Starting an Exercise Routine: Common Mistakes

1. Doing Too Much, Too Soon

Many individuals love to jump into things headfirst, heading to the gym every day and going full throttle from the get-go. However, doing too much too soon can lead to a host of problems from self-sabotage to injury to burn-out. Instead, tackle changes one at a time, with the long game in mind. (This goes for dietary changes, too.)

2. Unrealistic Expectations

Unrealistic expectations lead to frustration and often cause people to throw in the towel. We recommend starting with a SMART goal, and then focusing on forming the right habits and trusting that results will come – remember, true fitness is a marathon, not a sprint.

3. Following the Wrong Plan

Not all exercise plans and programs achieve the same results for all people – this is why your plan needs to be customized for YOU to get the results you want. We often hear of people doing the wrong exercises – from running to spending hours on their Peloton as a way to build muscle when in reality they should be weight training (in addition to their cardio – that’s important too!).

And this also goes for nutrition – a sound plan should include a balanced nutritional plan to accommodate your training goals and recovery needs. If your body doesn’t have the building blocks it needs to recover properly – you just may burn out or worse, get injured!

4. Not Thinking About Sustainability

As silly as it sounds, sometimes people stop working out and eating healthily once they achieve their goals because they are no longer out of shape – and therefore no longer motivated. This is why your goal should be based on permanent change. And working out for hours everyday isn’t sustainable either; however strength training a few days a week with daily walks might be very achievable. It all depends on what your goals are and what kind of lifestyle you want.

It’s also important to always perform your exercises safely and correctly – because poor technique often leads to misfired results and just may lead to injury.

5. Not Enough Sleep!

An increase in physical activity will increase your need for sleep because this is when the body recovers.  During sleep the body releases growth hormones, which increases fat loss and contributes to increased lean muscle mass. For more on the importance of sleep, check out this article.