[VIDEO+ACTIVITY] Duncan Nugget® #256: Feeding Your Willpower

A judge, a criminologist, and a sociologist were on a parole board. In case you don’t know, a parole board decides whether or not a prisoner gets parole—time off of a prison sentence for good behavior.

Researchers studied this parole board during its day-long sessions and found out that prisoners who were seen right after lunch or a snack break had a 60% chance of getting parole. Prisoners who were seen right before lunch or a break only had a 20% chance of getting parole.

Why?!

It’s because willpower requires energy. The food you eat is turned into glucose-a pure, simple sugar that’s energy for your body.

If you have to take an exam, work on a big project, or make a tough decision—like deciding whether or not to release a criminal—feed your willpower. It’ll help you have more self-control and make better decisions.

Million-Dollar Question:
Have you been properly feeding your willpower?

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ACTIVITY AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Food Journal

1. Find 5-10 blank pages in your copy of My Success Journal or notebook.

2. You are going to use one page each day. Starting with tomorrow, at the top of each page write down the date and day of the week for the upcoming seven days.

3. Starting tomorrow write down EVERYTHING you eat and/or drink along with the time of day.

4. At the end of seven days answer the following questions.

Discussion and Follow-up Questions

1. What are your feelings about your overall diet?

2. Look back at the times of day when you snacked or ate. Do you feel like you ate at times that helped you be productive. Are there any times where you think eating actually made you less productive?

3. What do you normally snack on when you are studying or working? How does this help or hurt your productivity?

NOTE: (Excerpt from Get All Fired Up!) Eating foods that have a high concentration of water helps to keep your brain hydrated. These types of food also require less energy to digest. (Your digestive system uses up to one third of your energy. That’s why you get so tired after a big meal.)

4. Name 5 water-rich foods. Which ones do you already eat? Which ones will you add to your diet?

5. Name 5 superfoods. Which ones do you already eat? Which ones will you add to your diet?