STOP These Top 12 Fitness Mistakes

1. Working out a just a little bit. This may seem too obvious to belong here, but a lot of people lift two dumbbells a couple of times and think they’re done for the day. Sit down at the table for half an hour and come up with a sound training program. Keep in mind that most people do not push themselves with intensity or variety daily, so know yourself. If you don’t know enough to make your own program work with a certified personal trainer.

2. Thinking that working out 50 hours a day is the key. Muscles need time to grow and the body needs time to burn fat. Some people think that the body only burns up fat during exercises, but this is not true. The more muscles mass you have, the faster calories get burnt because muscles need energy for maintenance all the time. Even when you’re resting. Overtraining will simply make you tired without any additional benefits.

3. Believing you can eat anything if you exercise. All the exercise or gadgets in the world won’t help you lose weight, get in shape, or live healthier if you don’t follow a healthy eating plan. What all the infomercials fail to tell you is that all of those hard-body models using their equipment tailor their diet to get them to their goals. I will do a post soon on why I am not a fan of cheat days/meals.

4. Never compare yourself to others. We are all unique individuals with unique histories of eating and fitness levels. You shouldn’t rate your performance according to the achievements of others, but stick to your own goal and focus on your own success.

5. Not stretching before or after workouts. “Stretching seems to be a ‘lost art,’ but it can improve range of motion and flexibility, and reduce the risk of muscle tightness and strain.

6. The all or nothing approach. Ever skip a whole workout because you didn’t have a fill hour to spare? Use what time you do have. If your goal is to wait for the perfect Month to start working out or eating healthy,... good luck with that...let me know how that works out for you.

7. Doing the same things over and over. There’s no better way to lose motivation than doing the same exercises in the same order over and over again. Learn to juggle around with the exercises that form your routine and replace them with new ones frequently. Find variations on a classic exercise and try them out. Make things interesting for yourself.

8. Blame it on the al al al al al alcohol. Alcohol has extra calories that you don’t want and is also metabolized as fat and very fast. Pumping iron in the gym for 45 minutes and then throwing the entire effort away with a couple of beers is not a good way to move forward.

9. Thinking cardio is enough and skipping strength training exercises. - True rehabilitation and long-term improvements only come by strengthening your muscles. “Strength training” does not necessarily mean “body building,” but increasing muscle strength and stability.

10. Losing focus instead of practicing mindful exercise and thinking about the muscles you’re working until you can feel the resistance in those areas. - Concentrate on the reason you are performing each exercise. This focus will help you get more out of your workouts in less time, while assuring you use proper biomechanics. This is also why gymgoers should not be watching tv or reading magazines while working out.

11. Thinking that starvation is the key. This is a huge mistake and a lot of people do it. Never assume that you can tank your way through a fitness program while starving yourself because you’ll only end up in a hospital. Muscles need nourishing meals in order to grow and starvation is a bad way to diet anyway.

12. And, lastly, never look for a magic fix that can save you all the trouble. You can’t lose weight sitting around and moping in front of the TV or computer. It just doesn’t happen. Some people say that,"I can't do a bootcamp or a raw detox because they know that requires work and commitment." Unfortunately some people put their hope in things that require nothing and they get nothing. So get out and take some action TODAY. And no excuses!