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