Introduction.....……………………….….…3

What is Willpower?.....………………….…5

How Willpower Relates To Exercise……10

How To Create the Habit of Exercise…..15

Overcoming the Hardest Days……….…30

How To Make the Habit Last…………….39

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

I would look at myself and

want to make a change. So I

would set a plan to start

exercising.

3 times per week…

5 times per week…

Every day before work…

Introduction:

This always lasted for a while.

Getting up early, exercising regularly and feeling great!

But then “the day” always came.

The day that I was tired, I was stressed, and I just could not bring

myself to lace up my running shoes. So I put the workout off until

tomorrow and enjoyed my rest.

That day always set the standard. Now it was okay to skip

workouts. So I skipped another, then another. And I was never able

to establish the habit.

It was an endless cycle.

Author: Colin Robertson

// Page 3

I learned what I had been

doing wrong this whole time!

I had always been

approaching exercise with

the wrong perspective. I

was making the same

mistakes that millions of

people who struggle with

exercise make.

But after years of research and experimentation with exercise, I

have been able to help myself and others by using scientific

understanding to help create a regular exercise habit.

This book will show you in practical terms everything you need to

know about creating an exercise habit. It will help you avoid the

endless cycle that millions of people struggle with every day.

I’m confident you will get real value out of this book. If nothing

else, it will give you a fresh perspective on exercise that will help

you learn why you may have struggled in the past.

Good luck Mastering Exercise!

That is, until I devoted my life to studying the science of willpower.

// Page 4

CHAPTER 1:What is Willpower?

// Page 5

The students entered the laboratory and each one of them could

only think about one thing.

“The cookies smell delicious!”

They had all been instructed to skip their previous meal so that they

were assured of being hungry. So when they sat down at an empty

table in the lab, their stomachs started growling.

Then the researchers entered the room to deliver the news.

One of the plates contained the warm, freshly baked, cookies that

they had been smelling since entering the laboratory. The other

contained cold, raw, radishes.

The students assigned to the radishes were in obvious agony.

They looked on with desperation as they saw the others enjoy the

cookies. But, like the researcher ordered, they kept to eating their

radishes.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 6

“I know you are all hungry. So we are going to offer you all a little

snack. But there’s a catch.

I am going to set two plates of food down on the table. You are

only allowed to eat the food off of the plate on your side of the

table.

You are not allowed to eat any of the other side’s food.”

After 15 minutes, the students were led into another room to work on

a geometry puzzle. They thought that the puzzle was testing their

math skills, but it was actually impossible.

The real test was to see how long the students would keep

working before giving up.

This is a classic test of someone’s willpower. The more willpower

they have, the longer they will continue to try to solve the puzzle

before giving up.

Mastering Exercise

“How long can the students will themselves to persevere on the impossible puzzle?”

// Page 7

The cookie eaters lasted about 20 minutes on average – trying

to tackle the puzzle from multiple angles before finally

succumbing to defeat.

The radish eaters, on the other hand, didn’t even last half as

long! After just 8 minutes, they lost the energy to keep trying

and gave up.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 8

20 minutes 8 minutes

So what happened here? Why did the radish eaters give up

so much faster than the cookie eaters?

Well, the radish eater had expended all of their willpower in the

previous room trying to resist the cookies. So once they had to

take on the puzzle, they had less willpower left to persevere.

The cookie eaters, on the other hand, didn’t expend any

willpower in the previous room. So they had plenty left to tackle

the puzzle from every angle they could think of.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 9

It’s actually more like a muscle!

The more it gets used throughout the course of a day, the more it

gets worn out.

This explains why you can feel too exhausted after a long day of

work to hit the gym! Even though your body hasn’t moved from

your desk, your willpower has been used up by a stressful day of

work.

By expending your willpower on one task, you have less left to

take on the next one.

This experiment – and many that have followed it – have proven

that willpower is not what we have thought it was for years. It’s not

a virtue, it’s not a skill, it’s not a genetic trait…

CHAPTER 2:How Willpower Relates to Exercise

// Page 10

One of the biggest things that people use their willpower for

across the world is putting on their running shoes. The trip to the

gym is one that many plan to make, yet can’t find the willpower to

carry through with.

