The truth about self-sabotage – and what you can do about it

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Have you planned something, maybe even made good progress – to tear down your successes shortly afterwards with the most valuable? Self-sabotage ( when losing weight, in training ) is nothing unusual. And it can be solved.

Why do people self-sabotage their goals?

Do you sometimes get angry about yourself when you have sabotaged your fitness goals from the effect?

Here are a few examples:

“Why did I eat pizza again with my colleague when I had a super healthy lunch? “
“Why did I put on running gear so as not to go running? “
“Why did I eat so much all day, to inhale a whole bag of children – before bed – WHETHER I WAS NOT MAL HUNGRIG? “

No wonder that such statements usually follow here:

“Can someone please tell me what’s wrong with me?”

The answer: nothing is wrong with you.

For a person, all of this is normal.

Because even if what you did initially seems illogical, it probably isn’t, at least if you unpack your Sherlock-Holmes – magnifying glass and look closely.

If you are regularly frustrated by ( or multiple ) counterproductive behaviours, you may find sooner or later:

You have no topic with your diet or fitness.

If more knowledge about nutrition and fitness doesn’t advance you, the problem is on a different level. More likely is:

You have a topic with stress.

Well, and if you don’t tackle THIS TOPIC, you will always sabotage your progress in terms of nutrition and fitness yourself – and for as long as you solve it.

So you go on a search for traces.

The key to success is close to you:

Find the connection between “what you did” and your environment.

This can explain a lot and make your previous behaviour appear more logical. No matter whether you notice it or not:

Your environment shapes your thoughts, feelings and your health.

It affects your behaviour in a variety of ways. Your environment can contain many stress triggers.

Noises, smells, objects, people, rooms or times of day, even whether you feel safe, can include stress triggers.

How to uncover and end unconscious self-sabotage programs

The solution is in your area. Here are three questions about how to make the unconscious aware:

WHO was with you before, during and after you did something?
WHAT was in your area before, during and after?
WHEN was it ( at what time of day )?

Then you go into problem-solving.

Once you find out WHY you are doing something, it is much easier to find a good solution.

A solution that is much more effective than: “Hey, push yourself more!”

Likewise, you could give someone who has just lost a chess game the wise advice: “Strict yourself more. “

Doesn’t bring either.

What helps instead are these two questions that you can ask yourself about your environment:

What can you REDUCE that makes it difficult for you to stay tuned?

How can you minimize triggers for counterproductive behaviour in your environment?

Where else is there unhealthy peer pressure?

Where can you integrate MORE that makes it easier to stay tuned?

How do you create an environment that gives you a tailwind?
How do you make a frame that becomes even lighter and more comfortable?
Which people can support you in this?

Once you’ve found some answers, you can brainstorm possible solutions:

Find positive changes that could help you.

You won’t be able to avoid experimenting: you can only find the right solution by trying it out.

Would you like suggestions? Here are some options:

Try to do [ X ] at a different time.
After a stressful working day, you only go for a 10-minute walk instead of driving directly home.
Try music -, podcasts – or listen to the audiobook instead of indulging in the Instagram – feed.
Make sure that foods that make you happy and full – without you eating too much of them – are easily accessible for you at any time.
Tempting foods, of which you have eaten too much so far, make it harder to reach them instead.

And so on.

The best thing about it?

As soon as you see how much your environment influences your behaviour, you can no longer close your eyes to it.

This makes it easier for you to make any positive change, not just in terms of your diet and fitness.

If you want, you can go one step further and put your entire environment to the test.

How to free your environment from “saboteurs.”

Too much distraction or trigger for counterproductive behaviour can make staying tuned to torture. Or even impossible.

Your environment works either for or against you.

You can stay tuned to your fitness goals much more easily and with less effort by redesigning your environment:

Use positive memories (e.g. Post – it – slip or appointment – reminders),
Reduce distractions (e.g. permanent sound signals of your cell phone if you want to focus on training or working),
Make it easier to stay tuned (e.g. Always have training options within reach),
establish positive behaviour triggers that promote a healthy lifestyle (e.g. a visible fruit basket, bottle of water on the desk).

How to build an optimal fitness – environment

Here is a simple 5 – steps – process that gets you into action:

1, Choose a behaviour you want to try, change, improve or make a habit of (e.g. exercise regularly, at least one healthy meal a day).

2, Scan all levels of your environment for elements that help you with this or stand in the way (e.g. “The 7 Levels of your environment”).

3, Let your creativity run wild. Brainstorm at least 2 – 3 Measures that:

Complicate counterproductive behaviours, which are more uncomfortable, annoying, complex and/or expensive.
Facilitate helpful behaviours so that they are lighter, more visible, more convenient and/or more available.

4, Identify the low-hanging fruits (e.g. everything you can implement in less than 3 minutes).

5, Come on in action and harvest the low-hanging fruits.

The 7 levels of your environment

With a little practice, you develop a view of your surroundings, especially of places where you regularly spend time.

Starting with yourself, you zoom one step further with each level:

Level: your body.
Level: within reach.
Level: in the room.
Level: in the house/building.
Level: in your neighbourhood.
Level: in your city.
Level: in your country.

Do you travel a lot? Then you can add another international level.

You ask yourself three simple questions for each level:

What helps me?
What is sabotaging me?
What can I change?

Self-sabotage – Conclusion

Your environment shapes your thoughts, feelings and your health. It can cause self-sabotage – or make staying tuned child’s play.

Your stress – triggers are as individual as your environment. Your goal is to find out which factors in your environment have been between you and your progress and how you can change them to sail towards the target with a tailwind.

Triggers are not only negative. They can also push you and influence you positively.

Your environment begins with yourself, with your thoughts and feelings. This includes everything that surrounds you: objects, noises, smells, people and times of the day.

As soon as you find out your triggers and what legitimate need is behind them, you can find new ways and solutions that advance you.