You’re only focused on short term goals.

I often tell people, “Short term goals get you started, longterm goals keep you going.” One barrier I constantly see women self-imposing is a complete focus on physique goals and the absence of deeper motivators. Regardless of what they are, everyone has physique goals; they are wonderful and absolutely serve a purpose, but they can’t be the only reason you’re doing what you’re doing because the physical results take time. Our bodies don’t care about a dress we have to fit into for an event. They don’t care that summer is coming up and we want to be lean. They don’t care that we want to lose 20lbs before we can feel satisfied or confident. Our bodies don’t care about our timelines or our goals — wouldn’t it be nice if it worked that way, though?! Every body is going to respond independently and on different timelines; therefore, it’s necessary and important to have goals that extend beyond the physical. If you don’t have longterm goals and “whys,” I challenge you to take some time and reflect. I encourage you to sit down and spend some time writing out your goals. Split them up in to short term + long term, physical + non-physical, whatever is most appropriate for your situation.

Put in the work to build a relationship of love + respect for your body and all it allows you to do instead of living in a constant state of dissatisfaction and self loathing. I’ve worked with many women and the ones who work from a place of self love and respect are always more successful than those who work from a place of self loathing, because they have other intangible and/or long term goals they’re working towards and measures of progress beyond just the scale, a measurement, or a clothing size. If you want to look and feel your best, you have to build a solid foundation, which oftentimes requires patience and delaying immediate gratification for lasting results in the future.

You’re not prioritizing consistency.

I don’t care what you’re doing, what methods you’re using, or what goals you have…if you’re not being consistent, you will not see the results you want. Deciding you want to change your lifestyle is the easy part. Actually sticking to it and seeing it through is the hard part and the “seeing it through” part can require patience, discipline, humility, and maybe even getting a little bit uncomfortable. Living in a constant state of comfort will not facilitate change. Our bodies are adaptation machines — they are literally designed to adapt to different stimuli and demands. Your goals might require you to take an unfamiliar approach, to get uncomfortable, and may even make you feel intimidated at times. I challenge you to attack the unfamiliarity, the discomfort, and the intimidation head on! We don’t grow by staying comfortable.

Consistency and committing to these lifestyle changes requires intention and conscious decision making — it’s not going to happen on accident. You have to be mindful and aware of your thought patterns and your behaviors. You have to actively choose to break old habits and avoid falling into old patterns. It’s hard work and requires a lot of mental toughness and discipline, but is a beautiful and rewarding process.

You’re focused on trends instead of science.

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but all “fitness influencers” are NOT created equal. Many of these accounts that have thousands of followers are not even remotely qualified to be offering any sort of fitness advice. Be wary of the information you’re consuming — if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do your homework and make sure your sources are credible. Don’t get sucked into the latest trends you might see on social media. Just because everyone you follow is cutting for summer doesn’t mean you have to. Just because your neighbor on keto looks better than ever doesn’t mean you’ll look like her by doing keto. You don’t need the latest supplement that your favorite influencer is talking about — it probably doesn’t work anyway. That crazy workout you see everyone doing on TikTok? It’ll be replaced by a new one next month. Jumping from trend to trend is not only ineffective but it’s also a waste of your time, because it makes consistency impossible and tracking your progress + change over time becomes very difficult when you’re constantly moving onto the next thing. Decide what YOUR goals are and put on your “BS blinders.” The Oxford dictionary defines the word “fad” as “an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object’s qualities; a craze.” Let’s replace the word “fad” in “fad diet” or “fad workout” with “short-lived.” If you operate on “short-lived diets” or “short-lived workout programs,” expect "short-lived” results. Science doesn’t lie and it doesn’t care about turning a profit on impressionable consumers either — stick to science-backed and evidence-based methods + approaches for best results.

You’re self-sabotaging.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Your attitude matters!
The way you talk to yourself matters!

If you’re constantly in your head telling yourself you can’t be successful, you’ll never get where you want to be, you’re a failure, you’re too fat, you’re too skinny, you’re not productive enough, eventually you’re going to believe that crap and it couldn’t be farther from the truth. I spend a lot of time working on mindset and self-talk with my clients because it is such an influential part of our mental health and our actions. Next time you’re in a negative headspace and talking down to yourself, stop and ask yourself, “Would I say this to my best friend? To my daughter? My sister? My mom?” If you wouldn’t say it to the women in your life, why are you saying it to yourself? Truly effective mindset work requires extensive and continuous reflection, honesty, and awareness. It is a skill and, like any other skill, you have to practice!

You’re letting your ego get in the way.

There are plenty of people who have no business offering health + fitness advice to others, but there are also plenty of people who ARE qualified. Ask for help!! You don’t have to try and figure it all out yourself and, quite frankly, it would be silly to try and do so. If your car breaks down, are you going to try and figure it out yourself or call a mechanic? If your pipes burst and your home is flooding, are you going to Google how to fix a busted pipe or are you going to call a plumber? If your kid breaks his/her arm, are you going to look to TikTok to teach you what to do or are you going to go the hospital and see a doctor? Stop wasting time running in circles on your own when you could be making progress with a professional! If everyone knew everything about anything, we’d have no career or professional diversity. Let’s make 2023 the year we stop trying to DIY our health, okay?! Set your pride and ego aside and find a qualified professional — it is so worth it.