New Year Resolutions: Eliminating Self Sabotage

Self-sabotage is a very common problem, and not just in fitness. It’s not because of a lack of knowledge or desire to achieve your goal, but a deeper psychological reason. Perhaps you, like all of us, are guilty of it sometimes.

The worst part is that it hits you just as you’re beginning to achieve results. It usually starts with the excuses you make when you start to slack off. Let’s recall some of the most common ones…

“I have to work late.”

“I’m not up to it yet.”

“I’m tired after a long day.”

“It’s raining so heavily…”

“I don’t want to miss that dinner.”

All are valid, but it’s a slippery slope because one excuse invariably leads to another and before long, you have negated all your hard work.

How time flies. It’s December 2011, the last month in this year. Are there any goals which you set out to achieve earlier this year but have yet to make any progress?

If you have any unfinished goals, then it’s time to take note, ask yourself why this happened and take charge of your life again.

Planning for the new year again is always a challenge. But to make it less of a challenge for you, here’s 3 useful tips to kickstart your preparation.

First, focus on the goals you wish to attain and adopt a process that will keep you on track. It could be in the form of a smartphone app, diary or a trainer. Having a human buddy or a technological one makes all the difference as it’s like a report card. When you monitor your progress closely – be it your body weight, how much further you can run or whether you should revamp your entire wardrobe, this helps you stay on track. When you are on track, you boost your own self-confidence and this in turn, creates momentum.

Second, pay attention to negative self-talk. These include “I can’t lose weight” or “Exercise is a pain” or “I’ll just wear whatever I have in my wardrobe”… Very often, all this negative self-talk causes a mental struggle that will eventually work against you , zap again your original good intents and bring you down.

Third, reward yourself each time you achieve a significant milestone. The goal is the final destination but along the way, there are many minute steps that lead you there. When you reward yourself for each positive achievement along the way, the entire journey feels more meaningful and achieveable.

See all of you at the top 🙂