The average adult makes an estimated 35,000 decisions every single day. Some are tiny, like what to wear, when to check email, or whether to take the stairs or the elevator. Others are big, like how to respond to a client, where to allocate resources, or when to make a major investment. If you are a high-achiever, that number climbs even higher. Your day is a rapid-fire sequence of calls, meetings, problem solving, and unexpected fires to put out. By the time you get to your own health, the mental fuel for making good choices is nearly gone. That is when decision fatigue sets in, and the easiest option starts winning. Skipping the workout, grabbing takeout, or staying on the couch feels natural because your brain is looking for the path of least resistance. It is not a lack of discipline. It is biology.
What Is Decision Fatigue?
Decision fatigue is the decline in your ability to make high-quality choices after making too many decisions. Each decision, whether large or small, requires mental energy. Your brain burns through that energy over the course of the day. Once your mental reserves are drained, willpower drops. Your brain defaults to what is easiest, most familiar, and least taxing, which is rarely the choice that moves you toward your health goals.
Why High-Achievers Are More at Risk
When your professional life is filled with high-stakes decision making, you burn through your willpower faster than most people. That is why, even with the best intentions, you might find yourself:
- Skipping the gym because you do not feel like it
- Ordering delivery instead of cooking what is already in your fridge
- Putting off meal prep because you cannot decide what to make
This is not laziness. It is the mental load of your day.
The Solution: Automating Your Health Decisions
The key to overcoming decision fatigue is simple. Remove as many health-related choices from your daily life as possible.
When your workouts, meals, and routines are pre-planned, you are not using up mental energy deciding what to do. You simply follow the plan.
Here is how to do it:
1. Pre-Plan Your Workouts
Choose your workout schedule and program in advance. Do not spend energy each day deciding if or what to do.
2. Eat on Autopilot
Rotate through a handful of breakfasts, lunches, and snacks you enjoy and that fit your goals. Save variety for special occasions.
3. Set Your Environment on Default
Keep workout clothes ready, water bottles filled, and healthy snacks visible. Make the healthy choice the easiest one.
4. Batch Decisions Weekly
Decide on your week’s workouts, grocery list, and meal prep in one sitting rather than on the fly each day.
5. Delegate the Thinking
Work with a trainer, nutritionist, or wellness service like Elect Wellness so the planning is handled for you. Your only job is to execute.
Protect Your Willpower for What Matters Most
When you automate your health decisions, you protect your mental resources for the areas where you must think critically, such as your business, your relationships, and your personal goals. At Elect Wellness, we specialize in removing the guesswork from your health plan. We create your workouts, design your meals, and guide your progress so you can get results without adding another 35,000 decisions to your day. We come to you and take the roadblock of “getting to the gym” away. Your success is not about having more willpower. It is about needing less of it. Automate the process, and the results will follow.
Thomas C. Jensen is an exercise physiologist, nutritionist, and a nationally certified personal trainer through both the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Harding University and a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. As a wellness speaker and franchisor, he has shared his expertise in health and fitness with diverse audiences. He has been professionally training and consulting clients of all ages and backgrounds, for both health and human performance, for over 20 years. In March of 2004, he launched Elect Wellness, a thriving home-delivered personal training and nutrition coaching company, which has since expanded into an effective franchise system.
