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