Jes Reynolds…Your Fitness Coach

In order to get fitness results, you have to recognize the potential pitfalls in your routine.  In the list below, I’ve listed some common mistakes I see people make.  If you’re not getting the results you want, going through this list can help you find the holes in your routine.

1. Ignoring or Imagining Feedback
   In order to get the best results, you should chart your progress with concrete feedback such as the scale or body fat %.  I would not recommend using the mirror as your source of feedback unless you have the ability to be fairly objective.  People often imagine they are either gaining or losing weight, getting bigger or smaller based on the way they feel.  This has a lot to do with is the psychological component of weight loss and fitness which can be extremely tricky.
2. Trying to Out-train a Bad Diet
   Most of the benefits of exercise can be negated by a poor nutrition plan.  Snacking on chips, hitting fast food restaurants and drinking soda all take away from the hard work you put in to creating and sticking to an exercise plan.  Think about it, it takes about 15-20 minutes to eat 2 or 3 pieces of pizza, which can range from 600-1000 calories.  There isn’t any exercise that I’m aware of that lets you burn 1000 calories in 20 minutes, except maybe running straight up Mount Everest.  I’m not saying you can’t eat pizza, just put it in perspective when determining calories in vs calories out.
3. Capitalizing on ‘Cheat Day’
   A lot of nutrition programs people follow include a ‘cheat day’ which lets them relax from the more strict eating habits they follow during the rest of the week.  While you’ll never see me doing that, I do understand why people do, they need a break, and permission to eat their favorite foods.  If you use a ‘cheat day’ in your plan, be careful!  Lots of people I deal with eat 2 times as much food on cheat day, sometimes even more!  Ick!  This means 2 or 3 of your workout days are basically just getting you back to where you started.
4. Doing Too Much Too Soon
   Exercise should be progressive, making each work out just a little more challenging than before.  Make a plan that includes progressions instead of using all your enthusiasm in one workout.
5. Performing Exercises Incorrectly
   Being unaware of the basic bio-mechanical guidelines used during weight training and movement such as speed, agility, or even cardiovascular training can put undue stress on joints, ligaments, and tendons.  When bio-mechanical correctness goes unchecked, it often leads to either chronic or acute injury, and sometimes both.
6. Not Utilizing Professional Advice
   Fitness professionals, especially well educated ones, can offer a lot of insight into no only your workout and nutrition plan, but also your lifestyle.  They can identify your weak areas and help you strategize on how to overcome them long term.
7. Dehydration
   Both active and inactive people are guilty of not drinking enough water.  As you increase physical activity, you cells need for water also increases.  Every cell requires water to perform cellular processes properly and efficiently.  If your body can’t perform on a cellular level, it won’t perform as well as a whole either.
8. Improper Supplementation
   Often, people who aren’t aware of the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of their current nutrition plan begin using supplements as a means of counteracting poor nutrition or ineffective workouts.  The word supplement means ‘in addition to’ which means, if supplementation is used, it should be used to enhance an already effective nutrition and workout plan.
9. Ignoring Flexibility
   Flexibility is something that decreases naturally with age.  It tends to creep up on people, even active people, because it can be tough to justify taking the time to stretch when you’re already trying to get a complete workout in on limited time.  Maintaining or improving your flexibility will allow your joints to move through the full range of motion, improve performance, reduce risk of injury and make exercises more effective.
10. Not Setting Goals
    Setting goals puts your desired result in concrete form and helps you create a path to your destination.  Goals help you stay motivated by serving as a reminder to stay focused during difficult training sessions or stressful days.  Start with clear and specific goals then check to be sure that the actions you take are in alignment with those goals.

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