Taking care of your health is an important job, but for some reason it’s extremely difficult to do it consistently. Most people think they need to have will power, but this isn’t always the case. Changing your health habits can be tricky, but in order to be successful you will need to pay attention to how you think more than having will power.

Self-sabotaging behaviors or thoughts are habits that we do regularly that get in the way of our goals. Some of these habits you might know you do, but many times you unknowingly sabotage your own health too. Think about your health goals. Do you work on the same goal(s) over and over? If you are having trouble achieving your goals such as weight loss, sticking to an exercise routine, or eating healthy, you might be self-sabotaging yourself. There are many things you might be doing, so keep reading to see if you relate to any of these behaviors.

What can you do to stop?

1. How’s your self-talk? Do you cheer yourself on, or do you criticize yourself on a regular basis? The more negative you are with yourself, the more likely you are self-sabotaging your goals. For some reason I used to think the harder I was on myself, the more weight I would be able to lose. Wrong! I never once lost weight and then kept it off by criticizing myself. Once I stopped finding fault with what I did (and didn’t do), and replaced those thoughts with encouraging thoughts, I actually started to lose the weight. You need to understand how powerful your thoughts can be. Anything you say in your head, you will start to believe. So what results do you want? If you want to change your body, you need to change your thoughts first. Be encouraging and caring toward yourself. Understand that no one is perfect and be your own best friend.

2. Do you talk yourself into eating things you know you shouldn’t eat? If you have unhealthy food in the house that you know you will eat, you need to get rid of it! You don’t need it, your spouse doesn’t need it, and even your kids don’t need it. Think about your health and your family’s health. If you don’t remove the unhealthy food, this is when you will need will power. So, why do it if you don’t have to?

3. Do you eat mindfully? When you eat you should sit down, relax, and really enjoy your meal using your senses without distractions. Pay attention by eating slowly and really taste, smell, and savor your food. When you eat mindfully you will also start to realized the cues that tell you when you are full, so you don’t over-eat. Did you know that it takes around 20 min. for your brain to get the signal that your stomach is full? This means you need to stop a bit before you think you are full so you don’t get over-stuffed and gain weight.

4. Are your emotions part of the problem? Using food to relieve stress, anger, boredom, frustration, etc. is like using food as a drug to help you feel better.   When I used to teach I would come home stressed and I would eat anything crunchy to relieve my stress (Hello crackers!). Now that I know I do this, I go outside and exercise to relieve my stress. Think of something you can do when you start to feel stressed that doesn’t include food. Maybe it’s going for a walk, talking to a friend, or doing a jigsaw puzzle. Whatever it is, have it ready and waiting for you to do whenever you feel the urge to eat after a stressful occasion.

5. Keep a Food and Mood Journal (click on the picture below). This will open your eyes to if you are eating due to your emotions. Pick a goal or two to work on, and make sure to write why you are picking these goals. The “why” is very important, so don’t skip this part. Are you doing it for your health? Your family? Do you want more energy? I recommend writing down your “why” daily so you don’t forget why you are working on the goals. Then, when you eat (or want to eat), think about your mood. Are you really hungry? Or are you eating to cover something else up? Write down and keep track of your mood when you eat. Eating to avoid emotions and pain, is an ineffective solution. You need to realize when you do this so you can control your emotional eating.

Habits are extremely hard to break. Many of us have been doing the same destructive habits for many years and this is why we have trouble losing weight. In order to break these habits you need to recognize them and then change your unhealthy habits into healthier ones.