| Top 10 Fitness Mistakes | | | | Research supports that the production of thyroid |
| | | | hormones can be negatively affected by repeated |
| Most fitness goals include weight loss, or the reduction | | | | bouts of dieting and calorie restriction. Five or six |
| of fat content, in one way or another. Whether we | | | | smaller meals spaced evenly from 2.5 to 3 hours |
| want to lose a couple pounds, change a clothing size, | | | | make it easier for the body to digest throughout the |
| or gain muscle mass, loss and control of our fat | | | | day and increase metabolism over the long term. It |
| content is usually part of the plan. | | | | may sound counterintuitive, but in order to burn fat you |
| Just as it is necessary to know what steps to take to | | | | need to eat. Instead of reducing the amount of meals, |
| meet your individual fitness goals, it is just as important | | | | care should be taken in controlling portion sizes. |
| to know what not to do. Avoid the following top ten | | | | 7. Underestimating alcohol consumption. |
| mistakes that are sure to ruin your fitness efforts: | | | | Just as portion sizes need to be controlled, alcohol |
| 1. Fail to Plan. | | | | consumption must be limited, if not eliminated. Not only |
| It's been said over and over: "If you fail to plan, you | | | | does alcohol have calories; it is actually metabolized |
| plan to fail." Working out without a pre-determined | | | | more like fat than carbohydrates. Unlike fat or |
| workout regime is similar to going on a trip without | | | | carbohydrates, alcohol has no nutritional value |
| directions; most likely you'll end up getting lost. Don't | | | | whatsoever. Drinking a glass of wine or having that |
| make this common mistake. Enlist the aid of a qualified | | | | martini may feel good but adds no benefit whatsoever |
| personal trainer to design a proper resistance training | | | | to weight loss and muscle growth. The empty calories |
| and aerobic program. Purchase one of the many | | | | of those "liquid lunches" just add up too quick. |
| guides to fitness programming and educate yourself | | | | 8. Relying on fast food. |
| on the basics. | | | | In the New York Times Bestseller Fast Food Nation: |
| 2. Compare yourself to others. | | | | The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, Eric |
| Go into any gym and you're sure to see grunting | | | | Schlosser gives a convincing interpretation of how the |
| exercisers muscling their way through workouts. | | | | rise of the multi-billion dollar fast food industry |
| Meanwhile, the group fitness studio is filled with twirling, | | | | correlates with what we now see to be epidemic |
| panting, leaping students who look more like they're | | | | obesity in the U.S. Instead of spending time planning |
| auditioning for a music video than participating in an | | | | and preparing meals, it is far easier to grab the burger |
| aerobics class. Don't even think about trying to emulate | | | | fry/shake combo or a deluxe pizza on the way home |
| them. At the very least you'll get discouraged that you | | | | from work. |
| can't keep up; at the worst you'll get hurt. | | | | The problem with regularly eating out is that despite |
| Keep your expectations realistic. A beginning expecting | | | | how careful we may think we are, we truly don't know |
| to bench 300 pounds in the first month is doomed to | | | | the makeup of most of the food that is being served |
| failure. Better to increase strength incrementally over | | | | to us. Even with fast food stores attempting to offer |
| time. Likewise, presuming that you'll lose 100 pounds of | | | | "healthier" choices, preparation of mass-produced |
| bodyfat on a new diet in three months will never | | | | meals relies on use of less than optimum ingredients |
| happen. Set realistic goals that will keep you motivated | | | | and typically laden in fat. The only way we can be |
| and concentrate on yourself, not others, throughout the | | | | sure of knowing what we are consuming is to prepare |
| process. | | | | food ourselves. Consuming less processed food is not |
| 3. Too little exercise. | | | | always the easiest thing to do if we're used to it, but it |
| Contrary to what popular exercise programs would | | | | is a major lifestyle choice that needs to be changed. |
| have us believe, it is simply not enough to put in three | | | | Besides, is it just a coincidence that we call it "junk |
| or four exercise sessions per week and expect major | | | | food"? |
| results. Weight loss and body composition changes are | | | | 9. Avoiding of weight training. |
| results of cumulative lifestyle choices, not just exercise | | | | An important concern for weight loss is increasing the |
| in the gym. There are 168 hours in a week; expecting | | | | body's metabolism so caloric expenditure is increased |
| to lose weight by just spending 1% of our available | | | | throughout the day. As stated above, one way to do |
| time being active is ridiculous. | | | | this is to make sure that the appropriate number of |
| This doesn't mean you need to spend your entire day | | | | meals is consumed. Another way is to increase the |
| chained to a barbell, but make sure that you are active | | | | percentage of muscle mass. The more muscle we |
| in some fashion every day. In addition to workouts, | | | | carry on our frames, the higher the caloric expenditure |
| increase lower level activity by walking or bike riding to | | | | required. Weight training is necessary to increase |
| work, choose the parking space furthest away from | | | | muscle mass. |
| the grocery store's door, or get out and play with your | | | | A common belief among beginning fitness enthusiasts |
| kids. The point is to be active and keep the body in | | | | is the need for hours and hours of high intensity |
| motion on a regular basis. | | | | aerobic exercise for fat loss. The reality is just the |
| 4. Too much exercise. | | | | opposite. Aerobic exercise certainly helps to burn fat, |
| On the other hand, don't become obsessed with | | | | but does relatively little to increase overall metabolic |
| exercise that it begins to rule your life. Over-training is | | | | rate in comparison with muscular gain due to a |
| as detrimental to achieving fitness goals as doing | | | | consistent resistance training program. A concern for |
| nothing at all. | | | | increasing muscle mass is imperative for successful |
| Common signs of over-training include overuse injuries, | | | | loss of fat content. |
| insomnia, fatigue, prolonged recovery from workouts, | | | | 10. Looking for the "easy way out." |
| and general disinterest in exercise. Rest and recovery | | | | Whether it's winning the lottery or having the perfect |
| are vital for achieving gains and preventing burnout. | | | | body, we all want something for nothing. One look at |
| 5. Never change your workout routine. | | | | late-night infomercials and you can see all the bogus |
| Nothing is as boring as the same routine over and over | | | | advertisements that promise weight loss by either |
| again. Not only will you get bored, your muscles will | | | | popping a pill, drinking a shake, or buying some |
| adapt and quit responding. Change your exercises, the | | | | revolutionary new piece of equipment. Even factions |
| order you do them, the number of sets and reps, and | | | | of the medical community have jumped on the |
| vary the weights. Variety is necessary or progress will | | | | bandwagon in recent years, promising the body of our |
| stop. Make every workout different in some way. | | | | dreams through a variety of surgical procedures. |
| 6. Starving to lose weight. | | | | The main concept of weight loss, calories in vs. |
| The usual American diet consists of a quick (usually | | | | calories out, is simple but far from easy. Only with |
| missed) breakfast, lunch on the run and then a huge | | | | dedication, work, and healthy lifestyle changes are |
| feast for dinner. Unfortunately, this is the worst eating | | | | results going to happen. And FORGET the quick fixes. |
| plan for weight loss because it slows down the | | | | They don't exist. Cher said it best in a fitness |
| metabolism. When the body is not fed consistently, it | | | | commercial back in the 80's: "If it came in a bottle, we'd |
| flips into starvation mode developed through evolution | | | | all have a beautiful body. |
| and hangs onto fat content for survival. | | | | |