It can be easy to just want to go day after day, working out for hours and squeezing it any workout you can whenever. Doing too much does not allow your body enough time to recover. When you push it too hard you tend to feel tired and your body craves lots of carbs and sugar because it needs the energy. Consider a two-day-on, one-day-off routine to allow for better recovery, and instead of boot camp with weight training and cardio all in a single day, try breaking them up and performing those routines on separate days.
2. Not Getting Enough Zzzzzzs
We are constantly moving during the day so night time when we sleep is the time our bodies have to repair itself from the muscles we’ve used and torn during workouts and daily activities. Also, sleep deprivation tends to suppress our natural growth hormone, making it harder to build lean muscle. Lack os sleep also makes us tired and thus nit having enough energy to workout.
3. Just Doing Cardio
It sure would be nice if we could simply hit the pavement day after day, log a few miles and end up with the perky derrière that we’ve always dreamed of. The sad truth is that without a combination of cardio and strength training, we will never win the war with gravity and manage to lift and tone everything. If you have been avoiding weights due to a fear of bulking up, you can rest easy knowing that it’s not that easy! A seriously muscled physique takes years of training and consuming loads of calories. Look at it this way, cardio burns the fat and strength training shapes/tone up the body. Do cardio and you will end up with saggy skin and we don’t want that now do we?
4. Overestimating the Caloric Burn
Many people rely on exercise equipment to determine the calories burned and those machines are often generalized and inaccurate. Your best bet is to keep a food journal and log every morsel that passes your lips. Without getting your nutrition in check, you could exercise until you are blue (or in this case, red) in the face and the only result would be frustration.
5. A Stale Workout Routine
A routine is comforting but when it comes to a workout, if you have been doing the same routine month after month, your body has likely adapted to the stimulus and is simply going through the motions. You need to shake things up and introduce new stimuli in order to keep making progress. Our bodies only change when they are forced to adapt. Consider trying a new workout at least every 3 to 4 weeks.
6.Going Too Easy
So don’t make the mistake of going too easy in the gym, ladies! Muscles only grow when they are forced to do work. Never sacrifice form to lift heavier weight but don’t let heavier weight intimidate you. Try lifting a slightly heavier weight for a repetition or two and then drop down in weight to finish the set. Then each time try a little bit more. When doing cardio, instead of long sessions of steady-state cardio, try incorporating active rests between sets or high intensity sessions like 30 second sprints (30 seconds of hard work and 30 seconds rest) to really kick up the intensity. Push but don’t push too hard.
7. Not Enough Calories
Food is fuel, not the enemy. So many people make the mistake of cutting calories too low when trying to get in shape. Without adequate fuel you’ll be hard-pressed to build muscle, and it’s the muscle that raises your metabolism. Constantly under-eating creates a vicious cycle as the metabolism slows down to preserve the energy it’s not getting from food. This then stalls weight loss (or creates weight gain) which causes many people to increase cardio and cut even more calories. Determine the calories you need, taking into consideration your activity level (including exercise) and keep a food log to stay on track.
8. Too Many Cheat Meals
A dangling carrot can certainly be great motivation for your workouts but when that “carrot” becomes the occasional cinnamon roll, alcoholic beverage or seven layer chocolate cake, it’s a potential slippery slope. An indulgence for a special occasion is certainly OK and even encouraged to maintain sanity. Also, having a bite of something sinful every now and then won’t reverse all of the good you’ve done, but be cautious of a weekly cheat meal. The cleaner the fuel (food) in your body, the leaner you’ll be.
9. Stress and Hormones
At times of stress it’s not uncommon for people to turn to food whether it’s eating to fill an emotional need, or eating on the run because there never seems to be enough time in the day. But a stressed-out lifestyle can lead to weight gain and hinder your workouts. If your workouts seem less productive and you often combat cravings, consider finding methods to reduce stress in your life.
10. Lack of Consistency
All too often people start an exercise program with the best of intentions, scheduling themselves for 5 days a week. Don’t set yourself up for failure right out of the gate. Before engaging in a regular workout routine, determine a realistic number of days that you will be able to commit to without fail. Consistency is paramount to your fitness success. Catching a workout now and then is good for your overall health but for those looking to make noticeable change, it’s going to take a regular routine and solid commitment. If you can only go 3 days a week, be sure to hit every muscle group within those 3 days with enough intensity and stay active the other days. Any amount of exercise is always encouraged, but it’s those who consider it training and not just a workout who typically achieve greater success.
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