of a presentation on 11/1/11 at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. It provides tips and insights for not just setting goals, but actually getting your goals. In this 50 minute program you’ll find humor, examples and practical advice on the benefits of thinking in stages as you embark on change, and tips for dealing with discomfort during early stages of an exercise program.

Start your New Year right

With the completion of another year and the promise of 2012 ahead, it is time for reflection of things past and things to come.  The ubiquitous “Top 10″ lists are staples in magazines and newspapers, noting everything from the major news events of the year to the worst dressed individuals.

Here’s an idea from Robert Pagliarini of the  Chicago Tribune that can be both personally meaningful as well as a great conversation topic at a new year’s gathering:  Create your own “Top 10″ list for 2011. What were your biggest accomplishments?  toughest challenges?  funniest moments? or simply what you consider your personal major events?  After you’ve reviewed 2011, turn your attention forward and imagine that you are having the same conversation as 2012 rolls to an end.  What do you want to be listing as your top 10 events of 2012?  After you’ve identified your 2012 list, don’t just think it; INK it!  Write it down where you can use it to navigate your efforts this year and review it next December.

On a personal note, one of my top 10 accomplishments of 2011 was launching the new Get Your Head In The Game website (yea!!!!).  One of my goals for 2012 is to have at least 1,000 people following Get Your Head In The Game on Facebook.  If you’re reading this and and think it is of value, I’d like your help:  take a moment to click the “Like” button and share this post with your friends.  If you sign up to our mailing list, your name will be entered in the monthly drawing for a free gift from Get Your Head In The Game.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Charlie Brown PhD (a.k.a., Dr. Charlie)

One of the greatest challenges of any health and exercise program is remaining committed when motivation wanes.  There is ample research supporting the notion that people change in stages. When an individual gets to the Action stage, simple behavioral principles (such as having a clear behavioral goal and reward) are most effective.  While it may irk some to pay cash to people for doing something that they should want to do because it is beneficial to them, the bottom line is that the external reward (money) is more effective than all the “shoulds,” “oughts” and other idealistic intrinsic (internal) motivation principles.

If you want to stay the course on your health routine during this upcoming holiday season, I encourage you use the same approach that the companies are finding successful:  pay yourself to remain committed to your program.  There are a number of variations of using an external reward to sustain commitment, but they all include these key elements:

• Have a clear behavioral goal of what you will do rather than what you will not do, such as exercising 3 times each week, having small portion size, eating desert only on Sunday, etc.
• Ante up.  Make the reward real where you can see it at the beginning of the program.  For example, get a crisp $100 bill, an envelope of cash or a written check at the commencement of your program. It makes a difference if you can actually see your reward rather than thinking of it as a draft from your bank account.
• Follow the rules. Have a clear structure where you get the reward only by adhering to your commitment.  No fudging allowed.  If there is a risk that you might fall to temptation and give yourself the reward without adhering to the program, enlist the assistance of someone else to hold the stakes.  Be certain that person commits to giving you the reward only when you have earned it.  If there is a chance that you may fall short of your goal, clarify a contingency plan for  the money, such as giving it to charity.

It also turns out that will power requires a goodly amount of energy, primarily in the form of glucose.  If your glucose levels are low, either due to not having enough “fuel” or the body simply not processing the glucose efficiently due to stress or lack of sleep, then your will power is more apt to run out of gas.  Psychologist Roy Baumeister of Florida State University conducted studies where a small number of jelly beans or half a can of soda provided the brain with a boost in glucose to produce more self control.

Members of AA have long advocated the “HALT principle” when undertaking one of the greatest challenges of will power: abstinence from alcohol.  HALT is a reminder to never get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.  Modern brain imaging research validates the HALT principle.  If you are hungry and struggling with will power, a bite of something sweet may provide the sugar boost that you need to sustain self control (just make certain is is only a bite!).  Likewise, engaging in pleasurable activities that promote emotional and mental recovery, can help restore one’s will power “muscles” and strengthen them in the process.

These current findings also give insights as to why eating several small meals throughout the day is typically more effective than restrictive crash dieting.  By eating throughout the day, a person is better able to maintain the glucose levels needed to fuel the parts of the brain that exercise self-control.  That means making better choices as to both types of foods and portion sizes.  By contrast, if a person restricts food for an extended period and experiences a drop in glucose, will power crashes and the probability of binge eating skyrockets.

To learn more about recent findings on the neurological basis of will power, check out this article from the Boston Globe: click here.

So now about that chocolate… The researchers used a small number of jelly beans to boost glucose levels. Personally, if I’m going for an energy boost, chocolate is my “fuel” of choice.  The challenge is to stop with just a bite.  If you eat it slowly (and good chocolate should always be savored slowly), the added glucose can help you say “enough.”  Sounds like a “win-win situation” to me.

So what have you found that helps your will power?

Is Adult Anger in Youth Sports Out of Control?

While the experience of anger in youth sport is not new (the Rutgers Youth Sport Research Council has an excellent article on-line documenting adult violence at youth sporting events occurring 25 years ago), there are factors that make the matter more volatile today.   One of the major concerns is when parents begin seeing their child’s sport participation as an “investment.”  Rather than encouraging a child to play for fun and to learn life skills such as teamwork, leadership and discipline, sport participation is viewed as a way to get a scholarship or a big paycheck as a professional athlete.  Too often this can lead to thinking in terms of “ownership” of the athlete and wanting to protect the investment, rather than pride in your child.

If you’d like to read more about “margin,” check this out: click here.