Yet, in general, people who are able to exercise on a regular

basis seem to have a huge advantage when it comes to

willpower! They eat healthier, are more productive at work and

report more happiness and fulfillment in their lives.

This phenomenon led researchers to a question. Do people

who have stronger willpower naturally exercise more? Or is

there something special about exercise that makes your

willpower stronger?

To find out, these 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 3x/week for the second month.

Throughout the study they would test the participants on

various self-control activities. This included resisting

temptations and 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.

But the benefits didn’t end there….

Mastering Exercise

// Page 11

Without any instruction from the researchers, the participants

also:

Mastering Exercise

// Page 12

Procrastinated less

Felt more in control of their emotions

Reduced smoking, alcohol and caffeine intake

Saved more money

Ate less junk food

Ate 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 took place naturally from the regular exercise!

How much exercise is necessary?

Mastering Exercise

// Page 13

Upon learning this information, many people decide that it is finally

time to buckle down and hit the gym on a regular basis. However,

most people set themselves up for failure by over-extending

themselves with their exercise plan.

Take a look back at the study participants. For the first month, they

were only exercising 1 time per week! That means that they only

went 4 times total in the entire first month!

Then they made a gradual jump from 1 time per week to 2 times

per week. Yet, despite the fact that they did not exercise very

often, they still saw all of those willpower benefits!

Clearly it is not necessary for you to overload yourself with

exercise if you are just getting started. The most important factor in

mastering exercise is frequency, not intensity.

“Frequency > Intensity”

What type of exercise is best?

Mastering Exercise

// Page 14

The next question on most people’s minds when they are setting

their exercise program is “what type of exercise is best for your

willpower?”

Should you do cardio?

Strength training?

Crossfit?

These are all valid questions.

After all, the physical benefits that

come from various types of exercise are all very different.

However, when it comes to willpower, it doesn’t seem to matter

very much.

You could run, you could lift weights, you could go hiking or simply

ride your bike to work. Regardless of what type of exercise you

choose, as long as you do it consistently, you will begin to

strengthen your willpower.

To master exercise, do not focus on which exercise you

should do focus on which exercise you are willing to do.

CHAPTER 3:How To Scientifically Create a Habit of Exercise

// Page 15

“I don’t need this!”

That’s what I told myself in 2011 when I decided that I was going to

officially end my relationship with exercise. I was beginning to learn

more about what I was really passionate about like willpower,

writing and entrepreneurship.

So why spend time exercising?

Mastering Exercise

// Page 16

Now, that didn’t mean I was

giving up being healthy. After

all, I knew the importance of

diet on your willpower and

how eating healthy can help

improve your productivity,

energy and confidence. But

the time spent exercising

seemed like a total waste.

Then I came across the

study from the previous

chapter that proved just how

important exercise was.

Given that I had devoted my

life to the science of

willpower, I knew it was

time to get back to

habitually exercising.

My story….

I lost weight, I gained muscle and my willpower shot through the

roof. Here is the 6-step process I used to scientifically create a

habit of exercise - and you can too!

Mastering Exercise

// Page 17

I had tried and failed to set up a regular exercise routine more

times than I would care to admit in the past. So this time I

approached it completely differently. I did not rely solely on my

willpower to put on my running shoes. Instead, I turned to science.

And the results were remarkable!

Mastering Exercise

// Page 18

Step 1: DO NOT FAIL

Almost every person who comes up with a new exercise routine

tries to go from zero exercise, to exercising almost every day. I was

no exception.

Every time I tried to establish an exercise habit, I would plan to

wake up early every day and hit the gym before work. Then I’d do it

for a couple days – maybe even a week – and I would feel great.

Then came “the day”. The day where I was tired, the day where it

was cold, the day where I came up with an excuse to hit the

snooze alarm and sleep past my workout. That day always set

the precedent that skipping a workout was okay, so I would skip

another one. Then, before you know it, my exercise habit was

doomed.

But this time I had science on my side. I knew that the right

behaviors are developed through frequency, not intensity. So I set a

plan to workout just 1 day per week. Then I set my entire schedule

up to ensure that no matter what I would not skip that day.

