06 Dec 2024
Empowerment, Holistic Health
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How to Redefine Discipline and Align Your Actions with Your True Values

What thoughts come up when you hear the word discipline?

It’s a word that often carries mixed emotions. People frequently say to me, “You’re so disciplined!” followed by, “I’m just not disciplined enough to work out every day” (or something similar).

In my disordered eating days, I would resist this label because it reminded me of all the ways I wasn’t disciplined—like the times my willpower ran out, leading me to binge on granola or peanut butter.

Since healing my relationship with food and my body—and working with hundreds of clients to help them do the same—I’ve come to redefine discipline.

At its core, discipline means aligning your actions with your values and goals.

Simple? Yes. Easy? Not at all.

Here’s why:

1. Discovering Your True Values

Most of us operate based on “programmed” values—beliefs and priorities we’ve inherited from influential people in our lives. True discipline requires digging deeper to uncover your authentic values, which is a step many skip.

2. Setting Meaningful Goals

Without meaningful, purpose-driven goals, it’s hard to stay disciplined. Many people aim to “lose 10 pounds,” but statistics show that over 85% of people who lose 20 pounds gain it all back (and then some). Why? Because the goal wasn’t tied to a deeper “why.”

Ask yourself this: Will losing 20 pounds matter to you on your deathbed? Or will it matter more that you felt strong, healthy, and capable of climbing that 14,000-foot mountain or playing with your grandkids?

Discipline Is NOT About Willpower

Many equate discipline with sheer willpower, but that’s not the case. Discipline is a mindset—a daily practice of shifting out of autopilot and into conscious, mindful action. It’s about choosing thoughts that coach you toward aligned actions.

Does that resonate?

Last night, as I set my alarm for 4:22 AM, I reminded myself of this definition of discipline.

And here’s what my Thursday morning looked like:

Vegan dog FionaMy Morning (and How It Aligns with My Values)

  • 4:22-4:44 AM: 🥰Cuddle under the covers with Fiona, connecting with gratitude, and deciding how I would deal with the fact that I had a rough night with little sleep (I decided that I would give no mental energy toward worrying about it and carrying on with my day as if I had a fabulous night sleep).
  • 4:44 AM: Scrape tongue, brush teeth, and drink 12 oz water.
  • 4:55 AM: Take Fiona on a mini-walk to potty.
  • 5:10 AM: Fix hot ginger/turmeric water and mushroom coffee with soy milk (I sip on the hot water first until it’s gone, and then start on the mushroom coffee). 
  • 5:25-5:40 AM: Do my morning “body activation” routine to warm up and mobilize my body, followed by some chanting (Prayer for Enlightenment) and breathwork. 
  • 5:40-5:50 AM: Play fetch with Fiona.
  • 5:50-6:00 AM: Get dressed, wash my face, apply a bit of make-up (maybe one day I’ll be ready to face the day make-up free like Pamela Anderson is doing these days which I LOVE (a topic for another day!), but for now I like at least a little vegan, cruelty-free mascara).
  • 6:00-7:00: Write this newsletter.
  • 7:00-8:00: Meeting with Sean Russell of Vegans Explore (totally worth following on Instagram HERE) about some exciting projects we’re working on together.
  • 8:15-9:15: Train myself (strength, conditioning, boxing)
  • 9:15-10:15: Teach my boxing class
  • 10:45-11:15: Make and eat a version of my infamous high protein Noochylicious Kale Salad (I’m still waiting on this salad to get old… I’m not sure it ever will!).

Everything I do aligns with my core values and my deeper “why”— my mission to make the world a kinder place for all living beings… A mission I took on starting at the age of seven!

*Learn more about my story on the Plant Fuelled Podcast here.

Discipline in Food Choices

The same principles apply to food. Cravings can feel overwhelming, but they don’t have to control your actions.

That’s why I created my Emergency Cravings Kit, a free tool to help you handle cravings in the moment and make choices aligned with your goals.

Grab Your Free Emergency Cravings Kit HERE!

Key Takeaways

  • Discipline isn’t about forcing willpower—it’s about alignment.
  • Align your actions with values and goals rooted in meaningful “whys.”
  • Cultivating discipline is a mindset, not a struggle.
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Ella Magers, MSW

Founder & CEO at Sexy Fit Vegan®
A passionate vegan for the last 28 years, Ella Magers, MSW is a leading voice for revolutionary transformation in the fitness industry. Ella connects people with the information, tools, support, and guidance they need to develop holistically healthy habits, claim mental and emotional well-being, and live more fulfilling and fiercely compassionate lives. Ella is a professional speaker, published author, and coach. She is the spirited host of the inspiring Rise & Thrive Podcast and the Vegan Life Coach Podcast, founder of Sexy Fit Vegan®, and creator of the 22Reboot total transformation system. As a plant-based athlete and former bodybuilding champion, Ella was recognized as one of the world's top personal trainers by bodybuilding.com and Shape Magazine. Having healed from her own struggles with disordered eating, Ella Magers shows people that there are alternatives to crash diets and excessive workout regimens, and how to align their lifestyle with true health by using compassion as their compass. Ella is on the founding board of Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary, a 501(c)3 nonprofit with the mission of creating the best possible life for farm animals while inspiring compassion for all living beings.

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