Reset Your Mind, Body & Spirit For 2017
Marie Claire - UK|February 2017

New Year is a time for fresh starts and good intentions, but what governs our ability to see them through? In this seven-page special, we explore how we can put a positive spin on the way we eat, think and live – starting with the science of willpower

Polly Dunbar
Reset Your Mind, Body & Spirit For 2017

Every year, I make the same resolution: to go to the gym three times a week and finally transform my fitness levels. And every year, I manage it for four weeks before I slip back into my usual routine of the occasional spin or yoga class, disappointed in myself for not doing more. I’ve lost track of the times I’ve looked enviously at friends who seem blessed with a single-minded determination – friends who decide to run a marathon, then actually train and go through with it – and wondered why I can’t stick to my goals.

Willpower is a mysterious quality. Some people appear to have it; others seem to have little or none. It’s having the self-control to carry out our decisions, even in the face of temptation – whether to slob out on the sofa with a glass of wine in front of Netflix (instead of doing that evening class) or light another cigarette (when you’ve vowed to quit).

The ability to use this kind of self-discipline has a profound effect on our lives. The iconic ‘marshmallow test’, created in the 60s by psychologist Walter Mischel, involved children being offered a choice between one marshmallow immediately, or two if they could resist eating the first one for 15 minutes. The children who exercised control later went on to perform better at school and were deemed to be healthier and more popular. Why? Because people who can control their minds using ‘cool’ (or calm) strategies are generally more adept at solving problems than those who use ‘hot’ (or emotional and impulsive) strategies, making ‘cool’ thinkers more likely to be successful.

This story is from the February 2017 edition of Marie Claire - UK.

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This story is from the February 2017 edition of Marie Claire - UK.

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