There is a reason the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL are among the top five grossing sports leagues in the world that employ some of the most talented and highest paid athletes; a reason sports betting generated over 4 billion dollars and similarly casinos raked in a staggering 53 billion dollars nationally in 2021. Heading into football season, I’ve been contemplating the innate human obsession with competing and winning - defeating an opponent and claiming victory, and I’ve come to a highly complex conclusion: It just feels so good.
Studies have shown that winning produces an actual physiological shift that creates a positive-feedback loop referred to as the “winner effect” - essentially a spike in risk-seeking euphoria, where victory leads to victory on the wings of the hormone testosterone. The same good-feeling, victory-driven, competition-advantageous euphoria that drives the winningest athletes and highest-earning investment brokers is the one that drives the lion king of the jungle, and the one that drives you and me.
Winning is the key to successfully achieving every body goal. It’s why adopting and adhering to a nutrition and exercise plan *that is winnable* proves to be the path to success every time, without fail. You know the adage “fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” It’s no secret that “proper prior preparation prevents poor performance.” Turns out without that end-zone touchdown dance at the end of each day, all your planning and preparation won’t even get you into the red zone.
Give yourself very winnable boundaries. Live each day by itself. Every day should be a win, that leads to the next day’s easy win… you get my point.
Having a specific plan - what and how you’ll eat/exercise and when - is crucial. Ensuring that your plan is winnable is imperative. That victorious hormone spike of winning is the secret ingredient to your best bod.
Megan is a personal trainer and self described diet. To have her features delivered to your door click here (link to subsbribtion page on our site)
