The Top Three Fitness Mistakes You’re Definitely Making!

These are the top three fitness mistakes I've identified in so many people…hundreds!! Don't let yourself be one of them.

Do you find yourself running around in circles when trying to get fit? If you're a fitness rookie, I want to share my top three fitness tips with you. The three things I emphasize most in my coaching. These are the top three fitness mistakes I've identified in so many people…hundreds!! Don't let yourself be one of them.

Trying to Outrun a Bad Diet

I hate to talk about how people overestimate how many calories they actually burn during exercise. I don't really like talking about calories at all. When it comes to the end goal of health, fitness, and gorgeous muscles!!

But even though what matters most is watching the nutrition of what you eat — NOT counting calories — it's also important to remember that if you do overeat and eat a lot of processed foods and insulin-skyrocketing carbs…exercising is not going to do much good.

Don't get me wrong, exercising is one of the most important things you can do in life! But not for the goal of weight loss. Why?

Well, a half hour of weightlifting burns about 100 calories. Running a 5k only burns about 300 calories. So as you may know, your decision to eat that cookie or that muffin…while totally fine every once in a while…is going to undo the calories burned in your gym workout.

Running and weights are both great for your heart, and to prevent pain and illness…but not as a simple means to an end of losing weight. Especially when your diet is not under control.

Not Enough on Weights!

I just got done saying that cardio and weights are both great for you, but some people act like they have to be on a "team" of one of the other!!

Runners and weightlifters are not enemies. I've written a blog on this topic before. To sum up, doing cardio enhances your weight training, and vice versa. This is because if you want to be a runner, you need strong leg muscles in order to oxygen – Phillip blood through them. That way, you can run faster and run longer. If you are a runner and you notice your legs are getting tired before anything else, the problem is that your legs aren't getting enough oxygen. Time for leg day!

And on the other hand, while weightlifting is good for your heart, studies show, so is aerobic / cardio exercise. They're both great ways to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. If you want to prevent disease, which I'm pretty sure we ALL do, both cardio and lifting weights are great methods. There's no reason to hate on one just because you prefer the other! 😉

Lack of Variety

Along those same lines, just because you prefer a certain exercise routine doesn't mean you should do the same thing over and over for weeks or months on end.

I mean this in the sense that if you only jog a mile once a week and you continue to only jog a mile once a week, you're not pushing yourself or your heart any further.

But I also mean this in the sense that, if you do the same routine at the gym every time, then even if you keep increasing the amount of weights, you are still doing yourself a disservice.

Instead, you can hit the same muscles in new and unique ways by trying a different exercise. If you're only working the same parts of your muscles, not only will you get bored, but you're also limiting the muscles you're training. And thus your limiting the benefits you're getting.

For example, if you're always hanging with your free weights or on the treadmill, you miss out on the benefits of something like yoga, which not only increases your flexibility, but can make you stronger and burn fat. The flexibility of yoga helps you protect yourself from training injuries!

Overall, it's always a good idea to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. Your muscles may be confused at first, but once they get the picture, they'll thank you!!

The fear of going beyond a limited exercise routine…and the desire to try and lose weight by doing the same thing over and over…are the biggest fitness mistakes I see. When you stop making these mistakes, you'll start finally seeing progress!!

If you need more help, feel free to contact me and I'll be here for you to get you started — or, if you are already started but losing steam, I'll be here to keep you moving FORWARD on your journey.