Mastering Exercise

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Step 1: DO NOT FAIL

Once I got used to 1 day per week, I added another day. Then after

a month, I added another day. The key was that I would never allow

myself to add a workout day until I knew I would not fail.

When setting up your exercise habit, ensure that you will achieve it

no matter what. It does not matter if it is 1 day per week or 7 days

per week. The important thing is that you will never skip it. You

cannot create a habit if you are not consistent.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 20

Step 2: Do it in the Morning

There are many reasons to work out in the evenings. It helps you

unwind from a stressful day at work, your body is much more

awake and you are more prepared to exert yourself.

You may even be craving the endorphin rush of physical activity. Or

you may simply not be a morning person and the thought of waking

up that early makes you want to vomit.

But in order to create the habit, here are 3 key reasons that you

must go in the morning:

1. LIFE HAPPENS AT NIGHT, NOT IN THE MORNING

How many times have you been invited to a breakfast party at

6am? How many times have you had to attend your kid's soccer

game before school?

Life happens. You will have to stay late to work, you will have to go

to PTA meetings after school, and your coworkers will invite you to

a happy hour.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 21

Step 2: Do it in the Morning

Luckily, life happens far less in the morning. You simply will not

have the same temptations to skip your workout in the morning as

you will in the evening. You won’t need to turn down other

commitments; you just need to force your way out of bed and

through the gym doors.

2. YOU CAN CREATE THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

In the evening, you really have no idea what your circumstances

will be. You may be tired, you may be stressed, you may want to

chuck your gym bag out the window and pretend you lost it

(“ooops…guess I can’t go to the gym today!”)

In the morning, however, you can create an environment that will

help you get to the gym. You know that you will be tired and groggy,

so what can you do to make waking up to go to the gym easier?

You can set a coffee timer, make yourself your favorite breakfast, or

simply have your gym bag packed and your running shoes ready.

Cues like these will automatically trigger your body to begin your

morning routine of going to the gym. This will make it easier to

establish the habit.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 22

Step 2: Do it in the Morning

3. YOUR WILLPOWER IS THE HIGHEST IN THE MORNING

You have probably been there. You have those especially hard

days where you just cannot summon the energy you need to

make it to the gym. You have these days because your willpower

is like a muscle. If you use it to get through a stressful workday,

you will have less energy left to make it to the gym.

This is why your willpower is the highest in the morning. It hasn’t

had to go through all of the draining tasks of the day, so there is

more of it available to force yourself out of your bed and make it

through the gym doors.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 23

Step 3: Have a Purpose

Why do you want to set up an exercise habit?

Is it because you genuinely want to make a change? Is it because

you want to become healthier, stronger or faster? Is it because you

are training for a goal like a 10K or a spot on a sports team?

The thing that changed my perspective from “getting through” my

exercise routine, to genuinely enjoying it, was when I decided to

train for the Spartan Race. In my first race I finished 334th and I

wanted to do better. So day-by-day, workout-by-workout I

improved. I got faster, stronger and got to a point where I

consistently finish in the Top 10. When I found this purpose,

workouts were no longer a chore; they became an opportunity.

By having a genuine purpose for why you want to exercise, you will

make creating the habit easier. Thinking about your purpose

causes the area of your brain that is responsible for your long-term

goals to activate. This gives you a rush of willpower as you begin to

picture yourself achieving what you setting out to do.

Mastering Exercise

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Step 3: Have a Purpose

This is the same rush of energy that you get when you read an

inspiring story or hear a motivational speech. It becomes less of a

drag for you to get out of bed and struggle through your workout.

So remember your purpose for getting out of bed and putting your

running shoes on. This will not only help you make it to the gym,

but help you enjoy it as well.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 25

Step 4: Track Your Progress

We have a natural desire for self-improvement. This stems from the

days that our ancestors were living in tribes. Tribes were safe, so

we wanted to ensure that we had a secure spot within it.

So we began to check our own behavior and compare it against the

best members of the tribe. This gave us motivation to set higher

standards for ourselves and try to live up to them.

I tapped into this natural motivation by monitoring my progress.

When I saw how many miles I ran this week, I naturally wanted to

run more next week. When I saw how much weight I was able to lift

in the gym this week, I naturally wanted to lift heavier weights next

week.

