11. Exercise: We all know that exercise is good for our
health, but can it also be good for our willpower? In order to find out,
researchers found 24 non-exercisers between 18 and 50 to partake in a 2-month
study. They were given free gym memberships and asked to exercise just 1x/week
for the first month and 3 times a week for the second month. Throughout the
study they would test the participants on various self-control activities from
resisting temptations to persevering through challenging tasks.
The results were nothing short of remarkable. After just 2
months of exercise every participant had indeed increased his or her ability to
resist temptations and persevere on tasks. But the benefits didn’t end there.
Without any instruction by the researchers, the participants also, •
Procrastinated less • Felt more in control of their emotions • Reduced smoking,
alcohol and caffeine intake • Saved more money • Ate less junk food • Began
eating a healthier diet • Watched less TV • Spent more time studying • Splurged
on impulse purchases less • Were more likely to be on time to appointments. All
of these activities occurred naturally from the habitual exercise!
Now, before you set a plan to go from not exercising at all
to exercising every day, let’s pause. It’s important to remember that for a
full month, these participants only went to the gym 1x/week. That means they
only went 4 times total in the entire first month! Clearly, it is not necessary
for you to go crazy with your exercise plan. To start getting all of the
benefits listed above, you just need to make a plan that is consistent, not
overwhelming. Whether you can exercise 1 time a week or 4 times a week, it
doesn’t matter. To see the benefits, you just need to set a plan that you will
not fail.
12. Focus On One Task At A Time: Ready for a puzzle? See if
you can write down a list of all 36 states. When you have listed 10, see if you
can continue writing them while also figuring out the answer to 17 x 24. Were
you able to do it? We have 2 distinct parts of our brain that help in our
problem-solving. One is the limbic system, which makes our easy and automatic
decisions. This includes brushing our teeth and stopping at a red light. This
part of the brain is also short-term minded, and is what motivates us to
indulge in unhealthy food and get off of the treadmill.
The other is the pre-frontal cortex, which solves more
difficult problems like how to effectively communicate or solve more
complicated math equations like the one above. This is also the part of our
brain that thinks long-term and is responsible for our willpower. The problems
above both require the pre-frontal cortex to solve. If you were asked to write
the 36 states and do a simple problem like 10 x 5, you would have had no
problem doing it. 10 x 5 is easy. It only requires our limbic system to solve,
so we can successfully multi-task. The more we multi-task, the more we train
our limbic system. So by trying to do 4 things at once, we are unknowingly
making the part of the brain that wants us to indulge stronger.
The pre-frontal cortex, however, cannot multi-task. The
problems it deals with are too complicated. So by focusing on one task at a
time, we are making the part of the brain that exerts willpower stronger! So
resist the temptation to multi-task and remain focused. This will train your
willpower and help you make tough decisions.
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