The top 5 ways to strengthen your willpower

11 Jun The top 5 ways to strengthen your willpower

As many of us are already aware, self-control and willpower go hand in hand for a happy and healthy life ahead. They are essential for so many aspects that keep us in a good frame of mind and pressing on in our endeavours, leading ultimately to a better world for us on a personal level. But what can we do to further develop these skills so that they are not so far out of reach? The following are my top five tips to use in order to achieve strong willpower. This will help not only with your fitness training, but for every situation that may crop up in your day to day life.

1. Use that wonderful imagination!

Firstly, your imagination is an effective tool to increase your willpower. When you are feeling stressed out, try to imagine yourself in a calming place where you feel at ease. In the past it has been noted that the body responds to imagined situations similarly to ones that you have experienced. This can be used to train yourself to feel a certain way and in turn can improve your current willpower dramatically.

2. Use the help of others to keep on the right track

You can never underestimate the assistance of those that you surround yourself with when trying to build up the willpower to stay training or stick to a diet. Having the support of your loved ones, or others on the same journey can motivate you to stick with it. Even when the going gets tough, having someone to listen or give advice will ensure that you keep your end goal in mind. Stay away from people who encourage your bad habits or put you in the way of temptation. Even the best of us get run down and tired with new habits, so this is a great way to avoid quitting midway through your journey to a healthier you.

3. Stay away from that temptation

Especially when dieting, do not put yourself in the way of temptation. Dieting is a constant use of your willpower and self-control. You will find that thinking about it too often, as we usually do, will lead to your willpower being depleted and all that hard work could go down the drain. Avoiding tempting situations is key, and if you are unable to avoid it completely, have a plan in mind of how to deal with it if the situation does arise out of your control.

4. Set short-term goals

Look at each step as a goal. Taking these things one step at a time is a great way to increase your willpower and strengthen it over time. Set achievable short term goals that you will be able to complete easily.

5. Build the base of good habits

Finally, look at building good habits to replace the bad. Simple things like drinking enough water daily, training regularly and eating a healthy meal can be developed into habits and you will find that you will need to use willpower in these situations less and less over time.

Taking one or all of these tips into account when starting something new, a diet or fitness regime, can assist you greatly by strengthening both your willpower and self-control. These are both essential in your everyday existence and will put you in good stead for the future.