Latest / FitMitTuro Fitness Podcast / You Don’t Need More Discipline - You Need a Better System

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You Don’t Need More Discipline - You Need a Better System · FitMitTuro Fitness Podcast

• 1:11
  Turo Virta: Hey and welcome back to the fitness turoo Fitness Podcast. Today, I want to challenge something that almost everyone believes, and that is this idea. I just need more discipline, because I hear this all the time, and people are telling me, I know what to do, I just don't do it. I need more I need to be more consistent. I need more more willpower. But the truth is that you don't actually need more discipline.
• 1:43
  Turo Virta: You need a better system, because discipline is unreliable. Some days you have it, some days you don't. And if your success depends on discipline, you will always feel inconsistent. So today, I will show you what actually works instead. So discipline is like a phone battery. So if you think about discipline, like your phone battery, in the morning, it's maybe 100% because you just charge it, and in the evening, it's maybe 10% so what do most people do? They try to make the hardest decisions when their battery is almost empty after a long day, after you have been working, after you have stress, you have kids, you have your responsibilities, and then people are asking themselves, should I train? Should I eat healthy? And of course, it feels hard, not because you are lazy, but because your battery is low.
• 2:48
  Turo Virta: And so instead of saying, I need more discipline, you should ask yourself, How can I build a system that works when my battery is low? And this is what we are going to go through in this episode. This was just actually yesterday. I talked with one of my coaching clients, and she just figured out about, like she thinks that she's eating way too much sweets, and she knows that is the niche, and then we started implementing like, more protein into her diet. And, of course, it feels like, if you have never paid attention, implementing protein, trying to eat, and first of all, understanding that how much protein you need per day, it sounds that, Wow, holy shit. How the hell if I'm getting now, like 3040, maybe in a good day, 50 gram of protein, and now I should get, like 120 grams, how I should eat, almost more than doubling my protein intake. So of course, it feels hard, but the goal is never to get that from today to tomorrow that you hit almost three times or you are eating three times more protein, but it starts with implementing strategies and understanding it's like same with the training. Like most of the people understand that if you have been very inactive, you haven't been working out or anything that you probably shouldn't start to practice every single day for an hour or two if you have never done it.
• 4:31
  Turo Virta: So everyone understands that you have to start step by step, slowly increasing and increasing your training amounts hours, and then maybe at some day you will get there. But with nutrition, somehow, I feel like that. Most of the people are like that. You know, you know what you should be doing, and you got to change it immediately. And it's the same thing, because she said that she needs to see needs. She knows that she needs to cut sugars and sweets completely out from her diet. And that is, again, for me, it's all or nothing thinking, of course it would be beneficial, but it's the same way. If you think that you should be practicing every single day, seven hours so, or several hours per day, and most of the people in practice, you are like, okay, that's kind of unrealistic. So it's not going to happen. So I don't need to do that, but it's the same thing the nutrition, same thing with the sweets. It's probably not the smartest idea to cut, try to cut them completely out. Like, of course it it will work, or it might work if you have discipline for a couple days, but in the long term, it's matter of time before you start eating sweets again and and it's not in the long term, you won't get results insane that you might want to be starting to work out every single day, More than hour per day. But the question is that if you start from zero trying to get there, how the hell you're going to imagine that your body and you're going to recover from everything what you are doing?
• 6:19
  Turo Virta: So it's it's matter of time before you end up quitting. So there are several better strategies. What I'm going to tell in this, this episode so deep, I hope you keep listening.
• 6:33
  Turo Virta: So I want to start with the telling, like about the default mode system, what I have to call it in this name, because, and I want to explain a little bit with the simple idea. So we have all that default mode. So when you are tired, you are stressed, you are busy, you go back to your default. So for many people, default looks like that.
• 6:57
  Turo Virta: You are skipping your workouts, you are random eating, you are snacking in the evening, and the goal is not to try harder. The goal is to change your default.
• 7:10
  Turo Virta: So example from one of my clients, so it was every evening, she had a same pattern.
• 7:15
  Turo Virta: So it was coming after work, going to couch, eating some snacks, and she didn't have any control, so we didn't try to fix discipline. We changed the system. So the system was for her dinner. At the same time, planned snack after dinner. So it was not that she couldn't eat any snack after dinner, because that was her thing, but it was planned what she were giving like, kind of creating rules, short walk after eating, and now her default changed so it was the same person, different system and different results.
