Sabotaging your own fitness
It’s strange to consider that we can be our own worst enemies when it comes to success. We often think that it will be outside influences that will have us falling off the positive change train – the friend that tempts you with chocolate or the partner who doesn’t support you heading off to the gym as it interferes with their plans for your time. Yes these can have an impact but it’s our own self-sabotage that can keep us from reaching our full potential, so let’s take a look at some common hurdles we put in our own way and how to combat them.
Excuses be gone
Working out and staying fit is a challenging task, and it requires discipline and dedication. Not many of us are pumped to get out of bed in the dark and head straight to a work out. Nor is a training session high on the list of want to do activities after a long and tiring day at work. Especially when first starting out and you haven’t locked in your training habit. Once the initial burst of motivation wanes, some of us can easily find reasons to skip a session which quickly becomes two sessions, then a week, a month passes and before you know it, you aren’t exercising at all and you’ve fallen back into your old couch potato ways.
The only way to overcome this negative internal chatter is to be aware of it and to reject your own excuses. Do you really have a headache? Will you really make up for missing a session? Is it really that hard to get up a bit earlier so you can train before the day takes off. Reprogram your thinking and remind yourself as to why you started exercising and what you are wanting to achieve. Set yourself some mini goals and celebrate each milestone and before you know it, a solid habit has formed, and exercise will just be a normal part of your routine.
Food, glorious food
How we fuel ourselves plays a crucial role in our workout routine. Eating too little or not eating the right types of food can prevent us from performing at our best during a workout. Skipping meals or not eating the right balance of good quality fresh food can lead to a lack of energy, and eating too much junk food can negatively affect our weight and health. Let’s be honest, eating a chocolate bar might sate that craving in the short term but it will not help you work, rest and play as effectively as powering yourself with consistently healthy foods. The best bit is that when you reduce the sugars, you will likely notice the cravings reduce - #winning!
Start and finish well
You might not think you have time to fit them in but neglecting proper a warm-up and cool-down will contribute to reducing your chances of success when it comes to your workout. Starting a workout without warming up properly can increase the risk of injury, and ending a workout without cooling down can prevent the body from recovering effectively. To avoid this, make sure to spend at least 5-8 minutes warming up before a workout and 5-10 minutes cooling down afterwards. It really isn’t a big investment in time, but the payoffs are well worth it. So get that roller out and your iliotibial band will thank you later!
You can overdo it
While pushing and challenging yourself can be good for improving your performance, overworking can lead to burnout and injury. It’s a fine line but make sure to listen to your body and give yourself some recovery time but be aware of not tipping over into making excuses and letting your exercise routine slip into oblivion.
Hold the mirror up to yourself
Like anything in life, comparing yourself to others can be demotivating. We are not all built the same way, we don’t all have the same exercise or health history, we don’t have the same injuries, we don’t have the same lifestyle or experiences so stop comparing yourself to others! Focus on your own progress and meeting the goals that you want to reach. Trying to keep up with someone with years of training behind them is an exercise in futility that may undermine your motivation. By all means, learn from their experiences but follow your own workout path, enjoy what you are doing and recognise your own successes. This is about what you are doing for yourself, not what anyone else is doing.
Lock in the support you need
If you are not seeing the results you expect or reaching reasonable and attainable goals, it may be worthwhile seeking out professional support, such as a personal trainer. As a trainer with years of experience, I know that what works for one person may not work for another. Different injuries will require varying adjustments to programs and sometimes it’s about supporting someone as they build confidence in themselves and their own ability to push themselves when working out.
A personal trainer will see things about you that you won’t. They will know when you will be ready to increase weights or run further. They will help you stay accountable and will support you in reaching your goals. They can help you improve technique to reduce injury and improve the impact of the exercise. They can help you assess your current routine and suggest ways to improve. OK, sometimes you might think personal trainers are mean because we push you harder but that’s only because we believe in you and know you can do it!
Self sabotage comes in all shapes and sizes but it has the same result – you don’t get to live your best life in terms of health and fitness. By being aware of the factors that sabotage your workout and health goals you can take steps to manage or counteract them leaving you free to get on with the business of feeling awesome!