Take advantage of your inner drive to improve by tracking your

progress. Create a workout journal and write down all of your

exercises.

This may seem tedious, but by tracking this progress, you will find a

desire within yourself to constantly improve.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 26

Step 5: Focus on the Process, Not

the Result

Every time I had tried to set up an exercise routine before I was

always focused on a result.

I wanted to run a marathon.

I wanted to get ready for beach season.

I wanted a “six-pack”.

So I would train for a little while. Then I would either reach my goal,

or give up because it was hopeless. Regardless of the result, I

would slip right back to my old routine of not exercising at all.

This time, though, I focused on the process. Rather than having an

end goal, I simply wanted to establish the process of exercising on

a regular basis. Because of this, there was no end. I simply

continued to improve on my process, which I am still doing today.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 27

Step 5: Focus on the Process, Not

the Result

I no longer suffered the pain of having an unrealistic goal like

getting a six-pack in 8 weeks, or training for a marathon when I

could barely run a 5K.

Now I was just trying to go to the gym 1 time per week. Then 2

times per week, then 3 times per week, then I was trying to run this

5K faster than the last 5K, etc.

Because I was focused on the process, I was realistic. I only added

what I could manage. This helped me turn a goal into a habit and

now a habit into a lifestyle.

So do not set an unrealistic, results-based goal for your exercise

routine. Focus on establishing a process that you can handle.

Then, when you have accomplished that, add a little bit more, then

a little bit more, etc. Pretty soon you will have established a habit.

Then that habit will become a lifestyle!

Mastering Exercise

// Page 28

Step 6: One Habit at a Time

You know what it is like trying to set up a workout routine – it is not

fun. It is a grueling and painful process; especially at the beginning.

Most people make this even worse on themselves by also trying to

deny themselves tempting foods, cut back on drinking, or quit

smoking.

To help myself establish the workout habit, I focused all of my

willpower on waking up early to exercise. This meant that I didn’t

worry about eating healthy, I didn’t worry about cutting back on

coffee, and if I got invited to a happy hour, I obliged.

Willpower is a limited resource. I knew I could tackle those other

goals later, but first I just wanted to establish the habit of regular

exercise. Because I indulged, I did not get much healthier. In fact, I

may have actually gained fat in the process of setting up the

regular exercise routine.

But the point is that I was able to set up the exercise routine. Once

I established that habit, I moved on to the next habit of eating

healthy.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 29

Step 6: One Habit at a Time

Focus on establishing 1 new habit at a time. If you try to completely

overhaul your lifestyle you are doomed to fail. The whole process

will be overwhelming and you will never be able to establish the

new exercise routine.

So allow yourself to indulge in other vices as long as you remain

disciplined and consistent in setting up your habit of exercise.

CHAPTER 4:Overcoming the Hardest Days

// Page 30

It’s no secret. You are going to wake up some days and have little

to no willpower to make it to the gym. It doesn’t matter if you follow

every single one of the previous steps to create your exercise habit

– you will not be perfect.

These days are natural, but they are also dangerous.

As you probably know from experience, sometimes it takes just one

day of skipping your workout to completely disrupt the habit. Once

you skip one workout, you set the precedent that it is okay to skip

the next workout as well.

The following pages will give you a list of steps to help you overcome

these tough days and stick to your habit.

Mastering Exercise

So how do you avoid this trap and ensure that you workout even on

the hardest days?

// Page 31

Avoid this trap!

Mastering Exercise

// Page 32

Bring Your Mind to the Present

When your alarm wakes you up after a poor night’s sleep, the first

thing you think about is pain.

The pain of getting out of bed.

The pain of facing the harsh weather outside.

The pain of exerting yourself through physical exercise.

When you begin to think about this pain, your brain begins to send

messages throughout your body. It begins to make you feel more

tired, it begins to make your muscles feel more fatigued and it

begins to make you dread the very idea of getting out of bed. Then

you begin to think about pleasure.

The pleasure of rest.

The pleasure of staying in your warm bed.

The pleasure of a day off and another hour of sleep.

When you think about this pleasure, your brain begins to release a

chemical called dopamine. This activates your reward center and

makes you crave staying in your bed longer.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 33

Bring Your Mind to the Present

Then the internal debate begins.