• 7:59
  Turo Virta: And that example, what is this is when we, when I talked a little bit earlier about those weeds, instead of trying to cut completely everything out, like, it's just an practical example, what came to my mind, what we what we just talked yesterday with one of my clients. So instead of aiming for cutting sweets, if you know that you eat too much, too many sweets, instead of cutting them completely out, like, because, if you know, if you ever heard of rule 8020 which means, in practical terms, that 80% of foods you are eating are, should, should be like some kind of nutritious Foods, like Whole Foods, like, let's say fruits or or vegetables or source of carbs, protein, what you are eating. And that 20 frozen should be then something, what you are actually enjoying. So it could be sweets, it could be fast food, junk food, whatever you call it. So. And the idea was with the Swedes was not to try to avoid them completely and never ever eat them again.
• 9:13
  Turo Virta: Because if you make that decision and you try to avoid them completely, the result is going to be that you are relying on your willpower, your discipline. And for many people, it works. Maybe if you have it a little bit more, it works for short time. And it might you. Of course, you will get results.
• 9:35
  Turo Virta: But instead of if you allow yourself by creating rules, so could be, for example, if it's 20 problems, let's say that for her, she needs around 2400 calories per day to maintain her weight. Or or what is her calorie target? Of course, her goal is the fat loss. So her calorie target is 2400 if you think that 20 frozen, it's almost 500 calories per day, 400 a if my math is correct. But for her, it could be two to 300 calories of sweets, because that was the main issue. And there is, there are two ways how to actually get them. It could be like every single day for some person is that you have to eat like a while ago with another client, we decided to do like, or she was like, kind of person who been over it, always vegan.
• 10:35
  Turo Virta: Said she had a one or two days in a week when you could eat your sweets, and those days were like that. Okay. Now today I'm allowed to do it, so I better eat it more, because tomorrow it's not allowed anymore. And we changed that whole approach by that she had to eat every single day certain amount of sweets. So there was no that off limits, that now you have to do it because tomorrow I can't do it anymore, so now today, I better eat it. And she felt up to a point that she felt sick. And of course, that is not the goal. But when you, when you, when she started to teach her brain that you actually can have it, and nothing happens.
• 11:23
  Turo Virta: The best part of this story is that she actually started to get results and her, her identity and mindset changed with these actions. So other option is, then that you think your sweet budget as a weekly goal, like if it's let's say that it's two to 300 calories every single day.
• 11:43
  Turo Virta: But of course, you can be flexible with planning. If you take, for example, one week, you can like, I wouldn't recommend to take it like, longer than week, because then, you know, you think that okay, I eat now one day my whole month bats it, and then I don't have anything left for whole month. But if it's every single week, it's one week, it's usually a good time that it's not too long, but it's not also too short, so it gives that flexibility. So for example, if it's two 300 calories per day, it could be 1005, to 2000 calories more or less per week. And that you can divide between the days. How you prefer if you are someone that you want to enjoy more on weekends, you can live more on weekends, or on Tuesday, when you have whatever, some social living where you are going and you want to have your desert. So this would mean, it would mean, just in practical tips, what you could be, it would you allow yourself to eat. It could be every day, one piece of chocolate, one plus one cookie or or depending, like whatever you decide to eat. It's that.
• 12:55
  Turo Virta: That's not the point. It's just that understanding what you are actually eating and how much of it so that there is, there is, it's allowed. But there is some kind of rules, some kind of limitations where where you are also showing that you are doing what you actually tell that you are going to do, but it's never off limits. So there is, then one other thing about making the right choice to make it easy choice. So because there is this concept from behavioral psychology, so environment beats willpower, and let me give you a simple example. So if you have cookies on the table, you will eat them, not because you are weak, because they are there.
• 13:50
  Turo Virta: And this was, I, trust me, I, I did this practical trial for this experiment during Christmas time. I I always love to bake cookies. And for my traditionally, I have been doing now for several years, for my group coaching clients, before Christmas, I make cookies and they are finished. Finished.
