6 Bad Exercise Habits to Stop Right Now!
I remember when I would go to the gym and go H.A.M. (hard as a moxxxx). I mean I would be dripping in sweat, heart pounding, muscles burning, still I wasn’t achieving the results I desired. I remember feeling frustrated and ready to give up because all of my hard work was being done in vain. I’m sure you can relate on some level to my predicament. It took me a while to realize I wasn’t yielding my desired results, not because of what I was doing in the gym, instead it was a lack of what I was doing outside the gym. Yep, it was my actions outside the gym that were sabotaging my way to getting that hot ass body, which included abs that I just couldn’t seem to nail.
I’m sure you’re wondering what these habits were as you may be guilty of them yourself! So, without further ado here they are:
- Skimming On Sleep- When I was younger and clearly naive, I skipped on sleep (because partying and cramming for exams was better). The average adult needs 6-8 hours of sleep a night to help maintain mental and physical health. We really build muscles while we are sleeping, not when we’re working them. Sleep is also needed to help maintain our weight, improve athletic performance and balance insulin levels, keeping us from reaching into that cookie jar! Basically, when we don’t get enough sleep we eat more. See, we have hormones that help us feel full or hungry. Without enough sleep these hormones are out of whack (basically the one that tells our bodies it’s full, stops working and we just keep eating. Hence one of the reasons we may not be hitting that fitness goal honey. 🤷🏾♀️ Without the required sleep, overtime we might find ourselves having trouble making decisions, controlling emotions and/or coping with changes in life. No one wants to deal with a hungry, moody, sleep deprived person.
- Neglecting Protein Intake – No, protein will not have us looking bulky ladies! Now that we’ve clarified that, let’s proceed. Most of us chose to skip the protein unaware of the fact that hat it helps us burn fat (I have your attention now, don’t I LOL). It has a higher thermic of food (TEF), in comparison to it’s counterpart carbohydrates and fat (the healthy kinds of course) which allows more calories to be burnt while protein is being processed. It’s also essential for our muscles to build and repair.
- Not Lifting Heavy ish – Most people think the key to lose fat is performing cardio on a treadmill or running outdoors for an hour or more. Honey, this couldn’t be further from the truth. IF you want to kick fat to the door, add some heavy bells to your routine. Those bells could be barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells any of those iron and watch your body fat decrease. The reason, is the leaner we are, the more fat we’ll burn as our metabolism increases. We’ll burn more calories during and up to 24 hours after our workout. We’ll even burn fat while suiting on the couch and sleeping. If you think you’ll look bulky, see #3.
- Blaming Others- Eating clean while leading a busy an active lifestyle can be challenging but it’s feasible. Instead of having unhealthy foods like snacks and cereals (which are loaded with sugar) then blaming your spouse or children for the reason, how about you include them in your healthier lifestyle? Make exercising a family affair, finding activities or workouts the whole family can do and enjoy. Also, meal preparation could be a family as this will teach the children healthy eating habits. I mean breaking bread together is a great ritual and fun for everyone!
- Not Eating Enough- Of course, you’re thinking, if you want to lose fat, you need to eat less. While that may make sense theoretically, however in many cases it will result in the opposite result. See, when we don’t consume enough, we are not fueling our bodies to produce energy, we are sending it into “survival” mode. This means that instead of producing energy our body is trying to conserve it and slows down our metabolism to compensate. It actually holds onto fat because fat is the “stored energy” in our bodies. While storing the fat, the body begins to breakdown your muscles resulting in your metabolism continuing to slow down further. This results in a lower number of calories that your body can burn each day and a depletion in muscle, that you’ve been working so hard for.
- Doing Nothing- This May seem like a no brainer, but you may be surprised how many people do nothing but expect the results. Well I shouldn’t say do nothing, I mean they do sit on the coach and watch the reboot of very show along with the reality shows. They do surf the gram and admire their favourite IG models or personal trainers, but that’s it;!They never get off their rear and take any real action. They never put in any work, yet they wonder why they are not seeing result.
I get it, you’re busy, you’re tired all of that, but guess what honey, it’s life and your health. Being healthy isn’t a privilege or a luxury, it’s a necessity and should be a priority. Start replacing some of the bad habits and you may start seeing results in your fitness goals.
Comment below and let me know which habit you’re looking to break, and how you’re going to go about it! I’m always happy to help!
If you need help with achieving these goals, please feel free to connect with me at trudie@trainwithtrudie.com
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