Have you been hitting the gym hard, but remain frustrated because you haven’t been getting the results you wanted? There are numerous reasons that might be preventing you from reaching your potential, that include time spent in and outside the gym. These five mistakes are the major culprits that even the most experienced fitness junkie could be doing wrong.
Your Expectations Aren’t Realistic
Scrolling through fitness accounts on Instagram, it can sometimes seem like a breeze to get into the shape of your dreams. However, many of these fitness bloggers do this as their full time job, and can dedicate much more time to the gym and preparing meals than the average person working a 9-5 job. What’s more, most of these people have been training for years and know what works for their body and schedule. If you are just starting to train for the first time, it’s not realistic to think you will go from a soft stomach to a six pack in a week’s time! Exercising and living a healthy lifestyle needs to be made a part of your weekly routine in order to get results. Set small measurable fitness goals for each week and work up from there.
You’re Not Getting Enough Zzz’s
As counterintuitive as it may seem, one of the most crucial parts of a workout is the rest and recovery time afterwards. Specifically, this means getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night. During non-REM sleep, the brain has little activity, meaning the blood supply increases for muscles, bringing them important nutrients and oxygen needed to recover, strengthen and heal muscles, and burn fat. Plus, it will keep your brain and body more energized for the next time you hit the gym!
You’ve Been Overtraining
Believe it or not, it is possible to actually gain weight from training too much. And we’re not talking about muscle gain. When the body is overworked, it starts to release an excess of the stress hormone, cortisol. When this hormone fluctuates due to too much physical activity, it actually has a reverse effect on your physical goals, like making you gain fat around your stomach, preventing you from sleeping for muscle recovery, and causing inflammation. On top of this, too much fitness can also lead to injuries due to repetitive motion such as stress fractures and tendonitis, which could put you out of the gym for months. It’s better to give yourself proper rest days now, then have to start from scratch months down the road.
You Don’t Vary Your Workouts
If every time you go to the gym you do the same routine, it’s time to switch it up. Not only does routine cause boredom, but your body actually gets used to doing the same exercises and movements, so that they become more efficient and burn fewer calories. To avoid a fitness plateau, try cross training or adding intervals to your workouts.
You’re Not Fueling Yourself Properly Beforehand
While it’s no fun to workout on a full stomach due to the agonizing cramps and nausea that ensue, it’s also not smart to workout on an empty stomach either. While some people swear by cardio fasting, where they run on an empty stomach, a study by “Sports Journal” found the body actually stores more fat later in the day from this method. The best fuel for before fitness training is slow release carbs that will give you energy throughout your workout, like oatmeal. Coffee is also a good drink to have beforehand, giving you a caffeine boost to get pumped to train your best.
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