Frequent workouts and a healthy diet are supposed to be key to feeling good and getting fit. However, it doesn’t always work this way. Sometimes people aren’t able to get rid of the excess weight or become stronger because of some silly mistakes.
If you’ve been training for a while and you still don’t notice any results, check out the list of the common mistakes. Maybe there’s just something you need to change.
#1. You don’t plan a workout
The optimal solution is to create a schedule of workouts to make sure you’ll find time enough for the sport. After you finish a workout, think about what you are going to do during the next one. A weekly or monthly plan will help to keep the exercises diverse.
#2. Too much cardio
Cardio workout burns calories and improves heart function, but only in case you don’t overdo it. If you spend a couple of hours on a running machine, the body starts to burn your muscles instead of fat. As a result, your metabolism slows down. The optimal duration of cardio is 30 minutes.
#3. Too little strength building
Some ladies are afraid of power exercises, thinking that they are going to turn a body into one whole walking muscle, but it’s not how it works. Women have too low testosterone level for expecting such outcomes. Weightlifting exercises will just make your body fit.
#4. Wrong workout scheme
Exercises you do define what you’ll achieve. So now remember where you’ve got the ideas – from YouTube, your friends, bloggers, or maybe other people in the gym? Think about what you want to achieve and ask a coach to help you to create a plan based on your goals and physical form.
#5. Wrong committee manner
To achieve what you’ve planned, it is necessary to do everything correctly. Otherwise, workouts won’t be efficient, and you create the risk of fatigue and injuries. Proper committee manner is especially important for power exercises. To find out how to make squats, crunches, push-ups, etc., ask for professional consultation.
#6. Repeating the same exercises
You need to change the routine sometimes to see the results. Go to a pool instead of yoga, jog in a park instead of powerlifting, at least once in a while. People get used to workout routines, becoming really good at it. At a certain point, you’ll reach the edge and highest possible results without opportunity for further progress.
#7. You refuse to take breaks
Persistence is awesome, but your health is more important. When you come to a gym, it doesn’t mean you need to take a workout to the extreme and leave totally exhausted. Your body needs pauses between exercises and workouts as well. In other cases, it starts producing a stress hormone that provokes adipopexis.
#8. You miss post-workout stretching
Smart sportsmen always leave a minute for it. Stretching at the end of an intensive workout help to deal with muscle pains that appear on the following day. You’ll feel much better and will prevent injuries. Moreover, stretching exercises reduce the stress level, help you to sleep better and to lose weight. Don’t be in a hurry, find 10 extra minutes for stretching.
#9. You focus on the time of workout
You should focus on the quality instead. Some people prefer to look at their reflections after every exercise, walk slowly on a running machine, or post selfies while they should work intensively. Workouts are in trend, but you don’t need to spend your time on them if you don’t plan to achieve anything.
#10. You overestimate the body burden
Many people are too optimistic about their workouts. Of course, have an office job, drive everywhere by car, and walk two thousand steps every day, 15-minute jogging is an impressive achievement. But if you jog once in a week, you aren’t going to lose weight.
#11. You set unrealistic goals
You should be reasonable when it comes to setting the goals – they define the workout program, frequency and duration of exercises. If you are limited in time or just start with workouts, you should understand that the results will take some time, or even maybe much time.
#12. A wrong approach to result estimation
Some people tend to think that workouts don’t bring results because they don’t know what to pay attention to. Focusing on numbers on weigh-scales often lead to disappointment. Meanwhile, muscles are heavier than fat, and stamina is more important than numbers. If you feel healthier and more energetic, you’re doing it right.
#13. You reward yourself with food
No one says cheat meals should be banned, but they shouldn’t be used as a reward for exercising. But eating fries with coke after a workout as a fair trophy for your zeal, you create a psychological association that shifts the focus from healthy lifestyle to suffering and reward.
#14. You exercise every day
We’ve already mentioned the breaks during workouts. Too much training can also boost the producing of cortisol and give you a hard time. Regular workouts are great, but “regular” doesn’t mean “daily”. Everyday exercises will cause fatigue and lack of sleep.
#15. Some eating & drinking mistakes
Electrolyte drinks during a workout
They can bring more harm than use, especially during an intensive workout. Besides minerals, electrolyte drinks contain a high amount of sugar, which besides extra calories give you high blood pressure.
No drinks during a workout
You should hydrate between exercises. Your water balance gets really low during a workout, and if you don’t compensate for the lack, you won’t feel bad and can even faint.
You train on a full stomach or hungry
Both of these decisions are bad ideas. You will either fail to complete the workout due to the weariness or stomach pains. The optimal decision is to have a meal two hours before going to a gym.
