10 WORST Fitness Mistakes

10 WORST Fitness Mistakes

You have made the big effort to start exercising and to do it regularly. Maybe you are wasting all that effort? You are if you are making these 10 worst fitness mistakes. Think of these in 2 groups:

• What you do in the gym (or in your workout space)
• What you do the rest of the time

In the Gym/workout space

• Working out without a plan — Are you one of those people who walks into the gym and says “what shall I work on today?”  Are you surprised that you are not making progress?  Working out goes better if you have a clear plan to work all your muscle groups and to build strength and fitness.  Write down a workout plan starting with your goals and a set program of workouts to get there. This is the opportunity to get real value from your gym membership – ask the trainers for their input. Research online to find programs that suit your body and situation. Once you have mapped out a plan, stick to the plan, and keep notes so you can monitor your progress.
• Trying to do too much at once — Are your muscles aching badly after the first workouts? Are you having trouble keep committed? Maybe you are paying the price of “over-enthusiasm“. All well meaning it can push you into doing too many sets, lifting too much or running too long. Over-enthusiasm carries a price.  At best, soreness hampers future workouts, but at worst it results in injury. Your body also needs time to heal between workouts. Plan to get enough rest between workouts to let your body heal.  A good way to do this is to alternate days of strength training and cardio exercise or even alternate days of strength training — do upper body one day, lower the next.
• Failing to push yourself— Maybe you are putting in the effort and not getting the results (consistently). Your fitness improves in levels. You have to keep upping the levels to get results.  An unchallenging 20-minute cardio session or easy sets does not test your body. Keep upping those levels – add a little more weight; do more repetitions; increase the time for high intensity effort
• Working out without focus and efficiency — Now you have a great plan and you have found the effort balance between too much and too little, it is time to make every work out count. A good cardio session can take 20 to 30 minutes. A good weight workout can take 30 to 45 minutes. Commit the time each and every time you stat a workout.  Stay focused and keep the workout moving towards completion and keep the rest breaks to the times you had planned.  Too long of a rest period can decrease your workout’s effectiveness.
• Failing to vary your routine — Once your body accustoms itself to a routine, your growth slows. A workout strengthens your body by taking you beyond the levels you have achieved. Change exercises in your workout plan periodically. Switch your cardio from the treadmill to the exercise cycle. Use a barbell instead of dumbbells for those bicep curls. Take a class you’ve never tried –there’s something for everyone offered in most gyms these days. Or try a new regime
• Working out without stretching — There is nothing worse than ruining a workout by copping a cold body injury. Your body performs best when all the muscles are stretched ready for action. Start every workout with a series of steady stretching exercises. Stretching beforehand prevents muscle cramps and injuries by loosening up your ligaments and muscles. Stretching after workouts loosens up your muscles and ligaments, promoting healing.
• Doing incomplete workouts — Are you putting in the effort and not getting the results? Maybe you are just not doing a wide enough range of exercise. Fat burning works best from a combination of cardio and strength exercises – ie., add some weights to your workouts. The body continues to burn calories after a strength session ends as the body burns resources to do the repair work. Focusing on one muscle group shortchanges other muscles becasue the muscle groups become unbalanced.  You don’t have to work out every muscle group every day. Alternate upper and lower body workouts, and mix up heart-strengthening cardio with strength training. Stay balanced, and your body will show the results.

The rest of the time (at home or in the office)

Drinking sports drinks instead of water — Sports drinks have been promoted heavily for their role in replacing electrolytes consumed during exercise.  Not all sports drinks are made equal. Some drinks (called hypotonic) do simply replace missing electrolytes. Most drinks (called isotonic or hypertonic) also contain carbohydrates mostly derived from corn sugar. Research shows that only marathon efforts require replacement of carbohydrates during exercise. In my case, I only ever start consuming sports drinks when a cycle ride I do is going to take more than 3 hours. Furthermore, many of the other supplements added (e.g., caffeine) can inhibit body performance, especially liver function. If you are not doing marathon workouts stick to drinking water. If you have to replace eletrolytes find a way to make up your own drink without the sugars – it is cheaper too. Read this great article to learn more and to see some recipes

• Being active only during workouts — Most of us live sedentary lives. Workouts become harder to stick with when they’re the only time you’re physically active. Sitting around slows circulation and fat burning, counteracting your workouts. Build some exercise into your daily routine. Park the car and walk more. Walk the stairs. Carry the shopping bags. Play sports. Add hobbies and get out more. Or stay in, clean up the yard or remodel a room. It’s true what they say about bodies in motion — they tend to stay in motion, and that’s a good thing.
• Failing to fuel your body with a sound diet — Now you have in place a solid workout plan and are doing good workouts. Your body needs good food – i.e., protein and vitamins… not excess fat and junk food. Nutrients are key to the regeneration of muscles.  Build your life so that your food furthers your fitness goals.  Vinnie Tortorich would add “cut the crap, especially the sugar and the grains” and say goodbye to processed and fatty foods. With regular exercise, it is key to eat regularly to keep your metabolism moving and to maintain energy for those workouts. Plan your diet like you plan your workouts if possible. It matters just as much.

Original article from MyDailyMoment.com

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