Do you feel like you have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other? Your devil may be constantly pulling towards chocolate and wine while the angel is desperate to make good choices so you can feel better? Welcome to the battle of the brains!

We all have a primitive brain, which is constantly striving for survival on a very base level. Imagine our hunter gatherer ancestors who were living in caves and fighting for survival. They had to work hard for food and warmth whilst looking out for predators and looking after their young. The brain worked at a primitive level focusing on feeling safe and surviving – conserving energy, keeping away from harm or pain, seeking out warmth and nurturing and generally seeking things that felt good. Their brains knew to avoid things that caused pain whether physical or emotional. It was very instinctive. This instinct included conserving energy. Our ancestors would never have gone on a run or expanded energy in other ways for fun. Energy needed to be conserved, especially when surviving the winter.

Thankfully, an area of our brain has evolved beyond this level of instinct and is called the prefrontal cortex. We use our prefrontal cortex when we make plans and organise and create. It makes up around 10% of the brain and is what makes us human. Why is this important when it comes to motivation? If you think about it, you’re unlikely to wake up one morning when it’s freezing cold outside and decide to go for a run or go to the gym. Your brain is likely to talk you out of it because, at base level, it means exposing yourself to the cold and using energy that you should be conserving. Your primitive brain is very much in control. The best way to tackle this is to make your plans the night before so that your prefrontal cortext is in control. Put your gym clothes out and make it as easy as possible to do what you intended. Personally I much prefer working out at home, especially in winter, because I don’t need to worry about the weather. The only problem with that is that you need a plan. If you go downstairs with your gym clothes on and no plan then you’re likely to make a cup of tea, empty the dishwasher, put the washing on and find other things to keep busy while you decide what to do. Suddenly the day is gone and you’ve done nothing apart from put your gym kit on. It’s much better to have a plan of exactly which workout you’re going to do and how long it will take. You can use an exercise dvd (bit old fashioned but people still do it) or an app or a youtube video or something similar. Choose exactly what you will do the day before so you have a plan. That way you’re far more likely to do it. I have a range of workouts on my app from 10 minutes to an hour but I always say to clients that they need to choose one the day before so they know exactly what they are doing otherwise it’s less likely to happen. Many clients add videos to their ‘favourites’ section so they do the same few and get to know them well. I often do ’21 day’ challenges to help with motivation and that way the thinking is done for you.

The same planning needs to come with food. If you’re going out for the day then it’s important to have a good breakfast before you go so that you know you have sustenance. Make good choices and don’t worry about calories. You need protein, good fats and preferably vitamins and minerals too via fruit, nuts, seeds etc. Plan ahead. If you go out without breakfast your primitive brain will demand glucose to keep it fuelled and it’s very hard to go against that. Let your prefrontal cortex maintain the control.

One thing that it’s really important to realise and to understand is that we are living in a toxic food environment. There is temptation everywhere, especially in coffee shops. I get hugely agitated when I go into a coffee shop and the only offerings are sandwiches or toasties full of white bread and cheese or sweet pastries and muffins or cruffins or whatever they may be. They all talk to your primitive brain, which may well be in need of some high glucose ‘nourishment’. Unfortunately these things are far from nourishing and barely deserve the label of ‘food’. Plan ahead. Plan for the feelings of temptation so that they are way reduced or even gone. It takes effort to stay healthy in today’s world. In prehistoric times they wouldn’t have had these problems, they ate what they could find and all of it would be dealt with well by the body. Today’s foods not so much…..

If you take anything away from this blog then please note that planning is crucial if you want to get on the health wagon. Don’t leave it to chance and don’t go shopping if you’re hungry. Don’t let your primitive brain make any food decisions. One thing to note is that the prefrontal cortex is hugely impacted by stress so if you’re in a stressful situation or anxious or worried then you are likely to make ‘bad’ decisions. This is again why planning is important.

The more decisions your prefrontal cortex can make, the more you will gain control and will find your motivation. Planning is everything. I still have to write down exercise routines and plan otherwise I won’t do them. Make a note in your diary for the days you’d like to work out. Writing things down helps to solidify them. You can take these levels of control into other areas like drinking, socialising, shopping etc so that you have more control and evolve slowly over time. You need to do it for yourself and not worry about other people. There are so many temptations and also many people wanting you to stay on an unhealthy path because it helps them to feel better that they’re not in control. Break free and work on yourself. You’re the only person who can change your outlook and your future self.