SHAPE_OCTOBER_2016
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Be the boss of your body<br />
Stay<br />
STRONG<br />
Feel as if your willpower is<br />
weakening? Make a fist to<br />
help boost it. Research<br />
shows that this simple<br />
tactic really works:<br />
Because we tend to<br />
unconsciously tighten<br />
our muscles when we<br />
need more physical or<br />
mental strength, our<br />
brains have learned to<br />
associate the act with<br />
greater self-control.<br />
Clenching your fist<br />
becomes a cue to<br />
renew your willpower<br />
whenever you need<br />
the resolve to choose<br />
an apple over a<br />
doughnut or to<br />
get to the gym<br />
when you’d<br />
rather sit on<br />
the couch.<br />
Photo courtesy of Bigstock Photos Contributor jazz42<br />
—Iris Hung, Ph.D., a professor<br />
of marketing at Fudan<br />
University in Shanghai<br />
and a coauthor of a study<br />
about how muscle contraction<br />
influences self-control<br />
#bossofmybody<br />
<strong>SHAPE</strong>.COM <strong>OCTOBER</strong> <strong>2016</strong> 59
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