Willpower, determination and doggedness are always brought up as success factors.. However the idea of just try harder has its faults. Research shows that people most likely to show self-control and restraint live in an environment of less temptation.

So if you don’t buy sweets and cakes and they don’t come into the home, your will power is more than likely to appear stronger. The same can be said if you come home and put your phone in the bedroom, you are less likely to spend your evening scrolling whilst watching the TV.

 As human beings we slip into habits that become easy and often take the path of least resistance, so the gym that is not on your journey to work and back remains unvisited, the guitar in the cupboard stays un played, the book on the shelf does not get read. You get the gist.

New ways can be difficult to start, so break it down, read a page of a book, then a chapter before you know it you will have read many books in a year, the same with your fitness goals – a little and often builds up.  

The all or nothing approach usually defaults to nothing, as you fail trying to reach perfection or something that is not achievable in the early stages.

 The first thing you should do with regards fitness is master the art of showing up… get this consistent and the rest will flow. If you don’t show up, the habit does not stick and the results do not happen, your body will become like the guitar that does not get played!

 You have to want to use your will power. If you cannot control your impulses, then you can at least control your environment, whether that is the food in the house or working out with like-minded people in a group training session. You might not be able to stop eating more than one slice of cake but if that cake is still in the bakery isle you can’t eat it and you might not be able to get motivated to get off the sofa but if you have turned up at the gym and join in you’ll get that HIIT session done.

So give yourself a chance get the environment right, and this will improve your willpower.