I feel like we’re all one “I’m losing my shit” away from giving up on ever having anything figured out—because the gnat-sized moment you think you have it all under control is precisely when the seventh layer opens up and Lucifer himself vomits all over you. 👹
That’s how fast your routine - powered by willpower - can come crashing down.
So here is my attempt to prove that willpower is overrated, and that lasting change doesn't have to feel like you're wrestling a bear in your brain.
The Real Culprit Behind Your "Failed" Attempts
On this week's episode of the Aging Fiercely Podcast, I shared something that completely changed how I approach transformation—and it started with admitting that I was fighting the wrong battle [slowly places head in hand].
For years, I believed that lasting change required superhuman willpower. That if I just tried harder, wanted it more, or had better self-control (gah), I'd finally stick to my healthy habits and stop feeling like I couldn’t do it.
But here's what I discovered during my own 30-day experiment: The real issue is misalignment.
Think about it like this—when your car tires are out of alignment, it subtly pulls you off the road despite your perfectly straight steering.
Your mind and body can experience the same misalignment, creating that frustrating push-and-pull struggle that leaves you feeling like you're fighting yourself every step of the way and never winning.
Why Your Brain Fights Change (And How to Work With It)
Your brain isn't trying to sabotage you—it's trying to keep you safe. It has carefully curated a set of activities and habits that feel familiar and predictable, and when you try to change those things—when you come into its house and paint over its Revere Pewter with your Mocha Mousse—your brain perceives this as a threat to its safety system and wants you to die, you big, dumb, woolly mammoth. (Your brain is never not afraid—at least the part that remembers having to legit be on the lookout for woolly mammoths with oversized tusks.)
Instead of freaking out your brain, you need to work with it to calm it down. Reassure its anxious, and fearful reactions by consistently reinforcing that this change is not only possible, but that it can be easy.
The Bigger Picture
Here's what I want you to marinate in: You get to decide what conversation happens in your head.
Change doesn't require superhuman willpower or perfect conditions. It requires:
A firm decision (that creates the discipline you need)
Accountability (that makes backing down harder than moving forward)
Pattern interruption (that calms your brain instead of fighting it)
The transformation you're seeking is absolutely possible. The key is working with your mind, instead of freaking it out. 😫
If you want to hear how I took on more than I (thouhgt I) could and discovered how to work with my mind, listen into this week’s podcast episode on Apple, Spotify, or you can click the big box at the top of this page 😉 👆
What you’ll walk away with could potentially save you from having to clean up any potential mess from opening up that 7th layer! 🤮
Til next week, you slayer of misalignment!
❤️
am
If you’re new here, welcome to my heart-focused, woo-casual, shamelessly optimistic, fitness accountability bandwagon where we slow down and allow space in your day for the ‘real YOU’ to feel witnessed + worthy… not to mention vibrantly healthy!
This isn’t a “newsletter” filled with stale fitness and wellness advice, or trending fads that promise beach-ready bods in just two weeks…
… this is a love letter to the real YOU who, in your 40+ years of living, knows that to age fiercely means you can…
Lift heavy things (like your expectations, your standards, and occasionally actual weights) and feel how it gets more satisfying with age.
Deflate your old, farty narratives—they’re starting to smell like blue cheese
Know that taking care of yourself is no longer “optional”
Deprive yourself of negativity, not pizza
Workout for the endorphins, not the scale
My purpose is to help you get to that point where you surprise yourself and say out loud with a voice of victory, I can’t believe I just did that!!!!! I can tell you from experience, it’s even better than binge-watching bad TV on a Sunday morning.
