6 Ways to Resist Temptation

Temptation is everywhere.  It’s cold this morning and I’m tempted to stay in bed and not go to the gym.  I have friends over and I’m tempted to order a lot of pizza instead of eating the healthy food I have at home.  I’m feeling a bit depressed tonight and I’m tempted to eat all that chocolate I have in the pantry instead of sticking to my healthy way of eating.  Sound familiar?

This kind of flawed decision making is a normal part of human existence.  All of us, regardless of our intelligence, are tempted to think of the short term rather than the long term.  That warm bed is here NOW and the benefits of the workout will only come much later.  That chocolate will taste great NOW and the harmful side effects will be hard to detect.  It’s not hard to see why people succumb to temptation when the benefits are so immediate and obvious while the damage is so subtle and long term.

So here are a few ways to make it easier on yourself to resist temptation:

Give In

Yes, you heard me, you can resist temptation by giving in occasionally.  Let’s take me as an example, I love chocolate.  If I tried to completely eliminate chocolate from diet, I would fail and really, why would I want to eliminate it completely?  In small amounts, it can be a fine part of a healthy diet.  So rather than try to avoid it completely, I treat myself to an occasional piece of chocolate.  This keeps the eating under control and it also eliminates temptation by reducing my craving.  The same applies to staying in bed or the occasional pizza instead of a green salad.  Remember, a healthy life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured and the more you enjoy it, the less likely you are to make a bad decision.

Remove the Temptation

If you’re a recovering alcoholic, do you keep beer in the fridge?  If you’re trying to quit smoking, do you keep cigarettes in your pocket?  So if you’re trying to eat healthy, why are you keeping 2lbs of bacon and 3 bags and candy in your house?  Remember, temptation is a lot harder to fall prey to if it’s less convenient.  If I’m craving chocolate right now it would be much worse if I actually had some here within immediate reach.  That’s why I don’t keep any in the house.  When I want to eat a bit, I go out and get exactly the right amount and I don’t bring any back home.  Make it so you have to work a bit to succumb to your temptation and you’ll see how less frequently you do it.

Make A Public Commitment

Yep, peer pressure works so why not use it for us?  Make a promise and make it public that you will be at the gym every morning this month.  By telling your friends and family about it, you’re less likely to break that promise.  I know it sounds a bit shallow, but promises made to others are less likely to be broken than promises made to yourself.

Make It A Group Effort

Similar to the public commitment idea, make it harder on yourself to give in by working with your friends.  For example, if it’s just you that’s supposed to be at the gym in the morning then it’s easy to give in to that warm bed.  However, if you’re supposed to meet a friend there then it’s much harder to not show up.  Same applies to that pizza.  If it’s just you that’s trying to eat healthy then it’s easy to give in when your friends want pizza.  If you’ve gotten all your friends involved and they’re trying to eat healthy then it’s much harder to order that pizza.

Remind Yourself

Keep a reminder of why you want to live a healthy life with you.  Could be a picture of your kids, a picture of that mountain you hope to climb or even a picture of you from a year ago when you weight 60lbs more.  Whatever it is, keep it on you and take a look at it when you’re tempted to do something dumb.  That item will remind you of the actual benefits of a healthy life.

20 Minute Rule

Remember this one?  Yah, it works.  If you’re tempted to do something stupid, wait 20 minutes and see what you think then.  In most cases, you’ll see that the temptation was momentary and you can now make a good decision.  Yes, this even works for staying in bed.  If you’re tempted to stay in that warm bed, tell yourself “ok, I’m getting up for just 20 minutes.  I’m going to shower and do whatever, and if I feel like diving back into bed in 20 minutes, I will.”  Most times, you’ll find yourself wide awake and well into your day 20 minutes later and that bed won’t look as tempting.

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On and unrelated note to temptation, I would like to thank Positive and Successful Lifestyle Tips for including a 60 in 3 article in their blog carnival.  The carnival can be found HERE.

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