Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

The cycle of self-sabotage and 5 Reasons why you've already broken your New Years Resolutions about getting back on the health wagon.

5. You're OK with living in a cardboard box as long as everyone else is

If you live in campus housing, this might be true in a very literal sense BUT what I really mean is that most of us are ok with looking "decent", with having decent physiques, and with treating our bodies, or diets and our health with only fleeting, half-assed concern. We live in a culture of relativism. As long as our friends are jiggling everywhere, we feel OK with this. Your body is your home. If everyone was chilling in cardboard boxes, living like hobos, would that suddenly make living in a mansion less appealing? The point is, don’t be deceived into getting lax with your plans for self-improvement because everyone around you is stuck in a rut.

Solution: Time to upgrade your body playgirl, ditch the cardboard box and roll MTV cribs style. You don’t have to be a snob and abandon your friends, but you do have to be firm in your resolve, and look for motivation from others who share your desire to change, ie joining an on-campus organization (shameless plug for Iron Maidens, ask about it!)

4. Stinkin’ Thinkin’
What you say to yourself, and to the people you hang with is the quickest way to undermine, or reinforce your goals. Just as the brain is the most powerful sex organ due to its ability to enhance or even create sexual experiences, it also has the power to create or enforce negative experiences. Thinking negative thoughts about your body, about your ability to change less than healthy habits and other self-doubt can severely decrease your probability of success.

Solution: Clean it up. Love your body how it is, embrace it and embrace its powerful and unlimited potential to constantly be improved and pushed.

3. You’re Free Falling

You’ve allowed the gravity of your habits pull you through the past few months. You’re so damned good at justifying why you should treat yourself with pizza and cookies, because you’ve worked so hard. If unchecked, like any other downward pushing force, these habits will override any hopeful attempts at change.

Solution: Defy the laws of physics ☺ Or rather, realize that for every negative force, you have the potential to produce an equally powerful positive force in your life. It may be difficult, but if you get yourself properly positioned, the momentum of habits (healthy ones) can propel you to your dreams.


2. You can’t do math
1+1=2. Got it? Yes…but do you REALLY get it?

Proper nutrition + proper exercise= results

Half-assed diet + lackluster/easy workouts= WTF ARE YOU DOING?

Yes folks it’s that simple. While what I mean by a proper diet and proper exercise can and does vary from person to person, the equation itself does not change.

Solution: Get a tutor. Pick up a “Muscle and Fitness Hers” Magazine, do some research. It’s your body, your time, your life—it’s worth the research.


1. You’re a Sucker for False Advertising

I'm not just talking about the cheesy infomercials promising quick and easy weight loss (trust me if it existed, NO celebrity would have a weight issue). I hope you’re not spending your college dollars on any of this crap. But as a woman, you’re vulnerable to other, more insidious false advertisement. The type that makes you think that being a 00 will make your life carefree. Even if you understand this to be RIDICULOUS with your intellect, your subconscious mind may be falling for those sweet nothings. Setting unrealistic goals, and attaching an undue amount of importance to them can be a recipe to disaster. Don’t beat yourself up for not looking like the girls on the runway. Focus on your own beauty. Focus on being everything your potential self actually is.


Solution: If you find that glorified images of malnourished, prepubescent-esque women make you feel less than happy with what you’re working with, start buying magazines with empowered, athletic women on them. Instead of focusing on “shrinking” yourself down to a tiny bit of nothingness, find out how to maximize and perhaps even grow (muscles!) your womanly physique.