10 Common Fitness Mistakes you may be making 1. Are you missing meals in the hope of dropping a few pounds? Did you know that one of the worst things you can do when trying to lose body fat is to miss meals!!! Missing meals will slow your metabolism, resulting in an eventual increase in body-fat. Our bodies require fuel to function optimally and that includes burning fat and that fuel is food. 2. Many people are still looking for that magic elixir, the quick fix that will transform their body. But there are no quick fixes when it comes to long term sustainable fat loss. Consistency and discipline = results! Oh and patience, because there are no easy and fast answers. 3. When thinking fat-loss many people often forget the importance of water. For optimal health you should be drinking at least 213 litres of water per day! Believe it or not staying hydrated will also help you with your fat-loss goals and allowing it to function properly. 4. The reason many people fail with transforming their bodies from fat to fit is because they are too hard on themselves. They obsess over trying to be perfect all the time, and then when they have a bad day they cave in entirely. So instead of trying to be perfect, just try to do it right most of the time, allow yourself room to make the odd mistake and go off plan occasionally. 5. Over the last 20 years there has been a huge shift towards low and no carb diets, this is actually a big mistake because carbs are fuel for your body and you need fuel for your training. Yes you may lose a lot of WEIGHT in the short term, but that will mostly be water weight and usually not fat! Instead of cutting carbs completely, try to ensure that you are consuming slow burning complex carbs including fruits, vegetables and high fibre into your meals. Just be sure not to overdo the portion sizes! 6. When it comes to exercising for fat-loss, less is more! One of the things I always try to teach my clients is that it’s not the exercise where you get fit, it’s through the rest and recovery afterwards. Exercise is just a stress that your body adapts to by becoming stronger while resting. So when it comes to exercise, less is definitely more! 7. Unless you are an athlete training to peak for a specific event, then you should be mixing up your workouts regularly. By mixing up your workouts you can avoid the dreaded plateau and keep your body constantly improving. Try mixing up your sets, reps and weights; also vary the rest between exercises to create varying intensities. 8. Are you looking for a nice tight toned mid-section? And are you doing hundreds of crunches every day? Well the truth is that Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym, doing 1000+ crunches per day will not guarantee you a tight and toned waist line. The key to a tight and toned waist is in your nutrition, if your diet is bad and your abs are covered in a layer of fat you will never see them. So forget doing endless crunches and start eating clean. 9. Contrary to popular opinion cardio is not the best way to drop fat, yes cardiovascular exercise is great for your general health and fitness, but don’t be too obsessive. Hours and hours of cardio could actually make you fatter and can also lead to burnout and injury. Instead try interval training; short intense bursts with short recovery will ignite your metabolism far more effectively than hours and hours of mindless cardio. 10. If you really want to drop fat then don’t avoid weight training. Many people still worry about looking bulky, BUT gaining muscle is not as easy as you think! What actually makes you look bulky is excessive fat, follow an incorrect diet and you I guarantee that you WILL look bulky! Weight training actually increases your metabolism; in fact the calorie burn after an intense weight training workout may ignite your metabolism for up to 72 hours post workout.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 12:34:00 +0000
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