Hello Feminal Fam !! Happy Wednesday, we hope you're all doing well. Today we wanted to go over our 3 Common Fitness Mistakes and what you can do to fix them.
1. Working out too much.
There is such thing as too much of a good thing. Often when we have a fitness goal in mind we want to do whatever we can to reach it. We think the more we work out the faster we will reach our goals and it will be more effective. Unfortunately, working out too much is a big mistake when it comes to your fitness goals and it can actually make you back track.
Working out too much can cause you to feel drained, sore and even injured. Working out takes a lot on your body, especially if you're new to it. You can end up with burnout. Working out too much can also increase your chances of injury. By overusing your muscles, taking on too much weight and not allowing for recovery you increase the chances of injuring yourself.
What you can do about it -
Rest, rest and rest. This includes having rest days be part of your fitness regime as well as getting adequate sleep. Your body repairs at rest. If you aren't resting then you aren't repairing !!
Change the mindset. People often believe that the harder and more you train the better and faster the results. This isn't the case. Like we mentioned you have to actually slow down for your body to repair, only once it repairs will you notice the results. Remember, anything worth having takes time. This includes fitness.
Make it your lifestyle. If you incorporate fitness into your lifestyle, you are making a longterm commitment that doesn't have an end-date in mind. You include fitness and wellness into your daily or weekly habits. It's something that is consistent so you don't have to worry about the result.
2. Eating too much or too little.
Nutrition plays a huge part in fitness. It's as if not more important than the actual workout. Unfortunately, these days there is a lot of misinformation out there and food and eating habits are some of the biggest struggles for people.
A common fitness mistake people make is either eating too much or eating too little. Many people believe that they just have to workout to get results but that just isn't the case. Fitness is all encompassing, it includes movement, nutrition as well as mental, emotional and physiological components. This means that you can't workout, eat pizza and pasta every night and expect to see results. For some, depending on their goals they have to eat less and workout in order to see results.
On the other hand, you can't expect to see results if you're eating too little. Your body requires food for energy and to maintain normal functioning. If you restrict your food it won't be able to function properly and support you overtime. In some cases, people have to eat more to reach their fitness goals. For example, if you want to grow your muscles. You may have to eat more than you currently are in order for the muscle group to grow. Some people also notice that they aren't losing any weight despite eating very little. This is because your body goes into "starvation mode" and starts to burn less calories in order to try to preserve energy. Essentially, the less you eat, the less your body wants to burn so you're sort of stuck in this catch 22.
What you can do about it -
Take a period of time to count your calories and macros. There are many free apps that help you track your calorie intake and macro-nutrients. This isn't something you have to do longterm, but maybe for a week or two to understand how much you're eating. A lot of time it comes down to understanding what it is you're eating, the portion sizes and nutrition labels. Most people don't know that a drink can add up to 200 + calories but leave you feeling hungry. Just in the same way that someone can still be eating 3 meals a day but not get enough calories to support their daily functions and workout. Of course, please be careful not to obsess too much. This is just meant to be a form of awareness.
Talk to a dietician or health care specialist. Sometimes tracking your food or making sure you are eating enough and the right amount for you can be overwhelming. This is when a specialist can really help out. This can be especially important for those that may experience eating disorders or disordered eating. A specialist can understand your eating habits, your body and recommend a meal plan that is best suited to you. They can also monitor how you're doing and make adjustments as needed.
It all comes down to mindset. We can sometimes feel afraid and overwhelmed by food, especially when we have certain fitness goals in mind. It's important to keep in mind that food is not 'good' or 'bad' and all food types have their purpose. Some food is to fuel our body and give it the nutrients we need while others are to fuel our soul !! It's important to remember balance, we like to follow a 20/80 approach to food that allows your body to get the nutrients it needs while leaving room to indulge from time to time.
3. Not enough variety with workouts.
It's easy to get caught up in a routine, we are creatures of habit but when it comes to fitness you have to switch things up and challenge yourself if you really want to see results. Many people do the same workouts over and over and are surprised when they don't see results. Our bodies are amazing things and adapt to their environment. In terms of fitness, when someone stops seeing results it's referred to as a plateau. You might have seen results at first, but overtime doing the same workout or routine won't do much.
What you can do about it -
Switch it up. Try a different type of workout, increase your weights or intensity. Keep your body guessing. Fitness can be very enjoyable it just takes some trial and error to see what you find works best for you. Try incorporating High Intensity Interval Training to your weight lifting routine or alternatively, add some resistance training if you are more of a cardio person. Variety allows your body to grow, it challenges your body and works different parts of your body. Different types of workouts also have different types of benefits. For example, walking, jogging or running on a treadmill increases your cardiovascular endurance which in turn strengthens your heart, helps pump more blood and increases oxygen to your lungs. Resistance training helps increase bone density, can increase metabolism and help regular insulin. So there really is room for diversity in your fitness regime!
There are our top 3 Common Fitness Mistakes, what are some tips you have for starting out a fitness journey? Leave a comment below and let us know :)
xx