It’s great that you’re upping your fitness game and getting into working out more. But if you want to stay motivated and see results, it’s crucial you don’t make any of the following mistakes.
PHOTO CREDIT | Unsplash/Jonathan Borba
Not Putting a Plan Together
One of the biggest mistakes people make is hoping they’ll improve their fitness without thinking about the specifics they want to improve. Some workouts are better for cardio while others are better for gaining muscle. So, you need to set goals if you want to see tangible improvements. Setting goals is part of the wider recommendation of creating a plan. Once you know what areas of your body and fitness you want to focus on and what steps you need to take to achieve your set goals, you can purposefully and accurately work towards achieving your aims. That doesn’t just include workout goals. To maintain your optimum level of fitness, you also need to pay attention to your diet. To achieve your goals, you’ll need to calculate how many calories and macros you’re putting into your system and burning. The best way of doing that is to use a calorie and macronutrient calculator that computes your individual macro and caloric input based on your personal information, lifestyle habits, diet, and so on. When you have a plan in place, it will be much easier to track your progress and challenge yourself to develop further.
Working Out Too Much Too Soon
Are you one of those people who has suddenly thrown yourself into working out and are now pushing yourself more and more every single day? If so, you may be feeling proud that you’ve traded couch and cookies for exercise. While you should indeed be proud of yourself, there’s a problem if you have hit working out like a bull in a china shop. That’s because doing too much exercise too quickly can lead to injuries. But not only that. It can also soon turn into boredom and a lack of motivation, which in turn can lead back to couch and cookie land. So, don’t make the mistake of doing too much too soon. Focus on doing what’s right for your body and level of fitness.
Not Pushing Yourself Enough
On the flip side of the last point, many people make the mistake of not pushing themselves enough. While we have seen how doing too much exercise too soon is the wrong approach, it’s just as important that you commit to working out and exercise regularly. If you want abs to die for but only spend twenty minutes in the gym and don’t work up a sweat, you’ll never achieve your goals. It’s okay to take some time out. The important thing is setting that plan in place and sticking to it. You can then ensure you do the right amount of exercise to achieve your fitness goals. At the end of the day, hard work brings results. So, push yourself.
Working Out Incorrectly
You not only have to ensure you work out regularly as per your plan. You also need to make sure that you work out correctly. If you perform exercises in the wrong way or lift more than you should, it could quickly result in injury. Too many people make the mistake of not educating themselves on how to perform specific exercises and how many reps and weights they should be doing. So, make sure you get your technique right when exercising and using gym equipment. You can read online guides, watch online videos, or get advice from a professional or your local gym. Once you know how to do exercises correctly, you will see your fitness level rise up in no time, as long as you don’t make the other mistakes listed above.
