By Remember when you started a new workout routine, and it was all so exciting? You were full of enthusiasm, energy and vigour to get going and make things happen. Suddenly, you get to a point along the journey when the results start to wane, and then everything goes out the window. Before you know it, you begin to say over and over again that this is a massive waste of time. As far as you know, you aren’t doing anything wrong. You exercise five times a week, and you’re eating well within your macros. What then is the problem here? Is it you, the outside world or the pandemic again? Let’s look at some silly things that can hurt your progress.
Silly habit one: Take dieting timeframe mentality
Many people have the best intentions to lose weight and want to do so the quickest way possible. They set timelines to achieve this goal and fast track it by taking fat burners, supplementing meals with shakes, or eating like a rabbit. But, unfortunately, most of these people lose a little — if any weight. Then when it’s time to start eating normally again, they gain the weight back and even more on top.Taking the approach of restricting calories long term and becoming even more sedentary will leave you with poor results. Instead, the most effective way to lose weight and sustain it for life is by providing your body with the needed nutrients to keep hunger at bay and reduce your caloric intake. The best way to do this is by eating a diet rich in vegetables, proteins and healthy fats. In addition, weight training and low impact exercise will allow you to build and preserve muscle so that you sustain or even increase your metabolic rate long term. This is truly what we all should aim for — a metabolism that’s robust enough to support us throughout our lifetime and a diet that matches that need. That’s the perfect solution — the end.
Silly habit Two: Eat high carb foods because bodybuilders do
There is a lot of misguided information from the bodybuilding industry, encouraging the “bulking up phase” and eating refined carbs like bread and sports drinks before, during and after training. The misunderstanding is that we can get away with eating these types of food because we’re training. Exercise alone encourages our metabolism to become metabolically flexible in that it burns fat stores for energy. But when we add all those refined carbs to the mix, our bodies never get a chance to tap into those reserves — opting to burn those carbs for fuel instead (as they are already available). So it’s best to avoid high carb foods — especially anything that does not contain any nutrient value whatsoever. Bulking is overrated anyway.
Silly habit Three: Decreasing your incidental activity
When people begin to exercise, they may get sore or feel more sluggish than their normal state. That can put some people off doing the much-needed activity to help magnify their metabolism. That one hour of exercise we may do in the gym is never enough. Being as active as we can during the day will keep us healthy and boost our metabolism and help us burn fat. Sitting for long periods is not only bad for our health, but it will also increase our susceptibility to disease later on in life. One way to become more active is to get out of the office during your lunch break. Have your lunch at your desk, then get outside and walk. Aim for at least 45 minutes, and over a month, you will see noticeable differences in your body composition. I promise you!
Silly habit four: You aren’t using your training program effectively
If you are fortunate enough to have a program designed up by your PT, then you will be a step ahead of the rest without one. Since this is your advantage, I encourage you to follow the program as the instructions recommend. Always chat with your PT regarding anything which seems unclear, or you need help understanding form and execution. The problem may be pretty straightforward, such as choosing too light weights, not doing the correct reps, or skipping specific exercises. This can and will affect your results. There is no point in paying for something that you aren’t using correctly. However, do your best to follow the instructions as carefully as possible — because you will stand to benefit the most if you take it very seriously. Sorting out the small things can make a more significant difference to your results. Happy training!