THE PREVENTION PLAYBOOK

Professor Grant Schofield and I share very similar views on health, fitness, and society. We’re closely aligned with the Freerange philosophy — personal responsibility, systems over willpower, and building environments that make good choices easier.

Professor Schofield’s editor’s piece below reflects that shared thinking almost word for word.

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Hi Gary,

People think they fail at health changes because of a lack of willpower. They assume they just don’t “want it” enough.

We look at the person at the gym at 5:00 AM and think they want it more than we do. But willpower is a glitchy, finite resource. Biology doesn’t back it.

It’s the first thing to collapse when you’re stressed, tired, or when a bag of salt and vinegar crisps is within arm’s reach. (My own resistance to those is zero, by the way.)

Willpower is overrated. It folds under stress. The real skill is setting up your environment and systems so you don’t need willpower at all. That’s the secret to behaviour change.

And mastering behaviour change? That’s the holy grail of a good life.

Hear me out.

The Logical Wager

In the 17th century, Pascal argued that rational people should bet on God. His logic was simple: the cost of believing is finite (a bit of effort), but the cost of being wrong is infinite (eternal ruin).

You might not buy his religious version, but the logic transfers perfectly to your metabolism.

Your metabolism works on the same math. You have two “hards” on the table:

Option A: The Active Wager

Choose the upfront hard option.Lift weights. Eat clean. Sleep 8 hours.A finite, manageable effort.

Option B: The Passive Wager

Choose the upfront easy option.Junk food. No exercise. Excess screen time.But suffer the long-term consequences.

⚠️ WARNING – Consequences include:

Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and slow physical decline.

This is catastrophic. And it compounds forever.

You’re not “sacrificing” fun with Option A. You’re paying a small, upfront premium to avoid total ruin.

Stack the odds in your favour.

The Accumulation of “Easy” (Sorites Paradox)

We choose the wrong “hard” because of something called the Sorites Paradox.

If you remove one grain of sand from a heap, is it still a heap? Yes.Remove another? Still a heap.Another? Still a heap.

Eventually, the heap vanishes. But you never saw the exact moment it happened.

That’s how the “easy” choice works.

One packet of salt and vinegar crisps with a beer. One skipped training session.

Harmless in isolation.

But biology compounds. Those grains stack until the whole structure collapses into chronic illness. There’s no clear tipping point. Just accumulation.

Treat every small decision as adding or removing a grain of sand.

How big is your pile?

The Glitch (Akrasia): Your Brain Discounts the Future

Your brain is wired for akrasia. You know what’s good for you long term, but you do the opposite anyway.

Evolution programmed us to overvalue the instant dopamine hit. Scrolling. Sugar. Comfort. And to discount distant pain.

Your present self is often a traitor to your future self.

So design around that.

Clear the junk from the house. If it’s there, you’ll eat it.

Pre-pay for a trainer or a race. Make it hurt your wallet to quit.

Make bad habits expensive and good ones automatic.

Identity Follows Action

Stop waiting to “feel” like a healthy person before you act like one.

The existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre said it well: existence precedes essence. You aren’t born with a fixed identity. You become who you are through what you repeatedly do.

You don’t need motivation to run. You run, and that action defines you as a runner.

Life deals pain either way.

You can choose the sharp, temporary pain of discipline.Or the heavy, permanent pain of regret.

What do you think hurts more?

Now you must make your wager.

Choose your hard.

Remember: the struggle is the path.

Exciting Things Going On

1. If you enjoyed these ideas, I’ve written a Part 2 on my website.

👉 Read it here

2. PREKURE Open Week (March 2nd & 3rd)

In two weeks, PREKURE is running our Open Week.If you want to learn more about behaviour change — and because you made it this far — I highly recommend attending. There’s also a scholarship opportunity.

👉 Register here

3. ‘Choose Your Hard’ – Book Launch

I have an entire book called Choose Your Hard coming very soon. It’s the best thing I’ve ever written. Very limited release.

👉 Join the waitlist here

First time I’m putting this out there.