Happy Monday!

Hope you had a restful weekend.

Willpower is often seen as the end all and be all to reaching our goals. Most of us feel that some of us have it, while some of us don’t have much and are doomed to never reach our goals because of our lack of it. 

It is true that some of us are better than others at delaying gratification and this was proven in a famous 1972 Marshmallow Study, where researchers tested children’s ability to delay eating a marshmallow for a specific amount of time, in the promise of an even greater reward. The result was that some of the children were able to refrain from eating it and others could not. 

By definition willpower is the control exerted to do something or restrain impulses. We all have the ability to exercise willpower at different moments in our day and to delay gratification, but it is greatly impacted by our current mental and physical state. 

In Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, willpower is referred to as somewhat of a bucket. We wake up with  a full bucket of willpower – or maybe partially full depending on what has been going on in our lives the past few days – and as the day goes on it inevitably gets depleted as we use it repeatedly throughout the day and week. 

We need to use our willpower to accomplish many things throughout the day; getting up at 5am for our workout vs. staying in bed, putting on a smile when dealing with a difficult boss vs. giving him a piece of our mind, making a smoothie for breakfast vs. getting a pastry at a coffee shop, eating the healthy lunch we packed vs getting burgers and fries with co-workers, getting to the gym after work vs. going for drinks with friends, being patient with our kids vs. losing our cool, etc…Every time we are confronted with a choice, it  all draws from the same source of energy.

This is why it is so hard to rely simply on willpower to accomplish goals. You have so many choices to make in one day that sometimes there is little left in your bucket to make the right choices when it comes to everything.

This is not to say that you should feel sorry for yourself, and use this as an excuse for not doing what you promised yourself you would, it simply means that you need to change your approach.

If you’re low on willpower (which we all are sometimes). Do these 4 things:

  1. Take away options.

We want choice and options, but too much choice and too many options can also be a bad thing; it can actually make us feel overwhelmed and unhappy. 

When we have to make so many decisions and weigh options constantly, it is easy to make bad choices that lead us to outcomes we didn’t intend, such as weight gain, low energy, feeling unhappy in our body…This is the paradox of choice.

In Atomic Habits, author James Clear says that when we place a constraint on ourselves, it can become much easier to get something done. Especially when a constraint forces us to start small.

Here are some examples he gives: 

If you want to start exercising, set a rule for yourself where you are not allowed to exercise for more than 5 minutes. You have to stop exercising after 5 minutes. 

This seems strange, but the idea is that 5 minutes is so doable that suddenly it is easy start adding more time, now that you have created a habit of exercising. 

If you want to eat more vegetables, you could limit yourself to only one type of vegetable this week. By limiting the number of choices you have to make, it’s more likely that you’ll actually eat something healthy rather than get overwhelmed trying to figure out all of the details of the perfect diet.

 

  1. Develop a Ritual 

Newton’s law of motion states that an object in motion stays in motion. This implies that it is always the start of setting a ritual into motion  that is the hardest part. Once the ritual is in motion, it becomes difficult to stop, unless an extenuating circumstance forces it to stop.

This means that you can create a ritual around what you want your day to look like and eventually rely little on willpower to act on it.

Ritual if you want to start your day more positively and with energy: Wake up, meditate for 5miutes,  put workout clothes on, drive to gym.

Ritual to eat better at lunch: Set an alarm to remind you to eat, grab your lunch from the fridge, head to a quiet space in your office or put on earphones and listen to upbeat music or audio book while you enjoy your meal.

 

  1. Use Temptation Bundling.

Researcher, Katy Milkman, from the Wharton School of Business, developed a strategy called temptation bundling that essentially “bundles” behaviors you are tempted to do with behaviors you should do, but often neglect. 

The idea is that you are motivating yourself to do the tasks you’re struggling with by rewarding yourself at the same time by doing something you enjoy. 

This formula links every ‘should’ with a ‘want’. 

Love watching a particular show on NetFlix? Okay, you only get to do that after you go to the gym. Love chocolate? You only get to eat a piece of it after you have a healthy dinner. 

 

  1. Practice

If you find that you lack willpower in many areas of your life, remember that it is like a muscle that gets stronger the more we exercise it. 

Practice delaying gratification in one area of your life one week at a time and see what positive things come from it. This will allow you to create the connection between delaying and achieving something worthwhile. For example; you delay going home by 30 minutes every day in order to go to the gym and after 2 weeks you notice that you have more energy, you have more patience with your kids when you get home, you are happier, you are more productive at work and you are sleeping better. Suddenly those 30 minutes are not a big deal any more, because they make your life so much better!

Hope these tips help.

 

Have  a great week!

 

Daniela Nahas 

Certified Health Coach, Chek Holistic Lifestyle Coach 

Co-Founder of Best Body Bootcamp

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KARSTEN DICKIE

Hey BBBC family! My name is Karsten Dickie and I am a coach at King West Best Body Bootcamp.

Growing up I was very involved in sports. I played competitive volleyball, basketball and hockey. I was always fascinated with how the body works, nutrition, strength training and anything that involved athletics. Applying my knowledge I noticed improvement of my health, energy and body transformation which then had me hooked on weight training. That’s when I knew I wanted to help impact people’s lives and share my knowledge about exercise, mobility and nutrition to help achieve their goals.

I received my diploma from Algonquin College for Fitness & Health Promotion and I have been doing group training for six years now. Additionally, I’ve trained hockey teams, volleyball teams, large event groups, and one-on-one training.

I’m passionate about enhancing the health, fitness and overall well-being of clients. With my skills and knowledge, I help clients achieve their goals in and out of the gym.

Outside of training I like to do yoga, read, play team sports, and spend time with my friends and family.

CERTIFICATIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS:

Algonquin College Fitness & Health Promotion
CanFitPro PTS
Lucas Parker Barbell Cycling
CPR/AED2

ANDY RANDHAWA

Hey there!
I’m Andy Randhawa, the newest addition to the Best Body Bootcamp family.

You can’t hear my accent while reading this but I’m Australian.
I grew up playing a lot of sports like tennis, basketball, boxing and footy (Aussie rules football) and competed professionally in tennis.

I have transformed bodies for over 12 years and also helped them show it off on stage.

I have an extensive knowledge about training and nutrition which I can apply to my clients to bring them closer their goals.

When I’m not making people sore or make them complain while training I spend my time doing filmmaking, videography and hanging out with friends (I need new ones in Canada).

Look forward to making you get your dream body.

CERTIFICATIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS:

Diploma of Fitness
Bachelors of Exercise Science
BoxFit Level 1&2

DANIELA NAHAS

My journey in fitness and health began about 15 years ago. Before that, like many of you I struggled with yo-yo dieting, and doing countless hours of cardio just to stay looking slim. Boy I wish I could talk some sense into my past self! But health is a journey and I am so grateful for all of my experiences, which have shaped what I have to offer our members today.
Over the years I have experienced first hand the life changing benefits of incorporating the right kind of exercise into my life. That motivated me to become a personal trainer 15 years ago, and it still continues to motivate me today. I want everyone to be able to to experience what exercise can do for their well being, self confidence and physique.
I used to struggle with my nutrition in a big way, so I completely empathize with you, if this is the hardest part for you when it comes to seeing long term change. I once struggled with eating disorders, followed by any years of a very negative relationship to food, even during my initial years as a personal trainer.

It occurred to me one day that I could not help my clients make changes and make better choices, without first focusing on myself. It was through completing my Holistic Lifestyle Coach Certification that I was able to change my relationship to food and be able to genuinely help clients get closer to their goals.

My increasing passion for nutrition and health led me to become certified as a Health Coach. As a health coach, I am able to help my clients delve deeper into your relationship with food and their health. What lies beneath our patterns and habits is fascinating and when you can tap into that it can have an incredibly powerful impact on our lives, and bring about real change!

These days I leave most of the bootcamp training to our awesome trainers, but I continue to share my passion for nutrition and fitness in our private member facebook group and work on our ever evolving member offerings.

My other passion? I am the luckiest mom to a 9-year-old boy. He keeps me on my toes and I must admit has helped me grow in ways I never thought possible. Together with hubby Roger Nahas, we like to spend plenty of time outdoors, along with the latest family hobby – board games.

When I get me time, I like to do yoga, read, cook, and spend time in nature.

I look forward to having you join us!

CERTIFICATIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS:

Health Coach Certification – Health Coach Institute
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 2
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 1
Scientific Core Training , C.H.E.K Institute
Program Design, C.H.E.K Institute
Human Kinetics Exercise Anatomy
SPI Advanced Training for General Fitness
SPI Technical Aspects of Strength Training
SPI Nutrition for Sport and Performance
Emergency First Aid & CPR

ROGER NAHAS

My journey in fitness and nutrition is a little different than most. You see, I’m a former fat kid! The kid who was a total introvert! I was always the guy who was too embarrassed to take his shirt off at the beach! But I remember the day everything changed for me – I looked in the mirror and wasn’t happy with what I saw. I made the decision to change my body and my life. It was 1999 and I took a before pic and measurements and body fat and I entered the Body for Life Challenge. Over the next 90 days, I completely changed my eating habits, and worked out regularly. I actually was awarded the Canadian Grand Champion for my age category!

I was no longer the fat kid. I looked forward to getting to a beach so I could take my shirt off and I became more outgoing and fun! After seeing the difference it made in my life I decided that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping people realize the amazing benefits of optimal health and fitness.

I started out as most trainers do in your typical gym. After years of working in a gym setting, I was getting disillusioned with how Big Box Gyms operated. I wanted to train people functionally and to make their bodies strong in the movements they used in the real word. I wanted to make working with a highly trained instructor more affordable, and I wanted to make fitness fun because let’s face it; if you are having a blast, it makes it that much easier to stick to it. The result was the launching of Best Body . I have to tell you that although I looked great in the after pic above, the food and exercise plans I followed to get that after pic, hurt me in the long run. It made me look good from the outside but my body was breaking down on the inside. The way I was working out and what I thought was healthy eating was in fact hurting me in the long run. I was over training, taking longer to recover from my workouts, I tore my rotator cuff and had gut issues. Nothing I could do was helping and then I was introduced to a C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach who helped me. Turns out I was stressing my body beyond repair and then giving it food that wasn’t helping but was actually stressing my body even more. He made me look at my body and the food I put into it in a totally different way.

That lead me to complete my certification as a C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach and we pass that knowledge on and encourage holistic nutrition to our members.

In addition to running the day-to-day operations of Best Body Bootcamp, I also work with individual clients doing fitness training as well as holistic nutrition and lifestyle coaching.

When I’ve got a bit of free time, I spend as much of it as possible with my wife and son, I bike year round, play hockey, practice Tai Chi daily, read & take courses.

I hope to see you soon so we can transform your body and life!

CERTIFICATIONS/ACHIEVEMENTS:

C.H.E.K Golf Performance Specialist
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 2
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 1
Scientific Core Training , C.H.E.K Institute
C.H.E.K Golf Performance Specialist
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 2
C.H.E.K Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 1
Program Design, C.H.E.K Institute
Program Design, C.H.E.K Institute
Scientific Core Training , C.H.E.K Institute

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A great place with very supportive, caring staff. If you want to change your lifestyle and health this is the place to do it. You will see results and learn to be healthier. Small classes and accountability that challenge you every time. I should of done this a long time ago.

Jo Castrinos