As a Fitness Coach, Rehabilitation Consultant in the health industry, and a competitor, I have a LOT of conversations with people about all things health and fitness, and I have a lot of conversations with people about what inspires them, how to get motivated, and what prevents them from achieving their goals. There are many different reasons why people struggle to stick with their goals, but there are a few reasons that seem to pop up consistently. I have written this blog to tackle 6 of the top ways you might be sabotaging your health and fitness goals, and some tools to manage them.
- Not starting today!
How many times have you said to yourself “I’ll start on Monday,” or “I’ll start after this event” or “I’ll start in the New Year.” This is a sure-fire way to sabotage your goals before you even have the chance to start! There is absolutely no reason you cannot start today. As in right now. So what, you have a huge birthday to go to tonight. That doesn’t mean that you can’t make healthy food choices today, sign up at the local gym, go for a walk or do a workout, or hit your daily quota of water. There is no perfect time, date or occasion to start. This is the ultimate in self-sabotage. Ask yourself the question, is there really anything stopping you from starting right now? Most of the time, this is more to do with mindset. Are you just afraid to get out of your current comfortable routine? Do you really want the change? The best thing you can do to combat this is to stop finding reasons not to and just start.
- Listening to too many people
So, you’ve started your health and fitness journey, but are constantly jumping from one diet to the next, or taking on board every bit of advice that Debbie or Lynda gives you in the lunch room at work, or testing out every new workout fad the minute it hits social media. Stop! If you aren’t sure what you are supposed to be doing to reach your goals, do a little research, get the help of a qualified coach you trust, communicate what your goals are and stick to the plan. Changes take time. Pick something and stick with it. Have faith in the process and be patient.
Listening to too many people can also include listening to everyone else’s opinion on your lifestyle choices. You all know who I’m talking about. “what have you got there for lunch today, oh rabbit food.” “You spend too much time at the gym” “Don’t get too skinny” “Don’t get too bulky.” Oh, and my favourite “Oh you have a cold, it must be because of the food you eat.” “Yes Brenda, you’re right, having a burger and a litre of soft drink every day would make me so much healthier and then I would never get sick.” Listening to the negative opinions of others, is exhausting, and will have you doubting or feeling bad for your lifestyle choices. Instead of taking it on board, or getting into a debate about it, just smile and say thank you and don’t give it a second thought. People will often criticise what they don’t understand, and people will also criticise others who are doing the things they wish they could.
- Giving up when you have a bad day.
This is a common one and I’m sure many of you, including myself, can relate to this. You know, “I ate a piece of cake at Allan’s farewell morning tea today, so now I’ll just eat all the cakes today.” Which then turns into “I’ve ruined it now so I’ll start on Monday?” (Refer to point 1.) I’ll let you in on a little secret. One piece of cake is not going to ruin your progress. Quitting BECAUSE of the cake ruins your progress. Starting another day, BECAUSE of the cake ruins your progress. Your health and fitness is a lifestyle, it should be balanced, and it should be sustainable. Restricting yourself from all ‘bad foods’ or beating yourself up for skipping one workout is not a healthy mindset to have when it comes to food and training. Being able to have the cake, enjoy the cake, not feel guilty about the cake and go right on eating and training for health like you normally do is a better way to approach it. Don’t write off a whole week and discount all the work you have already put in just because of one bad day. Just pick up right where you left off.
- Negative Self Talk.
We are all familiar with that wonderful quote that does the insta-rounds every few weeks. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” This quote is spot on. Honestly, it takes a lot of energy to argue with yourself. Pushing yourself to do the things you want to do but telling yourself you can’t. Try to stop that negative little voice in its tracks, call it out for what it is (a little moment of self-doubt or fear of failure) and replace it with something positive and empowering. There is no such thing as can’t. When I have moments like this, I remind myself of all the people out there doing the exact same thing right now, and find it impossible to believe that I could be the only person that can’t. I also do a regular check of all the things I achieved over a couple of months, big or small. You will be surprised how many little successes you forget about.
It can also help to point out to yourself all of the reasons why you can do something and can be successful in achieving your goal. Remind Yourself of your strengths. Yes you can fit the gym in every day because you are amazing at managing your time efficiently. Yes you can achieve progress weekly or fortnightly because you are motivated by outcomes. If you have identified areas for improvement, write them down. Then write down what you are going to do differently to change this. This journey is just as much an opportunity for mental development and personal growth as it is for improving your physical health.
- Not scheduling yourself into your diary.
You want to lose 5kg, you want to eat healthier, you want to be able to run for 30 minutes. These are all great goals. But how are you going to get there if you don’t set aside the time to do the work. You need to put yourself in your diary. I had a conversation with a colleague the other day who has been focussing on her training and nutrition for a couple of months. She told me that she is enjoying it but gets disappointed when she can’t make it to the gym. I asked her what stops her from making her gym sessions. She told me ‘things come up, a friend wants to catch up or someone wants something. We had a discussion about what would happen if she were to put herself into her diary – just like a doctor’s appointment, stick to that appointment no matter what (unless there was some genuine emergency)and then fit everything else in AROUND this appointment. Would you cancel a doctor’s appointment because Betty wants you to go tell her if her new curtain fabric is ok? You are just as much a priority as everyone else. It is completely ok for you to say no because you have something on. Since when did getting some exercise in become less of a priority to you, just because someone else doesn’t view it as a priority to them? Learn to schedule yourself into your diary and stick to it.
- Comparing yourself to others and setting unrealistic goals.
Ok, so this is an important one. How many times have you scrolled through your news feed or pawed through a magazine and looked at pictures of others and thought to yourself “I want her booty.” Or “I want her abs.”
Little tip: you will never look like someone else. Training your backside off to look like someone else is futile. You are a different person, with a different body, bone structure, muscle structure, etc. If you are constantly measuring yourself up against someone how are you going to notice the positive changes you have made? Setting yourself unrealistic goals can also sabotage your efforts. For example, aiming to lose 10kg in 2 weeks is unrealistic. If you were to aim for half a kilo a week – which is achievable – then you’re more likely to remain motivated as you are able to hit your target every week. Aiming to be able to run a marathon in a week when you haven’t run further than the bus stop since high school, is unrealistic. But aiming to increase the distance you can run by ‘X’ number of metres each fortnight is achievable.
These types of unrealistic goals can be terribly demotivating if you aren’t seeing the results you had in mind. Setting realistic goals that are achievable is extremely motivating because you will consistently be able to meet the expectations you have set for yourself. Results breed confidence in yourself – which fuels further results. It can help to get a qualified trainer who can be real with you and assist you in setting realistic goals, and as someone you can be accountable to.
We all have little quirks and behaviours that can either help or hinder our goals. Being aware of any ways in which you may be sabotaging your goals and having some tools and strategies in place to overcome these will give you the best chance at successfully achieving whatever goal you might be working on. I hope that these tips are helpful to you on your journey.
Yours in Health and Happiness.
Elle xx
Lets get you off the I’ll-start-Monday-train … get in touch CONTACT ELLE
