We’ve all done it at some point. We’ve worked out regularly and we haven’t found ourselves improving or further challenged. Sometimes we just need to shake our workout program up. Sometimes we’re sabotaging ourselves. The following is Part 1 of the top ten ways we sabotage ourselves and our workout.
1. Chugging Gatorade before a workout – Gatorade is great for restoring the body during a really strenuous workout or when you are sweating profusely. But the problem with sports drinks and Gatorade is that they are very high in sugar and calories. If you aren’t going to be performing a high intensity workout, you shouldn’t be drinking Gatorade or sports drinks – water will be fine and it won’t overload you with extra calories.
2. Spending more time talking that working out – Having a fitness partner is great. Having someone to walk with you every day can help you keep on track, but if you spend all your time talking, rather than walking you may not be working out to your full potential. Enjoy the company, but not at the expense of your workout.
3. Working Out While Seated – Sitting equipment is great, but working out without standing wastes potential exercise you could be doing with your legs. You work out more muscles when you’re standing than when you are sitting. You will improve your balance and your stability, especially with regard to your core muscles (mid-section.) Mix sitting and standing exercises to get the maximum effect.
4. Exercising Small Muscles versus Large Muscles – Working out your large muscle groups requires a lot more energy and lot more oxygen. You shouldn’t focus only on the small muscle workouts. The draw back to focusing only on small muscle groups is that it can cause you bigger problems in the long run. For example, one woman I knew who ran a lot, didn’t work out her hamstrings – the opposing muscles – she ended up over training her quadriceps so that they were stronger than her hamstrings. As a direct result, she tore a hamstring and now has a weaker leg overall. This is an extreme case, but working all your muscles, evenly large and small is better for your overall fitness.
5. Hate an exercise? Just don’t do it. – While it’s true that if you do what you enjoy, you will be more likely to do it – but avoiding an exercise solely because you hate it will not challenge your body. For example, I hate crunches. Who doesn’t? But after performing them a few times, my abdominal muscle began to grow stronger and my body adapted – now I can challenge them with more crunches, different types of crunches and in the long run – I don’t hate them now because I can do them.
To Be Continued Tomorrow