There are so many mistakes people make when approaching their personal fitness. The first step is NOT to dress like this woman. HA! HA! Otherwise, here are some ideas of what to avoid when it comes to fitness.
Having no variety
Doing the same workout week in and out can lead to fitness plateaus, boredom and overuse strain or injury. On top of that, you won’t make the progress that you hope for. Mix up your activities. Ideally, have a weekly routine that includes strength training and cardio, as well as something for flexibility like yoga or pilates.
Doing all or nothing
I used to fall into this rut when I was pressed for time. Not having a full 30-60 minutes to exercise is no reason to skip your workout. Even 10 minutes of exercise is beneficial.
Setting unrealistic goals
Impractical goals can lead to exercise dropout, or possible injury. Set a small goal along your fitness journey and ‘celebrate’ as you meet each one.
Not warming up
Before every workout, warm up by using the movements you’ll be doing in the workout. Move all joints in their range of motion to help avoid injury.
Not cooling down
Allow your body to recover gradually by doing your warm-up in reverse, gradually slowing your pace. Spending a few minutes at the end of your workout with some gentle stretching will aid in increasing your flexibility.
How about thinking you can lose fat faster by spending two hours on the treadmill? A lot of people mistakenly believe the best way to achieve their fitness goals is to torture themselves with boring, steady-state cardio for long periods of time! I don’t want to sound like a broken record (since I made a similar comment in another of your blog posts), but fitness experts have been extolling the benefits of high-intensity training for a long time now. Not that steady-state cardio is not beneficial, but high-intensity exercises in general are more effective and more suitable to our modern lifestyles.
Good timely advice about doing something rather than nothing. My best workout is doing a circuit in the hills around home. I aim to run up and walk down. When I am not feeling like exercising, pushing through to the point of getting changed and out on the street is all I need to get going. The walking is the warm up and the exercise. It’s a very efficient exercise.
Sound advice. Thanks for sharing =) They are all very good points to keep in mind.
Great post! You have given a great outline of some of the biggest mistakes people can make when trying to incorporate exercise into their routine. The key is to find something you enjoy and to mix it up. Anything that gets you moving can positively affect your health!
Thanks!
Amber Keinath
Great tips! I think we are all guilty of breaking these rules every once in a while. Thanks for sharing this!
Great tips. Thanks. I’m trying to stay fit…it’s a battle but with people like you it makes it a little easier.
Mary