Self Sabotage: Are you your own worst enemy?

Have you ever felt like you're your own worst enemy when it comes to achieving your health and fitness goals?

The good intentions may be there … but the follow-through? Not so much.

Maybe:

• You promise to cook a healthy meal from the ingredients in your kitchen … but when dinnertime comes around it seems too much like hard work, so you end up ordering a takeaway instead.

• You tell yourself you’ll go to the gym for a workout … but when the time comes, you tell yourself you’re too tired and not in the mood.

• You plan on going to bed at 10 o’clock so you can be rested for tomorrow … but then you get caught up in a Netflix show and end up watching until midnight.

If any of those scenarios ring true for you, you are NOT alone.

Almost ALL of us sabotage ourselves at some point or another. We skip workouts, overeat, choose foods that don't support our health and/or our fitness goals, fail to get enough sleep, or maybe indulge in some excess “socialising” with our friends.

So how do you break free from the self-sabotage cycle?

1. RECOGNISE when it’s happening.

Get to know your patterns:

Are there times when it’s more likely to happen than others? Have you slipped into some unproductive habits, like mindless night-time snacking?

Try to look at these patterns without judging them: imagine you’re conducting a study on yourself and simply gathering evidence.

2. Get to the ROOT CAUSE of why it’s happening.

This is important, and your answers may change over time.

Some possibilities:

• Fear of failure

• Self-doubt

• Boredom

• Self-esteem issues

• Loneliness

When you know WHY it’s happening, that powerful information can help you to overcome it in the future.

3. RESET your goals into small, achievable milestones

Make sure these are benchmarks that you can reach. On a practical level, this will 1) help break the self-sabotage cycle and 2) help you build confidence and motivation.

These can be as simple as:

• Exercise for 10-15 minutes before work

• Eat a serving of vegetables with every meal

• Read a book instead of watching TV before bed

4. REACH OUT to an accountability buddy or coach.

They can help you create goals that set you up for SUCCESS (vs. over-reaching) and gain real traction.

5. REMEMBER: setbacks are learning opportunities

Use any setbacks (and there will always be setbacks!) to learn what works, and what doesn't work, for you. Focus on progress, not perfection. Struggling to be “perfect” won’t help you to move closer to your goals – in fact, it can often move you farther away from them.

The content of this blog was first shared in a newsletter in June 2023. If you'd like to receive weekly newsletters, direct to your mailbox, you can click here to subscribe.