You know the old adage “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”? Well, turns out that’s not entirely true -- words can, in fact, hurt (or help) you very much. But here’s the twist: it’s the words you use, not the words that others direct towards you, that can have a profound effect. The way you speak, both to other people and in your own internal dialogues, not only conveys how you view yourself, it also affects how you act.

Recent research out of Boston college has compared how the phrases “I don’t” and “I can’t” (as in, “I don’t skip my exercise today” vs “I can’t skip my exercise today,” or “I don’t eat candy” vs “I can’t eat candy”) affected individuals’ choices in the face of temptation. Results showed that those who were instructed to respond to themselves/others with “I don’t” were significantly more likely to remain true to their goal than those who were instructed to respond with “I can’t.”

While the difference in these two simple words may seem simple, there’s something to it. “I don’t” gives power and ownership of the choice to the individual, while “I can’t” presents it as an imposition, not a personal choice. And while it may seem a bit wild that instructing someone to change one word in their speech patterns could make such a difference (in one study, those who said “I don’t” had an 80% success rate, while those who said “I can’t only had 10% success), you shape your behaviors and choices every day with your how you view, think about, and engage with yourself in the world. And this is just one example of many.

Here’s the thing: this isn’t some “brain hack” to fool yourself into making a better choice; it’s owning the reality of things.You do make the choice. What’ll it be: can’t, or don’t?

- PS

1/5/18

• Front squat - 5,5,5,5

Then...

• DB renegade row - 3x10/arm

• Ab wheel rollout - 3x10