Shape_USA-January-February_2017

The Riker Brothers

mind before body

Jen Widerstrom

I’m here to help make your

Why are the

promises you

make to yourself

the easiest ones

to break?

Is it because the

only person you’ll

end up disap-

pointing is your-

self? Or that

you’ve prioritized

pleasing others

over your goals?

Either way, you

deserve better

than that. Think

of a promise as

a powerful

muscle—like the

glutes or lats—

that can affect

how your body

looks, moves, and

feels. Just like

a muscle, you can

strengthen your

promise over

time and develop

it into one of your

assets. The stron-

ger your promise

becomes, the

more probable it

is that you’ll be

able to commit

to reaching your

goals, whether

that’s to move

more, eat better,

or finally sign up

for a race.

I first experienced

this concept

when I promised

myself that

I wouldn’t eat

dessert in restau-

rants. I focused

on one dinner at

a time. It felt a lit-

tle low impact in

the moment, but

looking back, it

was the just-right

start: a small, clear

goal that was

surprisingly hard

for me to accom-

plish. I told no one

about this, which

ability and

strength to come

from only me.

I made it through

that week. And

I used this small

exercise to prove

to myself that

sert challenge

marked the end

of my empty

promises. My

confidence grew

every time I kept

a promise I made

to myself.

Whenever I failed,

I used that as

information

about where my

system was faulty

and applied it to

the next oppor-

tunity to fulfill my

promise.

Every time you

stay true to your

word, you’ll find

that each chal-

lenge becomes

less daunting

because you’ll

know that your

word has

substance and

that it leads you

closer toward

reaching your

big-picture goal:

that exciting life

you want to lead.

This creates

a self-powered

momentum. Each

accomplishment

builds on the next,

and suddenly,

before you know

it, you are

unstoppable.