Are you getting the most out of your workout?
Keep these suggestions in mind!
Have you gotten your workout in today? Great. We appreciate your efforts. But are you getting the most out of the time you invest? Suppose you do these 15 typical exercise blunders. In that case, you might be squandering your time—or worse, risking an overuse injury that could keep you out of the game for an extended period. Let's correct these errors.
You are avoiding exercise because you lack time
Exercise should be scheduled similarly to a business meeting. Put it on your calendar and schedule it for the morning before your day's activities interfere. When you can't fit in a 30-minute workout, schedule short fitness sessions throughout the day. Try this jumping jack challenge for 60 seconds: Begin with 60 seconds of jumping jacks, followed by 30 seconds of recovery, and then a 60-second jog in place. "Count how many times you can complete this 2-set challenge during the day.
You forego your warm-up
Never omit a warmup, even before the smallest workout session. Otherwise, you will significantly increase your chance of injury. Your muscles and tendons grow less flexible as you age. Muscles rip readily because they contain less water and are brittle and stretchy.
A decent warmup should include some mild aerobic activity, such as high knee lifts, jumping jacks, or a brisk stroll, as well as some dynamic exercises, such as arm circles, lunges, and burpees. This warmup boosts your body temperature and increases your heart rate, allowing blood to flow to your limbs.
You never inspect your urine
Dehydration not only reduces the efficacy of your workout, but it also plays a significant role in how much post-workout discomfort and exhaustion you experience. Examine the color of your urine after a workout.
The hue should be light lemonade. You should drink extra water if it's the color of a Post-It note. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you should drink 16 to 20 ounces of water four hours before activity and another 8 to 12 ounces ten minutes before.
Then, while exercising, sip water every 15 to 20 minutes. If your workout is a marathon—that is, more than an hour long and rather intense—add a sports drink to your hydration regimen to replace electrolytes lost via perspiration.
Before a race, you stretch
The typical static stretch that everyone does before a 10K involves bending your knee and dragging your heel up to touch your butt. However, it may slow you down. A recent study suggests that static stretching—that is, holding a stretch for 30 to 45 seconds (think hamstring stretches, groin stretches, and so on)—can decrease athletic performance. To prevent injury, static stretches should be utilized as a part of your cool-down regimen.
Not incorporating "play" into your exercise regimen
Fitness is fantastic, but it should not always be the primary purpose of the exercise. It's critical to incorporate some 'play' into your workout to keep it interesting, maintain motivation, and obtain the powerful mood-boosting endorphins in your brain that arise from becoming lost in the game.
Your exercises are too difficult
Impatience frequently results in harm. Attempting to execute difficult workouts on a foundation that cannot sustain them will almost always result in fitness taking your fitness rather than serving it. Before you can start pushing your muscles hard, you need to create a foundation of strong fitness. Otherwise, you risk pain and injury, which will put you back. Begin slowly, allow at least one day between strength sessions, and progress at a moderate rate.
You don't lift weights because you're afraid of "bulking up"
Many women avoid strength training because they believe using barbells, dumbbells, and machines would make them bulky and masculine. Women cannot bulk up (a process known as hypertrophy) during the first six weeks of a strength-training program. You do not have enough testosterone as a woman to bulk up like your partner. Strength training has whole-body health advantages such as weight loss, osteoporosis prevention, increased energy, reversing age-related muscle loss, and lowering the risk of insulin resistance. Thus it should be done by every woman.
You give yourself food as a reward
After a hard, sweaty workout, you may believe you have earned the right to a triple scoop of ice cream. Sorry. That mindset might be the reason you aren't losing weight. You'll likely consume double, if not treble, the number of calories you burnt off via exercise in one binge. People believe they can eat more if they workout, and this is one negative thinking you must overcome. Instead of eating, reward yourself for your achievements with a no-calorie pleasure like a manicure or purchasing some athletic items.
Note at the end
You're probably using too much weight if you can't do a proper biceps curl. The uncontrolled swinging of your arms and wild back-and-forth sways of your torso to lift the weight puts you in danger of harm. You'll grow stronger if you use less weight, focus on the correct form, and increase and drop the weights gently and under control.
