Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body

by Michael Matthews

Escaping from this trap requires that we first stop moralizing our behaviors—that we stop using vague feelings of “right” and “wrong” and “good” and “bad” to guide our immediate actions. Instead, we need to remember why we’ve committed to doing the “hard” things, like exercising, following a budget, working overtime, and so on.

Whenever people confront a setback and say to themselves, “I’ve already messed it up, so what the hell, I might as well have some fun,” they’ve committed themselves to the downward spiral of the what-the-hell effect. They give in and feel bad. Then, to feel better, they turn to what started the whole mess, which in turn triggers even worse feelings of shame and guilt, which leads to even bigger failures, and on and on it goes.