7 Fitness Mistakes You Should Avoid
Are you tired of working hard and still not getting the results you want?
Today I want to share 7 workout mistakes you may being making that is preventing you from seeing the results you deserve.
Fitness Mistake #1: Making your workouts too complicated
While there is nothing wrong with doing complicated movements, but it is not necessarily for getting the results you want.
Overcomplicating your workouts will eventually lead to loosing motivation, thus you’re most susceptible to falling off track.
The most important key in your health and fitness journey that will help you reach your goals is consistency. .
It is true that the more simple the workout is, the more comfortable for you to adhere to it.
There have been zero studies showing that the more complicated movement you do, the better results you will get.
This is why inside the Movement With Julie app compound movements are the foundation and primary focus.
As simple as it sounds, simple movements are the best way to see results.
So the next time that you see very difficult movements from “fitness guru’s” remember that harder doesn’t always equal better or more effective.
Fitness Mistake #2: Thinking you have to have access to a gym to get a good workout in.
I will be the first to tell you that for years I was convinced that having access to a gym with all sorts of equipment was the only way I could get a good workout in.
This couldn’t be further from the truth, and I am so thankful to have learned that you can get a killer workout at home with a few pairs a dumbbells and your bodyweight .
As I mentioned above, for years I was convinced that “the gym” (the building with 4 walls) was the only place I could get a real workout in.
You don’t need any of these fancy machines, equipment, etc. to get a killer workout.
You can get a killer workout with minimal equipment at home.
The only minimal equipment you may need:
Few pairs of dumbbells,
A workout bench or chair/cooler,
Resistance bands with handles,
Booty bands (optional),
You might be saying to yourself “that’s great, but I don’t have the space” or “i don’t have the money to buy all of that”. Like I always say “do what you can with what you have, and done is better than perfect".”
Work with what you have, you can always get creative!
Practical training that can be done anywhere with anything will likely result in being the most effective long-term because you’re able to do it anytime, anywhere!
Fitness Mistake #3: Spend Hours Working Out
If you’re thinking you’ll have to spend a countless number of hours working out, I’m here to tell you not to do that.
Believe it or not, your results do not directly correlate with the duration of your workouts!
Your results will always rely three core things: consistency, level of intensity, and progressive overload.
Your body changes when the demands you put on your body changes.
When the demands change, your body gets the message that it needs to adapt and keep up with you.
And when your body adapts, it transforms.
Here’s a few ways you can challenge yourself:
Perform as few additional reps,
Pick up a heavier set of dumbbells (if possible),
Add another set for the exercise,
Finish a circuit without taking a break,
Adding a jump rope or dancing in between sets,
Correcting your form and slowing down a movement.
My biggest tip though is to make sure your choose ONE thing instead of trying multiple things all at once.
Lastly, don’t get caught up thinking that the longer the workout is the better, if you’re following an effective program and you’re training efficiently you can get a great workout in 30-60 minutes!
The length of workouts matters because if you start over-training your body you have the potential to continuously feel fatigued or risk loosing motivation. Plus, recovery will not be as quick, and you’ll run the risk of putting your hormones in danger.
Aim for three to five times each week for anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes each session and rotate your body parts.
Fitness Mistake #4: Thinking Cardio Is The Only Way to Lose Weight
Many believe cardio is the only way to lose weight because you seem to burn more calories while doing cardio as compared to weight training.
However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m here to tell you that doing an endless amount of cardio isn’t the answer.
Multiple studies haven proven that resistance training the key to maximizing fat loss and building your dream body.
While you're not wrong in thinking that cardio burns more calories during your workout, resistance training, will have you burning more calories around the clock.
Why does this happen?
Muscle burns about three times more calories than fat, and the only way to build muscle is through resistance training. So it’s essentially a win-win for you!
I know what you might be thinking; “will resistance training make me bulky?”
