So you’ve been going to the gym for ages now, and the scale isn’t moving and your jeans are still a little tight. WTH?!?! Hey, it happens to the best of us, but with a few tweaks to your habits, you can get the waistline or toned arms you’re after. Read on to find out common mistakes that you might be making when you hit the gym.
1. You’re Only Doing Cardio: The elliptical is your second home. Rain or shine, you sweat it out every night for 45 minutes while watching RHOC, but the pounds are still sitting around your midline. What you need to do is combine cardio with weight lifting at least twice a week. And if you’re one of those who think lifting will make you bulky, we’re here to tell you this is as far from the truth as you can get. Unless you trade every meal for protein powder and never look at a piece of pizza again, you’ll only begin to build long, lean muscle. That muscle helps your body burn more calories, which will help you lose excess fat. And those toned legs and abs that you last saw during your sophomore year of high school may come out of hiding. Don’t be afraid of heavy weights either. Reach for 10-pounders, maybe even the 15s once you begin to get stronger. It’ll have you feeling bolder and better than ever. (via FitSugar)
2. You’re Weighing Yourself Every Day: Like clockwork, you wake up and before you even head to the coffee pot, you have determined whether you will have a good day or bad day, because you stepped on the scale. Well, stop that! You can weigh yourself, but only once a week. Our bodies tend to fluctuate daily, and our bodies also need time to react to new eating and workouts. So give it time. Instead of worrying about the three pounds you gained over night, you’ll be excited about the one pound you lost last week. If you’re ready to give up the scale all together, even better. Gauge your health and fitness by how you feel and how your jeans fit, and you’ll never have a bad day due to the scale. (via My Fat Loss Tips)
3. You’re Doing the Same Exercise: Day in and out, you do 30 minutes of running, 10 minutes of abs and five minutes of stretching. Snore! What you should be doing is mixing it up. Whoever said variety is the spice of life was spot on. Remember the first time you ran three miles? It felt like you were going through the 8th level of hell, right? But now, it’s a walk in the park. There’s your clue that it’s time to change it up. Run farther, run faster, run up hills or maybe even try out the step mill or the lap pool. Your body adapts to whatever it is you’re putting it though, and you won’t get the same results you once did. To continue to get fitter and stronger, you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone by trying new things. (via The Huffington Post)
4. You’re Avoiding Group Fitness: You’ve seen those people walking out of the group exercise room. They’re always red, sweaty and talking to each other. They look like… they had fun! So why are you still avoiding it? It’s time to run, prance and jump into the group fitness room. It’s filled with other people who love to work out, hate working out, want to lose weight, want to tone up, want to find friends, want to spend time away from work or just want a good workout. You’re bound to fit into one of those categories. Plus, you’ll feed off the energy of others, upping your mood and energy. Soon enough you’ll wonder why you wasted so much time alone on the elliptical. (via Study My Way)
Have you made any of these mistakes? It’s okay. Let’s talk about it (and share what worked for YOU) in the comments below!
