The Self-Saboteur – are you ruining all your good work?
You train consistently, turning up to each session and sticking it out until the end. You listen to your coach’s feedback, taking on board what they say and plan to do better next week.
According to your frequent social media posts, you are the picture of commitment and dedication to your sport, but just quietly, you reach for the chocolate and bottles of wine. You tell yourself that it doesn’t matter, that you’ll work off the calories in your next session.
Unfortunately, you just can’t out train a bad diet. I see this happening time and time again with athletes I know, and it is something I have done myself… so I decided to explore this a little in this blog.
Answer these five questions, and see if you are a secret self-saboteur.
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Do you put everything into your training or do you make little excuses to keep things comfortable?
If you’ve ever been guilty of backing off whenever things start to hurt, you aren’t doing yourself any favours. I understand that getting faster hurts, but you have to keep in mind that pain is temporary.
“I’ll drop straight to my knees in these push-ups because I’ll be able to do more.”
“I’ll stick to these weights because I don’t want to bulk up.”
“I have to get back to work after this session so I won’t get too sweaty.”
Sound familiar? These are all excuses. They are you self-sabotaging. Excuses come in all shapes and sizes, and they can be cunningly creative. The fact is, they’re excuses, designed to keep you in your comfort zone. And we all know what happens in your comfort zone. Not much.
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Are you getting enough zzzzzzzzzzs?
Everything is harder when you’re tired, let alone trying to push your fitness boundaries. I challenge you to try hitting the pillow a little earlier each night for a few nights. Just see if it gives you the extra energy you need to go a little harder in your training – and I’ll bet you it does! You’ll also avoid falling into the ‘I’m too tired to train’ trap. In my experience, this is the most common excuse of all to drop a training session.
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Do you keep doing the same workouts?
If your workout is always the same, your body will remain the same. By endlessly repeating the same workout without progressing load or intensity, your muscles adapt to the exercise, making it less useful way to burn fat and calories and gain fitness.
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Is your nutrition is letting you down?
Your body needs good nutrition to fuel performance, so make sure you’re getting your fair share of good lean protein and plenty of green, leafy vegetables. Cut back on treat foods to intensify your results. You can’t out-train a poor diet. Consider supplementing your diet with our tasty Supergreens powder, and don’t forget to use Bindi Protein for recovery.
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Are you socialising during your workouts rather than working hard?
Look, there is just no denying that I love catching up with my friends when I am training. There’s nothing better than chatting with a friend to help get you through a mega 5-hour bike session (IMWA anyone??), but don’t let it distract you from reaching your fitness goals. Stay focused on what you’re doing and avoid turning your workout into a social event. Leave your phone alone, too. If you’re having a text conversation while you’re on the treadmill, you’re not working hard enough!
If you’re making an effort to workout, make sure you hold yourself accountable. By identifying self-sabotaging habits that might be getting in the way you can avoid falling into traps that rob you of the results you deserve.
Changing just one or two of these habits could be the key to unlocking the results you want.
Happy training
Belinda xx