Part of you wants to stay strong,

stick to your routine and get out of

bed.

While the other part of you wants to

skip your workout, reset your alarm,

and go back to sleep.

So not only will your brain make you feel more tired and fatigued,

while also making you crave more sleep, but it will also burn

through the willpower that you need to get out of bed and make it

through your morning workout.

The longer you debate yourself over this, the more your willpower

becomes drained. Just like resisting a cookie, your brain uses

willpower to simply make a decision.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 34

Bring Your Mind to the Present

This is no easy task to overcome – but it can be done by bringing

your mind to the present. Rather than hearing your alarm and

instantly thinking about your dreaded workout, simply think about

what you need to do next.

You may not be able to fathom

running a 5K, but can you

manage to simply put your feet

on the floor?

You may not be able to fathom

enduring the cold weather

outside, but can you manage

to simply eat your breakfast?

The simpler you can make your next steps, the more likely you will

be to beat procrastination and accomplish your workout.

Get out of bed

Put on clothes

Eat breakfast

Get into car

Drive to the gym

Mastering Exercise

// Page 35

Practice 10 Minutes of Meditation

Bringing your mind to the present is easier said than done, of

course. It takes a lot of training to ignore the urge to focus on the

pleasure or pain that the future may bring.

It can be done, however, through a practice of 10 minutes of

meditation per day. Meditation trains the mind to let go of the

thoughts of the future that make you tempted to procrastinate your

workout routines.

Mastering Exercise

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Practice 10 Minutes of Meditation

There are a lot of myths surrounding meditation. Burning incense,

chanting, wearing robes, etc. So let's start by explaining what

meditation really is.

Meditation is simply the practice of bringing your thoughts to the

present moment. 47% of our lives are spent either reminiscing on

the past or thinking about what we are going to do in the future.

We spend very little time with a clear, focused mind on what we

are doing right now.

Meditation attempts to do just that. This is usually done by sitting

upright in a room that is clear of distractions and focusing solely on

your breathing. However, it can be achieved with any activity that

brings your full focus and attention.

If your mind is clear and you are focused completely on the

present task, you will see the benefits of meditation.

To begin practicing meditation, see the meditation exercise on the

next page.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 37

10 Minute Meditation Exercise

1. Go to a quiet room where you can sit upright and you will not be

disturbed.

2. Set a timer for 10 minutes, take a seat in a chair and make sure that you

are completely comfortable.

3. Find something in your direct line of vision to focus on and take 6 deep

breaths. With each exhalation, allow your body to soften as you become

more and more relaxed. On the 6th exhalation, gently close your eyes.

4. Begin by focusing your attention on the points of contact between your

body, the chair and the floor. Feel the sensation of your arms on the legs

and your feet on the floor.

5. Then begin to take in the senses of the space around you – any sounds

that you hear, any smells, etc. Simply become aware of your surroundings.

6. Then turn your attention to your breath. Feel your chest expand as you

inhale and contract as you exhale.

7. Once you are comfortable with the rhythm, begin to count – 1 on the

inhale, 2 on the exhale – all the way up to 10. This will help you to focus

your mind on the breathing and prevent it from wandering.

8. When you get to 10, repeat from the beginning at 1 – not to 11, 12, etc.

9. Throughout the exercise, allow thoughts to come and go. You cannot stop

yourself from thinking, but what you want to avoid is lingering on a thought.

The moment you realize that your mind has wandered, simply bring it back

to counting the breaths.

10. Continue this practice until the timer goes off.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 38

Just Start

The biggest thing that causes you to

skip workouts is your imagination.

Your brain will make you believe that

it is going to be much more painful,

arduous and boring than it really is.

If you can just get the process of

getting out of bed, putting on your

exercise clothes and eating breakfast

started; you will see that it is not

nearly as bad as you have set up I

n your mind.

In fact, the process of completing the workout is intrinsically

rewarding and will fill you with confidence. This feeling will always be

more rewarding than sleeping in or procrastinating the workout until

later in the day

But you cannot know that it is not as bad as you believe or get

this rewarding feeling unless you get started.

