#willpower and the value of competition

The other day I watched an episode of "Trust me I'm a Doctor". This is a lifestyle programme - primarily about achieving health and fitness.

The feature I watched was about willpower and exercise. The premise was "willpower" diminishes - so if you only exercise because of the strength of your willpower (ie. you would rather not do it - but you are forcing yourself) - eventually your willpower will run out and you will stop exercising. The logical conclusion - and the one they arrived at - was find a way to exercise that does not require just willpower to make you do it - then you are more likely to continue.

This conclusion made me smile. After a life time of exercise and playing sport I have my own insight. Here are my personal thoughts :-

• On willpower. Two voices in the head. For example - one is saying you should go out for a run tonight. The other - no I don't fancy it tonight - all sorts of self excuses can come to mind - go tomorrow! I know from bitter experience there is the potential here for a lose lose situation - ie you don't do the exercise - but also you don't enjoy the evening because you know deep down you have lacked willpower and caved in. Not a good feeling. Over the years you learn there is the potential for a win win too. Do the run. Win one - it usually turns out that it was good to be out there and you have got the exercise in the bank - but win 2 - probably just as significant - you feel good because you know you were tested but found the willpower to make yourself go out. Of course this can be hard to maintain - sometimes you don't - but understanding the lose lose win win consequence and outcome usually does it for me. May be another way of referencing it is to do with self esteem - no point in cheating yourself.

• If you exercise just for exercise sake you are making it hard for yourself. Some people appear to manage to find sufficient willpower to put the effort in and exercise for purely health reasons - although I suspect many are driven by vanity - the gym thing - looking good - mirrors everywhere. Many people keep it up of course - but many people use the gym intermittently - a burst of activity in the new year but it wanes.

• I believe science can evidence exercise releases into the body chemicals that your body can find addictive. I think they might be endorphins? I am sure this is right. However I think I would say that you have to be exercising at quite a high level of intensity over a long period for this to get a real hold. I think this might be a part explanation for excessive exercise. You can see it at the local running club. Some people just cannot stop running. Like anything to excess - I think there are concerns to be reflected on here.

• One technique that works is to give yourself no option. This is why squash or organised team sport is good. You can cry off - you can pull out but it is harder to do when it involves disappointing or letting someone else down..

• Another technique I use which works when jogging - is find a route where there are no shortcuts back. For this reason I like running along the coast. It is out and back - you can't cut the corner. The out part is usually less of a mental challenge because you are not as tired and you have no option but to run home and get there. A good circuit can work well in the same way. When I was training for my marathon I did a prep run at Bramley that was 2 circuits - 10 miles and 20 miles. The sport Centre finish for the 10 miler (hot shower - cup of tea!) was the start for the 20. You can imagine the mental torture!

• The Clipper leg across the N Pacific now comes to mind. It was tough at times horrid - at times scary. Would we have ever given up - no. However it helped in practical terms there was no such option when you are thousands of miles from land! Hobsons choice - you have to keep going.

• For me the best route to a consistent exercise regime has been by finding competition and playing games - participating in sport. When you are playing rugby or football - or tennis or squash - you are not specifically thinking about the act of exercising even though you are. It is a test of willpower but not in the very narrow sense. Competing requires so much more and that so much more fills your mind and makes the function of exercising your body so much easier - it makes it a multi dimensional challenge where willpower as a consideration becomes blurred. It can make exercise fun.When you are competing in a game the competition, your opponent, the rules, tactics, the skills, ball watching , the concentration required, the result etc etc must be foremost in your mind - it is cerebral not just physical. Even better if you are part of a team. Letting yourself down is one thing - letting your team down is another level. You have to put the effort in - there is no option - so exercise becomes much easier - ha! It is not just about narrow personal willpower. You do not have time to think about how you are feeling. You do not have time or scope to be wimpy - to let the negative demons get a hold.  

So there we are - a few thoughts about how to exercise without going full frontal with will power every time you do it. But it is still not easy. Christmas has a lot to answer for. You might stop. It is hard to get going. You feel sluggish after the excesses. It becomes even harder to get going! Same every year.