There’s nothing as heartbreaking in the world as persistently committing to your workout schedule only to see zero progress.
You already know some good fitness habits, such as going to the gym regularly, eating a balanced diet, and drinking enough water. On the flip side, bad habits only tire you out. Even if you’re showing up to the gym day in and day out or pushing yourself to the extra mile, some bad habits and bad choices can wreck your results.
If you’re also doing one or few of these mistakes, it’s time to make a change:
1. You’re Overdoing It
It is a common belief that working out MORE is better. To some extent this statement is true but there is no scientific evidence that more workouts mean better results. In fact, committing yourself to too much physical activity can tweak your muscles and cause fatigue that can usually last for a couple of days.
The tip is to give your 100% for 30 minutes and do non-stop exercises instead of giving your 75% for an hour for an easy-to-moderate level intensity. The tip to avoid overdoing it is to listen to the internal signals and maximize your time.
2. Taking Long Breaks Between Sets
Every trainer advises people to take 15 to 30 seconds of small break between sets, but taking them more is not a good thing. Our heart rate sets back when you rest and stops your body from refueling the muscles. The key is to keep your muscles engaged and your heart rate is up. You really need to maintain this, guys. If you’ve just started following a workout routine, your resting period should range anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds. Strictly no more than this.
3. Sticking to the Same Exercises
We all know what exercises we know and what exercises we like, right? While repeating the same moves that target the same body parts might be appealing, but this is not an ideal way to achieve optimal fitness gains.
According to experts, doing the same exercise every day will make your muscles hit a plateau. A time will come when you stop seeing any improvement. So, once you have perfected an exercise, you can add slight variations or just make it one step tougher. To see change in our bodies, we need to change the exercises we do.
4. Not Getting Enough Protein in Your Meals
Do you know protein is the most important macronutrient to help our sore muscles recover from an intense workout?
So many people do n0t know that consuming a protein-rich diet boosts fat metabolism. Because protein takes longer to break down, calories are burned up to 30% quicker. So, load your meals – even breakfast – with protein.
5. Not Warming Up
Both warming up and cooling down is important. However, skipping the warming up session is the most common bad habit found in most gymgoers. It happens with everyone. They feel fine before and after workout but it turns out a different story after two days.
A quick warm-up session before jumping to your actual workout is essential to prepare your body. Make sure every muscle group goes through a full range of motion before and after the exercise.
6. Exercising on an Empty Stomach
The biggest fitness misconception in history is that hitting the gym with an empty stomach will make you shed fat fast. Actually, not eating anything prior to your workout will tire you faster and you end up burning fewer calories than you desire as lack of energy stops you from engaging in an intense workout. In fact, you would have burned more calories if you had the fuel needed to keep going. So, when you put on your workout clothes tomorrow, make sure you eat something first – at least 30 minutes to an hour earlier.
7. Celebrating Success With Junk Food
I have made it clear to my clients that a post-workout reward should be anything that does not push you away from your goal but one that puts you one step closer. You might have seen many people eating a full cheese burger when they accomplish their initial fitness milestone. Just because so many people are doing it does not mean it is the right thing.
Let us get you closer to your fitness goals by making sure you are not making any of these mistakes. If you are, let us fix them now!
For more fitness journey tales, check out 5 Things All Fitness Freaks Do to Stay Fit
