Working Out Only To Burn Calories
While working out is a great way to help with weight loss, exercising just for the sake of losing weight should be avoided. Danielle Cote, director of training operations at PureBarre, recommends that you focus on the benefits of exercise on your overall health. She says: “It’s important to consider all of the other mental and physical benefits as well.”
Working Out Only To Burn Calories
She thinks a shift of mentality will help. Cote explained: “Instead of burning off dinner and drinks, consider [working out] as taking personal time to clear your mind.”
Doing Challenges With Single Exercises
We’ve all been guilty of trying these out in hopes of sculpting a better body in just 30 days. Whether its been a 30-day squat or plank challenge, chances are that these super-targeted challenges will not accomplish what you’re looking for. Kate Ligler, NASM-CPT, CES, PES, and MINDBODY Wellness Specialist, shared: “These challenges are wonderful kickstarts to help build proficiency in a movement, re-establish a movement routine, or motivate your office to sit less at work.”
Doing Challenges With Single Exercises
However, she emphasizes that these targeted moves won’t help reshape your entire body. She says: “If six-pack abs or a Kardashian booty are your goal, a plank or squat challenge won’t bridge that gap without a complete revamp of your movement and nutrition regimen.”
Being Afraid To Lift Weights
Many women are absolutely terrified to set foot in the weight training section of their gym, fearing the dreaded “bulky” look. Angela Gargano, CPT and trainer at Performix House, explains that lifting weights will absolutely not make you look bigger. She says: “Enough with this; lifting does not make you bulky…lifting weights is going to tone up your body.”
Being Afraid To Lift Weights
The fact is, in order to become “bulky,” you would have to make significant dietary changes with the specific goal of building up bulk. Instead, incorporating weight training into your routine will give you a multitude of benefits including bone protection, a boost in metabolism, and stress reduction.
Never Taking A Day Off
Many times, we trick ourselves into thinking that if we ramp up our training and never take days off, we will greatly increase our results in much less time. The fact is, it’s simply not true. Peloton Tread master trainer Rebecca Kennedy says: No rest or recovery is the quickest route to injury.”
Never Taking A Day Off
You might be surprised to hear that the opposite is true: “You see the results of the effort you put in when you recover. The rebuilding and repair of muscle tissue is done during rest especially when accompanied by proper nutrition, hydration and sleep,” says Kennedy.
Pairing Workouts With Alcohol
A new trend that has popped up lately has seen the combination of exercise classes and marathons with alcohol. Wine yoga and beer marathons may sound like a fun idea, but in reality they’re not the best idea. The main issue is that alcohol is a dehydrator…but so is working out. Combining the two can actually decrease your results.
Pairing Workouts With Alcohol
Triana Brown, ACE-CPT and regional training manager at Solidcore explains: “Is the intention to work out or party? When you’re doing both, you’re heightening the problem which will decrease your workout performance.”