CHAPTER 5:Making the Habit Last

// Page 39

At 21 years of age, Jonah Hill exploded onto the Hollywood scene.

His lead role in the comedy Superbad not only made audiences

laugh, but also turned him into one of the most beloved comedic

actors of his generation.

It landed him many follow-up roles in movies like Forgetting Sarah

Marshall, Funny People and Get Him to the Greek. In each of

these movies, Hill played the chubby, jovial, funny guy – a role that

he played with brilliance. But in 2011, Hill wanted to mature as an

actor and as a person.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 40

He took the second lead role in Moneyball with Brad Pitt – a

role in which he would play a statistics genius, rather than your

typical “bro”. With this new role, Hill wanted to get into better

shape.

With extra motivation from Pitt, he saw a nutritionist. Hill loves

Japanese food, so the nutritionist put him on a “sushi diet”. This

diet helped Hill famously lose 40lbs and look remarkably

slimmer. A look, Hill said, revealed his new level of maturity as

an actor and a person.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 41

“I met you guys — meaning everyone,

media, audiences, strangers — when I was

21 or 22 years old, with Superbad. And I

was a kid — if you had a public record of

yourself at 21, you’d sound like an

idiot…Now I’m almost 28, and I’m growing

up in front of strangers. So for me, who I

was then is a lot different than who I am

now. So being healthier came along with

maturity.”

After Moneyball, Hill continued to get both serious and comedic

roles. But as an audience, we slowly started to see him put the

weight back on. In 21 Jump Street, we saw a slim Hill next to

Channing Tatum. But by the time they started shooting 22 Jump

Street, Hill was noticeably thicker. Then in The Wolf of Wall Street,

we saw Hill back at the weight he was before he shed so many

pounds.

Hill continued to put weight on and hit a new all-time weight high of

270 lbs – a number that his friends were seriously worried about.

He was back to eating pizza, junk food and indulging in his favorite

beverage, beer. Clearly he still had many problems trying to control

his weight, despite his access to the best nutritionists and fitness

professionals that money could buy!

Mastering Exercise

// Page 42

Hill is not the only person, or even celebrity, to have major

problems maintaining their weight-loss.

It is not as if these two celebrities lack willpower either. Oprah is

renowned across the world for her prodigious work ethic that

helped her get to the top. Hill, too, had the discipline to get paid a

mere $60,000 for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street; showing that

he is able to put his long-term career goals before his short-term

wealth.

So if not due to a lack of willpower, why do these two – and millions

of others across the world – have such a hard time maintaining

their goals once they have reached them? And, more importantly,

what can we do to ensure that when we finally reach our goals, we

are able to make them stick for a lifetime?

Over her lifetime, Oprah Winfrey has famously fluctuated from as

low as 120lbs to as high as 240lbs – never seeming to be able to

get it off and keep it off.

120

240

Mastering Exercise

// Page 43

One would think that maintaining a goal – whether it be keeping

weight off, or sticking to a budget – would be the easy part. That

the struggle of adjusting your lifestyle and choices to achieve the

goal in the first place is the truly hard part. Simply maintaining it is

much easier.

However, there are many factors that become a problem for us only

once you’ve actually reached your goal.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 44

Loss of Self-Awareness

Perhaps the most important

factor that prevents you from

maintaining your goals is

simply a loss of self-

awareness. When you are on

the journey to achieving your

goal, you become mindful of

each of your decisions.

You see how the daily choices that you make are a part of a larger

picture. You see that the impulse purchase, or the craving for

cheesecake, are both threats to your long-term goals, so you do

your best to avoid them.

When you are trying to maintain your goals, however, you begin to

devalue these daily decisions. You no longer see them as threats

to your goals and think in terms of “what is one slice of

cheesecake going to hurt, really?”

The answer, of course, is nothing. But that mentality applied day-

after-day, decision-after-decision, eventually adds up and sends

you right back where you started.

Mastering Exercise

// Page 45

Moral Licensing

The natural extension to the

loss of self-awareness is a

trap that your brain plays on you

known as “Moral Licensing”.

your brain is incredibly good

at applying logic and reasoning

to the world around you. This has

given you the ability to see

problems, brainstorm, and come

up with innovative solutions.