• 14:15
  Turo Virta: Christmas cookies for the what are, trust me, really delicious and and the problem is that I have to make them. It takes, like, two days, first day you make Duff, and then next day you actually bake them, you know, and they are then once they are done, it doesn't you don't need to eat them right away, but they are staying. And of course, I can't do it the last moment, so I have to do it always a little bit before. And when I did it, of course, I there was, I made way too many, or like, of course I wanted they are running out before that, everybody, everyone in my group, courses are getting them, as we have sessions several evenings per week. So I did them before. And of course, there were too many. I said, Okay, this I will not need there are enough. There is enough of cookie. So I let the whole box on the table, and it didn't look long before the before the whole box was empty. So it's, it's, of course they are, and it was how it happened. It's like, of course, you see that there's cookies and they blow. I You didn't even, I didn't even think about that. I actually need cookies. But once I saw them, of course they are there. I date them, I eat them. And that's the time that this experiment, I understood that this is it's just all about these visible cues. And there's an example of one of my clients who struggled with this evening eating. So every night there was the same problem. So we did actually, very, something very simple. She stopped, actually buying those trigger fools, and she stopped putting them visible somewhere.
• 16:09
  Turo Virta: So it's that's everything what you need to do. There is no need for complicated plan. And what she told me, it feels easier now, and of course it does, because she don't have to fight herself anymore so and the other rules, what I love to use this is like that, if you just decide that you just stop buying like of course, there are strategies like that. Never go when you are feeling hungry or after a hard day, when you go to your groceries, it's there are several studies like and, and, trust me, those supermarkets, they know where to place them.
• 16:52
  Turo Virta: Like, you know, sweet you see, always, just when you are standing on the line waiting to pay, there is those sweets so and all, like, usually, vegetables, fruits, they are in the beginning, like, you start, when you do your groceries, you start, you know, you take something good, and then in the end, closer, you go to cashier.
• 17:20
  Turo Virta: There is coming sweets. And then you are like, Okay, I took already something healthy. So now I can, I can take something actually, what I what I just feel chocolates or or cookies or whatever. So there is a, there is a, it's a result. It's not by accident, which order they are placing all different products.
• 17:45
  Turo Virta: Because there is a actually study from human psychology and behavior, how people are behaving when they are doing groceries. So the possible rules how you could be avoiding it is, like I said, Don't go when you are hungry or stressed or to buy groceries. You have your list.
• 18:04
  Turo Virta: You buy only those what you need and not not buying more what you actually need. And if you want to have, like examples, what we have used with my clients in the past from rules, these are like that you only buy foods, what you or sweets, what you want to eat, right away. And not that you know, you they you know now it's there is this great offer, take two, buy one, or whatever, but you just buy amount, what you are willing to eat right away. Or the other option is that some of my clients who lived like it's not too far, but, but still, like, it's doable that you buy, you go to groceries, go you don't take a car, you you have to walk. And you can buy only a month you are eating at the moment, so that you don't bring anything at home. So those are just an examples of these simple rules that you don't need some complicated plan, and then it feels already easier. So because, because, if you are trying to rely on discipline, it's like trying to swim against the current and the system, when you have it, it's like turning around and swimming with the current. It's the same energy, but different direction. So I want to tell them something about other practical tips, and this is called Two Minute Rule.
• 19:47
  Turo Virta: It's from James clear atomic habits, but it's applied little bit differently. So because you might have heard that, make it easy to start, but let's go deeper, because most people think that I need to finish the workout, but I don't focus on finishing. Like if I think that, that I need to think that, that I must train 45 minutes, I say to myself that just start three to five minutes, and that is where you should be focusing.
• 20:24
  Turo Virta: Don't focus on finishing, just focus on starting. So and great practical example is one of my clients who had zero motivation, and we made a rule, only, you only need to start. You only need to put your workouts clothes, workout clothes on, do one exercise, and that's it. No pressure to finish. And guess what? Most days she kept going, because starting removes that resistance. What you are telling to yourself, what we all find that it's not worth of it. I don't have time. I don't I can't do it. I'm tired today. I'm stressed. I'm whatever. We all have this self talk all the time. And trust me, I'm no different. In that case, I actually by recording this podcast, I should be working out, but I I will go. I will go first. Then I do record podcast.
• 21:28
  Turo Virta: I will do some programming and so on, do some other work stuff, but then I do it a bit later.
