Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness To Flourishing

I love a good quote. As I'm digging into some research or just floating about in the vast information available on the internet, I'll come across an idea caught in a quote that gets me thinking much deeper about the subject I'm exploring. Here's one of my favourites.

“My freedom will be so much the greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action and the more I surround myself with obstacles. Whatever diminis...

In these episodes I've used the words virtue and virtuous over and over again. I've also talked about living your highest values, taking for granted you understand these concepts the same way that I do. That's probably not the case. Today we'll sort this out.

Hey there. It’s me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness To Flourishing.

Donald Robertson is a writer, cognitive behavioural psychotherapist, and ...

Have you heard of this concept called self-sabotage? It's a fairly common idea. A person has a goal, but does things that make the goal harder, or even impossible, to achieve. Here's the thing, they're not self-sabotaging. And here's why.

Hey there. It's me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness To Flourishing.

I dislike that term: self-sabotage. At least, I dislike what it's implying. It suggests you're...

You can't force your body to change. I address this in the episode What It Means To “Actually Train”. In short, what you can do is choose to introduce circumstances to which the body must adapt. The body, in turn, does what it does. That said, the beliefs you hold and the mindsets you adopt influence how the body adapts to those circumstances. When it comes to your health and fitness, it's not just what you choose to do, it's also ...

In the last episode you learned how to write Intention Statements. Today you're going to learn how to use The Discipline. This will fulfill the third and final condition to consistently exercise virtuous self-control in the moment of choice. There's a lot to cover. Let's get into it.

Hey there. It’s me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness to Flourishing.

There's a principle in behaviour science called ...

When you exercise virtuous self-control consistently you become a much more effective human being. Circumstances that used to stop you in your tracks become minor inconveniences. Schedules that used to intimidate you become routine and no big deal. Today is Part One of a two-part lesson on becoming highly skilled at bridging the gap between intention and action.

Hey there. It’s me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self-Contr...

If your exercise practice ever starts to feel too overwhelming or like you're putting too much pressure on yourself, today is the episode for you. You're going to hear some differences in perspective that you can take to your workouts and to your practice overall, and make it a little bit more fun and like an experiment.

Hey there. It's me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self: From Fitness To Flourishing.

Sometimes, we can...

How does your personal excellence relate to the changes you'd like to see in the world at large? Maybe you haven't considered your life on this grand scale. Whether or not you have, you are part of this system we call the world. If you take exercising virtuous self-control seriously, you'll move the world to a better place through your actions and by making choices worthy of emulation. No pressure.

Hey there. It's me, Kore. And you'...

In the last episode, I introduced an ancient Greek word: prohairesis. This is translated as the faculty of choice or volition or will. And this, according to Epictetus, is the essence of who we are as individuals experiencing the world. The self, in other words, is the faculty of choice.

Now, what can we do with that? Let's find out.

Hey there. It’s me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness To Flourishin...

There's a concept in Stoic philosophy that makes you invincible. Not in the physical sense. However, if you become skilled in applying this lesson in the moment of choice, you will be “an athlete unconquered indeed,” as Epictetus, my favourite Stoic, put it.

Hey there. It's me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness to Flourishing.

Alright, going to get philosophical today. This Stoic concept is called Th...

Practice always works. Always. What you practice gets easier because your brain is becoming more efficient. Is that what you want? The answer to that, of course, depends on what you're practicing.

Hey there. It's me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness To Flourishing.

The efficiency of the neural pathways in your brain can be thought of as the paths developed through an overgrown field. At first, it's ...

Perfection seems to be a worthy goal, doesn't it? It is. However, there's an important distinction here. While perfection as an outcome may provide an ideal target, attempting to take perfect action likely means you'll miss the target. But let's explore a smarter way of getting better at hitting the target.

Hey there. It's me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness To Flourishing.

So it's story time once ...

Here's an interesting question for you: Do you know the moment when you've made a choice? That might seem silly, but stick with me because it does matter, and I think this is going to clarify some of the difficulties you may be having in your life.

Hey there. It's me, Kore. And you're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness to Flourishing.

Let's start this off with a story. Imagine I'm in a clothing store, and I'm there to...

There are no shortcuts to long-term achievement. You either learn the fundamentals of your chosen craft and practice them diligently as long as you want to be excellent in your craft, or you will constantly be trying to build on a foundation you can't trust to do the job.

Hey there. It's me, Kore, and you're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness To Flourishing.

Now, when you're first starting in a new field, exploring op...

Health and fitness is not a project - it's a lifestyle, and this is why it matters.

Hey there. It's me, Kore. Welcome to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness to Flourishing.

So there's no single behaviour that is going to provide your health and fitness. It is a comprehensive approach. And here's why that matters.

There are three behaviours - lack of exercise, tobacco use, and poor diet - that contribute and lead to these four diseas...

Other than the trailer for this podcast, this is the seventh episode that I've recorded. And I haven't really talked about myself that much—my background, my qualifications, and why you should even be listening to me. So that's what we're going to talk about today.

Hey there. It's me, Kore. You're listening to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness to Flourishing.

So, yeah, I haven't talked about myself. I actually don't want this to...

Today we're going to have a look at what it means to actually train from the perspective of virtuous self-control.

Hey there. It's me, Kore, and this is Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness to Flourishing.

When most people think about exercise, they think it's a purely physical endeavour, and that seems obvious(?). But coming in with that perspective, most people never actually train when they exercise; all they do is go through the...

Hey there. It's me, Kore. Hope you're doing well.

Today on Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness To Flourishing, I wanted to add some thoughts on yesterday's topic.

Yesterday we considered the importance of looking for and using resistance to grow. I mean, for physical strength development, it's literally called resistance training, isn't it?

For the brain and body to change, there needs to be a good return to justify the investment r...

Hey there. It's me, Kore. Welcome to Exercising Self-Control: From Fitness to Flourishing.

So today I want to talk about how you need to face resistance. That you need to actually try to find resistance and face it directly to grow in strength. The resistance when encountered while moving toward your goals is actually what you want.

For example, lifting weights—the heavier the weights, within reason, the number of repetitions you do ...