However, this same logic has also given you the ability justify “bad”

behavior because you’ve been “good” in other areas of your lives.

When you accomplish your goal, you can feel as if you have

earned the right to allow yourself to indulge.

In this state of mind, when you come across a temptation, your

usual internal debate gets cued up. The primitive part of your brain

sees the temptation and immediately tells you “YESSSSS! Get it!

Now!!”

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Moral Licensing

But then in comes your logical, rational, pre-frontal cortex (the self-

control area of the brain) to calm things down and control your

emotions. It will then use logic to debate the emotional brain and

say “But if I give in, then I won’t reach my goal!”

Under normal circumstances, if the pre-frontal cortex doesn’t win,

it at least puts up a good fight. But if you have already reached

your goal, then what reasoning does your pre-frontal cortex have?

Instead it will use logic to agree with the primitive brain and

rationalize your right to indulge.

This is exactly what takes place with moral licensing. Instead of an

epic battle between temptation and self-control, we have the two

sides agreeing with each other, leaving you no defense against

temptation.

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The Zeignarik Effect

Whenever you attempt to remember something important, your

brain will set up an internal reminder system to help you out. You

use this to remember what to buy at the grocery store, what

tasks are on your to-do lists, and also what your long-term goals

are.

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The Zeignarik Effect

However, once you have completed the task, your brain will

essentially “check it off the list” and no longer store it in your

memory. This is known as the Zeignarik Effect – named after a

psychologist who was blown away by his waiter’s ability to

remember his order perfectly, then completely forget it once he

served it to him.

This same phenomenon happens when you are achieving your

goals. You set up an internal reminder in your brain to “stick to

your budget” “say ‘no’ to that cheesecake” and “get to the gym”.

But once you have completed your financial or weight-loss goals,

your mind naturally “checks it off” of your internal to-do list.

So you no longer receive those reminders when you come face-

to-face with the cheesecake, or the clock turns 5pm and you are

supposed to head to the gym. Because the reminders have been

essentially wiped from your mind, it is harder for you to find the

motivation to do the small things on a daily basis that will help

you maintain your goals.

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All of the traps listed

above stem from the fact

that you have “completed

your goal”. Because you

have completed your goal,

you no longer need to

worry about it as much

any more. You “deserve”

to indulge and you can

check it off of your internal

to-do list. All 3 of these

things can be overcome by simply switching the focus of your

goals to the process, rather than the result.

By focusing on the process, you will never lose your self-

awareness. Rather than thinking that you are “done” by losing 40

lbs, you begin to focus on the next step in the journey.

You continue to find healthy foods and experiment with healthy

recipes that you enjoy eating. You begin to get stronger, faster and

more fit in the gym. You start to enjoy the process of getting better.

Focus on the Process

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Focus on the Process

You will also avoid the trap of feeling that you “deserve” to indulge.

It is important to reward yourself, of course, but you should never

take your foot off of the gas pedal. Focusing on the process

ensures that you will always be thinking about how indulging will

affect your progress.

Finally, because you are focused on the process, your internal

reminder system will never stop helping you. It will constantly be

recognizing the things that will help you progress, or potentially

derail you from achieving your goals.

This will give you the ability to stick to your goals for the long

term.

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To be truly successful in establishing a habit of exercise for the

long term, you must embrace the fact that greatness is a journey

without an end. It is important to have deadlines, it is important to

have rewards, it is important to achieve small wins, but your habit

never truly be finished.

The minute you take your foot off of the gas pedal is when you

start to lose focus on what was once so hard to accomplish. Jonah

Hill and Oprah Winfrey went through a lot of pain and personal

torment to lose weight and become healthier. But as soon as they

accomplished their remarkable results, they began to slip right

back to where they started – and ended up even worse.

You can avoid this fate very simply by focusing on the process and

not the result. You must embrace the idea that no matter what you

have accomplished today, it is will always be merely good

compared to what you can accomplish next. Greatness is a

journey and not a destination.

Good luck establishing your habit of exercise!

Conclusion

If you have any questions about Mastering

Exercise, you can email me at

colin@willpowered.co

If you’re interested in learning more about how

willpower relates to diet, productivity or overcoming

procrastination, check out our online class!

Check out the class

Thanks for Reading!