My foot is throbbing. Throb. Throb. Throb.
My soccer game yesterday was AWESOME..but I am not too sure what is going on with my foot. I think that I’ve torn or sprained something on the top of my food between my ankle. Great for running…not!
Started off this morning w/ a Tofu Purple Monster: 4oz firm tofu, 1 c. of rice milk, 2 c. of spinach, 1 c. of berries.
Lunch was amazing. I was hungry. A big bowl of vegetable soup. A gluten free wrap w/ 25 g. of cheese, sauteed vegetables w/ spinach…amazing! 1 c. of rice milk.
Afternoon snack was a little handful of nuts and a huge cup of tea: ginger and fruit tea
When I was at work today Twittering..opps…I saw a blog post on MizFitOnline. The premise is the difference between ‘Willpower and Winningness‘ It really hit me.
There’s so many people who we look at and thing ‘Man they have so much willpower. They can not eat the whole piece of chocolate cake. They get up every morning to run.’ Perhaps it’s more for them a WILLINGNESS to make healthy eating habits/exericse a part of their life. I have to say this post hit me.
I fail with the idea of willpower, because I think that it places a lot of pressure on people to maintain something that they wouldn’t normally want to maintain. However, saying to yourself ‘I am willing and able to make running a part of my life five days a week and giving up sugar and gluten so that I can maintain a healthy and active lifestyle’…the struggle becomes less..FOR ME. Try it.
After thinking through this today at work..I feel like it has turned a huge leaf in my life. I have to be willing to embrace the things in my life that will enable me to have a healthy, energy filled, skinny jean ass Life!
I came home and had two rice cakes with about 1 tsp. of peanut butter. 1 carrot and some grapes. I should have had a bit more to eat during the afternoon because I am always coming home hungry from work and don’t want to do anything else. I will pack a snack tomorrow 🙂
I went grocery shopping…I just feel better when my bed is made, dishes are washed, and shelves are stocked. Currently two of the three are completed.
For dinner I had a hummused shrimp stir fry w/ 1/2 a sweet potato. It was awesome and I am content!
What do you think about Willpower V. Willingness?
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Interesting. I had never thought about it before. I can see what you mean. I think for me I need a bit of both – willingness most definitely, particularly in terms of incorporating good patterns as part of my everyday life – but willpower too. I think sometimes you do need something else to help you say no, to stay on track, something more than just willingness. Well, I think I do.
But I suspect if you try to do anything major with willpower alone you will fail. You’ll be one of those short bursts and then give up people.
Glad it gave you a new way of thinking about things. I will think about it some more.
I totally agree with you. I’m a weight-loss counselor, and my clients are always telling me that they don’t have any willpower. I think it puts too much pressure on them and makes them think that there’s something wrong with them that they can’t stick with a diet and lose weight. I try to tell them that it’s not always about willpower; that our bodies try to maintain a certain equilibrium when it comes to weight, and you have to fight against your body’s natural urge to eat more if you’re reducing your calories to lose weight. If you restrict your calories all day, of course your body is going to rebel and urge you to eat a lot of high calorie foods at night. That’s your body’s natural way of thinking, not a lack of willpower. That’s why a healthy balance throughout the day (like you did here) is a better long term plan than a really restrictive diet. And I love your idea about changing the way you look at it by saying, “I’m willing to…” It seems much more empowering to me.
It is something that I am still wrapping my mind around. I woke up this morning, got out of bed and made myself do 20 minutes of yoga. I am willing to make it a part of my day. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. It’s nice to know that I am not the only one who struggles at times. Let me know if that helps any of your clients..it’s helped me.
I struggle with willpower too. I do P90x workout videos, and Tony Horton says that if you tell yourself “I currently struggle with” instead of “I can’t, I can’t,” then life is so much easier. I have to agree with him on that one. Saying “I currently struggle with overeating” sounds much less permanent and more manageable then “I am a compulsive overeater.”
Christine, I love that. Thank you so much. I would rather struggle through my morning exercise then say that I can’t. I will do this.