Willpower?

Have you stuck to your New Year's Resolution?  Did you stick to that diet and/or exercise program? Quit smoking?  Fit into those skinny jeans?  Stop spending your life savings on cigarettes?  There are so many diet books and plans out there to help us lose weight.  Lots of information on what obesity and smoking does to our body's.  Wouldn't that be enough to make us stick to a plan? 

Willpower is a word used all of the time by dieters, and anyone who has tried to stop smoking or quit any other bad habit.  Sometimes it seems that we just have no willpower at all!  So suppose that I told you that it's not about willpower?  According to Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson, who has done numerous studies on pursuing goals at work, in the classroom, on the playing field and in her own laboratory has concluded that most of us blame our failures on the wrong things. Dr. Grant Halvorson says that it is not willpower, but self-control.  Self-control defined is the ability to guide your actions in pursuit of a goal - to persevere and stay on course, despite temptations, distractions and the demands of competing goals.

Self-control is like a muscle (biceps, triceps) that needs to be worked out.  The more you use it, the stronger it gets.  I have heard that it takes three weeks to form a habit.  This would make sense that using self-control over a period of at least three weeks would make it easier to build up resistance to bad eating habits, decrease or stop smoking or exercise on a regular basis.   Muscles can become fatigued.  Self-control may also get fatigued.  Let's say you have a stressful day at work, and have to used up a lot of self-control to get through your day. When it comes to having that bowl of ice cream or smoke that cigarette at night most of your self-control is depleted and you give in.  This is why exercise can play such an important role in your life.  When you feel tired and sluggish, and you're trying to make the decision as to whether you should go to that Zumba class (or the gym, or for a walk etc...) think about replenishing that self-control muscle.  Get revitalized, melt the stress away and stick with it for several weeks at least two to three times a week for classes with 30 minutes of walks, runs or biking on other days.  Break it down into three 10 minute walks, but stick to it.  You will be surprised at how it gets easier.  The best part is how great you will feel, and how you will start looking forward to those classes! 

Below is a brief description of the benefits of Zumba. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.  You may also contact me through www.amyzumba.com.  My wish is that everyone can live a healthy, happy and long life.  

 

 Benefits of Zumba

Possibly the biggest benefit of Zumba is that it is so much fun people look forward to going to class and working out. At its core, Zumba is a cardio workout which burns calories and improves cardiovascular fitness. However, dependent upon the way the instructor teaches it, Zumba can improve muscle tone and strengthen the body. Zumba is also a great stress reliever. The sweating, dancing, and occasionally shouting involved in Zumba will release stress and tension in your body.

Quoted from livestrong.com