Fitness mistakes to avoid according to Adriana
The temptation to save time by skipping the pre-workout warm-up is a surefire recipe for injury. “You are taking a big risk of getting injured if you don’t take just 10 minutes to warm up before you work out,” celebrity trainer Latreal Mitchell points out that an injury could set you back for weeks sometimes. Apart from skipping the warm-up there are other fitness mistakes we make that can drastically impact our results and bodies.
Cardio before a lifting session
When done at the wrong time cardio can be detrimental. Completing a 30-minute cardio workout before moving into a form-intensive lifting session can lead to potential injury as you’ll likely be fatigued from the cardio. This can influence your form during the lifting session. It is advised to get the form-intensive lifting out of the way first before moving into cardio.
Absence of a fitness journal or log
Most people tend to be far too generous with estimates of exercise intensity and time as well as the frequency of their workouts. To help eliminate guesswork and to keep yourself accountable for your fitness goals an exercise log or fitness journal will help to track everything related to your fitness routine. It will help you to be honest with yourself on a daily basis and help you to understand why you are not reaching certain goals. The fitness journal allows one to easily retrace one’s steps and get back on track.
Underestimating your food intake
Being in denial about the foods you eat and the quantity consumed will certainly hinder fitness goals related to weight loss. Tracking what you eat in a food diary will help you see what types of food and the quantities you are consuming in a day. The CDC notes that people have strong habits when it comes to eating. Sudden radical changes to eating habits can lead to short term weight loss, but this is not healthy. A food journal allows people to reflect on what they eat, replace bad foods with nutritional foods and reinforces healthy eating habits. Most nutrition and dietary experts are in agreement that keeping a food journal helps to promote sustainable and consistent long term changes to eating habits, which is the secret behind healthier living.
Same ol’ Same ol’
Whether you are frequenting the gym or prefer to downward dog at home, if you are always doing the same thing your results will stall. While going through the same routine may be comfortable, it should be changed up every three to four weeks.
“I started cycling and yoga when I was pregnant and after giving birth I became a certified personal trainer,” Adriana’s journey to fitness started like many others, but really calls to attention the importance of versatility in workout routines. Using a workout log, or fitness log is an easy way to track when exercises should be changed. Changes can be as simple as alternating exercises, sets, reps and rest times or even include introducing something new. By tracking the different kinds of workouts you are able to determine what works best for your body.
Leaving the abs for last
If left until the end of a workout dedicated abdominal work will likely be cut short. Core training can be moved out of the way early by incorporating sets of planks, side planks and leg raises in between exercises.
A study investigating the best and worst abdominal exercises found that bicycle crunches were the best exercise to harden the abdominals. The Captain’s chair was identified as the best gym exercise. This exercise makes one think of trying to sit on a seatless chair. The user let’s their legs dangle straight down, before raising knees towards the chest. When lowering the knees, it is important to remember to engage the abs.
Consistency is key, not only when it comes to fitness goals. Adriana had one last piece of advice, comparing fitness to a social media page as both require hard, consistent work in order for us to see long term results. “Work hard on your page, your image. Constantly push out content, but don’t be afraid to give them a taste of who you are either!”
