4 Fitness Mistakes You Might Be Making

Ideally, we should all work on getting fit and living a healthy lifestyle. There are many benefits to it, but like everything else, when not done right, it can lead to some unwanted consequences. You might give up because you don’t see any results, or worse, you might injure yourself. To avoid this, you’ll want to be aware of some common mistakes people make when trying to get fit. Here are four I see all too often. Avoid them so that you achieve that healthy lifestyle you’ve always wanted.

No clear goals

One of the most common mistakes people make is that they don’t set clear goals. If you want to see success, you need to get specific. You want to get fit? Great! But what exactly are you hoping to achieve?

You need to have clear goals to get fit. A lot of us say we want to get fit, but why exactly do we want to do that? What is your end goal? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want six-pack abs? Do you want to get rid of stress?

Try to get specific with your goals. Doing this helps keep you accountable and makes you more focused. Once you have a clear purpose, you can research what exercises or healthy practices you need to do to achieve this.

For example, if you want to lose weight, get specific. How many pounds do you want to drop and by what date? Set a realistic number and time frame, then do your research and decide what activities you’re going to take up to reach that goal.

Read more: Passion is not in the “what” you’re doing, it’s in the “why.”

Doing too much at once

Another common mistake is trying to do too much, too soon. When starting out, we’re full of enthusiasm and make huge goals. We make plans to go to the gym every day and completely cut out all the junk food that we love from our diets. But the truth is a lot of us can’t deal with such drastic lifestyle changes. To get fit, we need to build certain habits into our lives, and habits take time to form.

So, start with realistic and incremental steps. You want to lose a specific amount of weight in two months? Then begin by increasing your current activity level. You can choose to add intensity to your existing workouts or increase the number of workouts you do. For example, if you take a spin class once a week, try going two or three times a week. Or add another type of class, like Pilates or a weight-based training class.

After a week or two, when your body has adjusted to your new workout routine, consider adding another workout or trying a more intense class. Gradually upping the frequency and intensity of your workouts is ideal. Doing too much, too soon can lead to burnout. Going to extremes can also lead to injury.

Now, let’s look at your healthy eating goals. Want to stop eating sweet treats? Rather than go cold turkey, consider cutting back on the not-so-good foods you currently eat. For example, if you like to eat dessert after dinner every night, try limiting yourself to one or two treats a week. Have only that amount in your house and never more. Better yet, look for healthy treat recipes to satisfy that sweet tooth and still stay on track.

You are in this for the long haul. Slow and steady wins the race.

Not listening to your body

This mistake is one that trips up many people, but it’s one that can make a difference for you. When you don’t listen to your body, you put yourself at risk for getting discouraged. Or worse, you can injure yourself.

When exercising or dieting, pay attention to your body. Yes, your muscles get sore after exercise, but if you experience sharp, persistent pain, especially after doing a new exercise or exercising for longer periods of time, it might be time to slow down or stop altogether. If you’re having trouble breathing during a workout or you started a new diet, and you’re feeling dizzy or having bad stomach pains, stop, see a doctor, and review what you are doing.

And if you have any health issues, talk to your doctor before doing any strenuous exercise.

Following all the trends

Here’s another common mistake you might be making: “A new diet program just came out” or “Let’s try this new exercise. Lots of people have raved about it.” How many times have we heard such phrases and been swayed? There’s nothing wrong with being on top of the latest trends in the fitness world, but if you keep switching from one program to another, you might not get the results you want.

It takes approximately 6–8 weeks of consistent exercise to start seeing noticeable results. If you continuously switch programs or stop and start exercising, you may not see the results you seek. Or you might end up stressing your body out.

This also applies to healthy eating. If you keep changing diets or starting and stopping a diet, you are practicing yo-yo dieting, and this can have a negative effect on your body.

Instead of falling into this trap, try to slowly cut out unhealthy foods from your meals and eat in a more balanced way.  Fad diets don’t work in the long run, so this is a much more sustainable option.

We all make mistakes

It’s okay if you’ve made some of these mistakes. Nobody’s perfect! Now that you know them, you can work on avoiding them. That healthy lifestyle you crave is just within your reach!

Have any of these mistakes held you back from hitting your fitness goals? Or are you struggling and not sure if you’re making mistakes? Let me know in the comments!