. For some clients that will be difficult as they face the scale. Many will be as heavy as they've ever been. Others have been on the journey with The Healthy Weigh for a while and will be seeing weights they haven't seen in YEARS!

Either way, DECISIONS have to be made. Decisions to participate fully in the program, both physically and emotionally. Those clients who decide to be "all in" will see amazing results in the next ten weeks! I'm sure of it!

When I think about Tuesday, June 18th...Here are the things I am sure of:

MANY clients will reach their goal weight and be ready to move on to stabilization!

We will celebrate 20, 30, 40, 50, 60...and possibly 70 pounds weight losses!

NO one in the room will be thinking the same thoughts that they were thinking 10 weeks ago!

Willpower will be increased in all of our lives!

Medications will have been discontinued!

Life spans will have been increased!!

Confidence will be palatable!

Community spirit will be soaring!

Personal healing will have taken place!

And that's a partial list!

It's funny, ten weeks doesn't seem like a very long time, but MAJOR things happen in a ten week period when you make a decision and cut off any other possibility!


I hope that all our teams will spend some time this weekend thinking about June 18th. The first step to any change is knowing what you want. So knowing what June 18th looks like for you is going to be very important!

I know what I want on June 18th. I want to be able to stand in front of this group of people as we celebrate their GREAT accomplishments and say that I did my very best to inspire and motivate them to live their best lives! I want to look back and see that the education I brought forth was beneficial not just to my clients but to their families as well. I want to have given my ALL for this Spring Team Challenge! I want to be living out the very lessons I teach so that I can deliver them with conviction and power! That's what I want!

What do you want?

I will be spending the next 4 days mentally preparing for this "WILLPOWER" Team Challenge. I hope you will too. Spend time looking ahead to June 18th. Visualize yourself at that Grand Finale feeling proud of what you've accomplished! It's going to be a life changing ten weeks
 for sure!

Always encouraging you,
Letha