• 21:33
  Turo Virta: But now I know when I'm recording this, I have my workout clothes already on, and I know soon as I finish this, I upload it to my I start to upload the podcast, and meanwhile, I will go to workout, and then I come to finish everything else. So there is a plan, but it's not it was not my first workout, and I I'm not going to postpone workout anymore. It's Decision is made.
• 22:05
  Turo Virta: I have made the first step already, and then I know that it's easier to continue, but it's just practical example what I how I do it. So if you think better way to think about it like that, because we all want to build these habits, and you don't but you don't beat a habit by finishing. You build it by starting. And it's, it's even today. I don't know how it will go, but I never promised myself my workout will be around 45 minutes. But I don't think about it. If I start to think that, oh, it's going to take 45 minutes I start to find excuses for myself. No, but I have this work, what I need to be doing before and blah, blah, blah. So it's not the only promise. What I make to myself is that I need to get started, and that's everything I need to do I don't need to finish. I if I at some point, I feel like, No, I don't have any more time to finish it.
• 23:14
  Turo Virta: I feel still, even I did only five minutes of workout, I feel so much better that I did start that that I didn't start. And then next day I say that I say that I do it tomorrow because I have more time or better energy or whatever, but no, I need to keep promises, what I make to myself, but I keep those promises so small that I can do them without almost Any time. So then about those decisions. So if you have systems, you are removing decisions because every decision you make, it's costing some energy, and most people make too many decisions, what should I eat? When should I train? Should I do it today or tomorrow? And all these decisions, they create mental fatigue. So one of the best systems you can build is reduce decisions to almost zero. And for example, for food, you could create systems that you have a same breakfast you have two to three lunch options, simple dinner structure and training system. You have your fixed training days. You have fixed time. You have a simple plan. I had a client who always said, said to me that I feel like I'm always thinking about food. And we simplified her system, and she said, I don't think about it anymore, and that's the goal, so that you don't even have to think about it. It says that it's becoming automatic. So there is you remove as many decisions as you can, because then you don't create that mental fatigue. So there is a amazing metaphor what I love to use, and it's, I call it the broken elevator metaphor. So imagine this, so you live on the 10th floor, but your elevator is broken, so every day you have to take the stairs. At first it feels hard, but after a few weeks, it becomes normal. That's how systems work. At the beginning, it's going to be hard. After repetition, it's normal. Most people with too early they say this is hard. Of course it is, because it's new, but if you repeat it long enough, it becomes your new normal. So how you are then building system systems for bad days, and this is the most important part. So most people build plans for perfect days, but real life is not perfect. So I always ask, because it's easy to ask. How would you ideally do everything? So there is all people are having almost answers. I work out 234, times per week. I eat this, this, this, this, I need to have discipline. And this is, it's easy to create kind of your perfect days, but what I love to ask that, what does your plan look like on your birthday? And, for example, that day system? So if you have a bad day and feels like that, there is so much going on if you have a bad day system, which could be, for example, 10 minute walk, one proper meal and drink enough water, and that's all what you need to do. Because if your works, if your system works on bad days, it will work long term. If it only works when everything is perfect, it will fail. It's not matter of if it's matter of time, because life is never going to be perfect. So how you are then building those systems, and it's by building your identity. So people think identity comes first past but it's actually the opposite.
• 27:32
  Turo Virta: Identity comes from repeated actions. So if your system helps, you train regularly, eat better, sew up, and then over time, you start thinking, I'm someone who actually does this, not because you force it, but because you repeat it. And this is how you are actually building those I that identity what you want to become, because your identity is some of your repeated actions. So I want to give this very simple. If you need if you feel like that you need more discipline, please stop Instead, ask yourself, what system can I build that makes this easier? Because discipline is always temporary. Systems are repeatable, and if you build the right systems, we you don't have to fight yourself every single day. So if this episode helped you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Just because we don't. You don't need to, I don't expect you to share it with the 100 friends just one, because one by one, we achieve amazing things. And if you want help building systems that works in your real life, not the perfect life, reach out to me.
• 29:03
  Turo Virta: You can email me, Turo at with me, turo.com or shoot me. DM in my Instagram personal trainer, underline Turo and I will help you build something that works in your worst days. Thank you so much for listening and talk to you in the next episode.
• 29:22
  Turo Virta: episode.