Trust me when I say it nearly impossible to get bulky from resistance training. It will actually help you to appear leaner because muscle is more dense than fat.
Fitness Mistake #5: You Think You Only Burn Calories When Working Out
Guess what?! Your body burns calories outside of your workout sessions, too!
Let’s be honest, who wants to spend hours and hours inside the gym when you could be investing your time else-where?!
You may be wondering; “how can I burn more calories throughout my day?”
Be intentional with your movement.
There are so many ways that you can boost your calorie burn, such as:
Take your dog for a longer walk, or go on a hike, take the stairs, get up from your desk every hour for 5 minutes, go outside with your kids, jog, play in the park, clean one area of your house each day, dance while cooking, and tons more!
There are so many different ways you can move your body that are fun and easy to stick with long-term.
Don't want to underestimate the power of small movement. Moving around in all different ways throughout your day can make a major impact on your overall calorie burn without ever having to break a sweat.
Remember that movement is not the only factor contributing to calorie burn, there are many other ways that you can boost your metabolism and the faster your metabolism is, the more calories your body.
Getting more sleep, staying properly hydrated, giving your body enough food and fueling it with nutrient-dense foods are all extremely effective ways to ramp up your metabolism and burn more calories.
Fitness Mistake #6: You Think You Have To Work Out Every Day
In my personal experience, this is probably the biggest mistake you can make.
Although it may seem contradictory to what you see or hear, your body needs rest to be prioritized to see results.
It’s very common for people to fall into believing this myth because they think that during their workouts they are changing their bodies.
Let me break it to you very bluntly: muscle growth and fat loss do not happen during your workouts. The magic actually works when you’re at rest.
They happen outside of the training sessions, and you are maximizing through recovery!
Believe it or not, during your workouts, you are actually breaking your muscle down. With each sprint or with each lift, you are tearing muscle fibers. This means the more you do, the more muscle you’re breaking down. .
So if you are working out every day, you are never giving your muscles the opportunity to rebuild and grow. You can work as hard as you want in the gym, but without rest, you will likely never see the results you want.
Plus, working out daily can cause negative affects on your hormones, women especially. Working out is a type of stress. When your body is stressed, it triggers one of your “flight or fight” stress hormones, cortisol to sky rocket. When your cortisol levels are chronically high, they tend to increase your appetite, food cravings and can possibly slow your digestion down.
Working out is a type of stress – when your body experiences stress, it triggers hormones that focus on fight-or-flight, which increases cortisol.
To prevent this from happening, prioritize at least one to two rest days per week no matter what.
This will help you to go back to your workouts with more energy, enthusiasm and intensity which can likely lead to seeing better results, long-term.
Fitness Mistake #7: You’re Working Out Without A Plan
Working out without a plan is like driving across the country without a GPS or map!
It will likely lead you to waste time wandering around trying to figure out what to do.
In my personal experience, working out without a plan is probably the most detrimental thing I have done in my fitness journey.
It not only stopped me from seeing results, it often times made me very complacent in my workouts which led me to doing the same exercises and body-parts all the time because I didn’t have a plan hold me accountable.
Having a plan will not only hold you accountable to effective train, but it will likely push you outside your comfort zone forcing you to change which will lead to seeing results.
Following a plan will save you so much time and stress and enable you to quickly move through your workout while keeping it effective, efficient, and fun!
Conclusion
I hope that you found these helpful! If I would have learned these things early on in my fitness journey, I could have saved years of running around in circles trying but never able to reach my goals.
If you’re looking to join a community of women that care about your journey and you finally reaching your goals is in the most effective, efficient and realistic way while still having fun, start today by clicking here.
When you join the app, you will be given 5 brand-new workouts every single week that can be done anytime, anywhere with very minimal equipment! Every workout has video demonstrations, sets, reps. Inside the app you can log workouts and track your progress as well. All you need to do is get dressed, show up and start finally seeing the results you deserve!
xx,
Julie
