The Right Moves: Are You Guilty of Making These 13 Common Workout Mistakes?

Getting fit is a lifetime commitment. Professional athletes take the advice of their trainers seriously who catch the workout mistakes these stars of the court and field make early in the process. But, the majority of us mere humans don't have a sports guardian angel standing by ready to redirect our mistakes into more fertile motions and methods. Certain exercise and fitness mistakes are common. Knowing what they allow people to switch it up and get back on the right path. Here are 13 of the most common.

1. Exercising Too Much.

Believe it or not, too much exercise is not a good thing. It's a significant mistake often made by exercise newbies. Instead of working their way up gradually and adding more reps over time, many people get frustrated and overdo it thinking that positive returns will happen more quickly. But, the body gets inflamed when exercise is overdone, and it needs time to repair itself. Long term problems include thinning bones and weaker muscles. There's more information at fitnessrealm.co.

2. Forgetting To Warm Up Properly

Muscles are dense. That means they have less water per volume than other types of tissue. That lack of water makes them more likely to break when overstrained. Short warm-ups before an exercise session move more blood into the muscles bringing needed oxygen into the area. When athletes take time to warm up before working out, they protect muscles from overexertion that can lead to damage.

3. Hydrating Improperly

Water demands increase during exercise. That's because water cushions the impact of activity at the joints while stabilizing the heart rate and blood pressure, which rise during exercise. Couple this with the fact that water loss spirals when the cardio gets ramped up. Exercisers should boost their water intake before, during, and after a workout to maintain hydration. However, it's vital to drink water even when not exercising. Choose to imbibe often to maintain health.

4. Sitting Too Much Throughout the Day

Most people spend too much time each day sitting at a desk or watching television. A steady lack of motion isn't healthy, and a 30-minute workout a day isn't enough. By breaking the day up regularly with short walks or even time spent standing rather than sitting, muscles remain more fluid. During exercise, concentration should be focused on working the muscles that are neglected throughout the rest of the day and reducing the time spent working muscles that are used to sit.

5. Choosing an Exercise Plan That Isn't Fun

Human beings want to enjoy their day. Given a choice between hanging or with friends or doing an exercise program they despise, the friends win every single time. Exercise is necessary at all stages of life. It's a constant. Choose a routine that is enjoyable instead of one that makes you groan. The afterglow of exercise is one of its many benefits. After an enjoyable workout session, there's a better chance that the next day's training will happen when there is a history of liking the workout.

6. Limiting Raise Intensity Levels

Slow and steady may win life in the long run, but it won't help build a healthier body unless it's interspersed with bouts of intensity throughout workouts. Athletes understand that periodic increases in energy expenditure push the body's response. Walking a little faster for five minutes or walking up a hill all do wonders for overall fitness levels. Those shorts boosts output to increase the number of calories used, making them especially important when weight loss is an important goal.

7. Understanding the Body's Connections Not Taken Into Account

Back pain may be due to problems in the legs rather than in the back itself. When muscles in one region of the body are cramped, pain often appears in a different part. Physical therapists know this and provide a series of exercises that start in one area and move to surround muscle groups to help their patients regain full use of their bodies. Take a tip from these experts. Make sure that linked areas get attention when pain crops up.

8. Neglecting Muscles That Require Pampering After the Workout

Exercise taxes the muscles, and those muscle groups need to time repair once the workout is over. Schedule in time for a massage or a nice long shower after the exercise is done. Slow stretches at the end of each session will help to move lactic acids out of overworked areas. Restored muscles are an exerciser's best friend. They will make it easier to move fluidly throughout the rest of the day.

9. Scheduling Sleep Goes on the Back Burner

Sleep is vital. Most people who regularly exercise don't have a problem falling asleep. However, they may not be getting enough of it. Rest keeps the body and the mind in tune. A short nap after a workout helps maintain alertness when exercising, but extended sleep periods are still required-; waking up refreshed means that toxins have been removed during the night, and the body is ready for the day with all its many challenges.

10. Being Strong But Not Flexible

Exercise builds endurance. It takes strength. But that endurance will be limited when muscle groups become too intensely cramped. Stretching exercises must be included at the end of every exercise routine. The stretches should work through all the major muscle groups on the body to be effective. Remember that muscle groups are connected and can affect each other. If the workout focused on the legs, don't forget to stretch the linked back muscles.

11. Using Improper Technique

An excellent personal trainer repositions their client's posture and redirects motions throughout a session. That's because technique matters. When the technique is neglected, there can still be results. But, those results will be limited because the body has been trained to move in the wrong ways. Pay attention to posture. The better the posture, the more fluid the motions. Getting the technique right helps move exercisers towards better overall health.

12. Not Starting Exercise Because You Can't Get to the Gym

It doesn't take a gym membership to get into shape, although gym memberships certainly help in the process. Exercise can be worked into a daily routine even when you can't leave home. Lifting weights, walking or running, and even calisthenics can happen at any time throughout the day. Plan to exercise no matter where you are.

13. Inconsistently Exercising

An exercise program is a commitment. It should be scheduled and adhered to. The occasional workout or run every other weekend just won't cut it. It's better to exercise for ten minutes every day than workout once a month for an hour.

Recognizing mistakes early in the exercise process helps people move towards better health and a fitter body more rapidly. Rest and relaxation are just important as the exercise itself while understanding the connections in the body helps keep pain at bay. Doing exercise the right way makes it so much more enjoyable. And, people love doing things they enjoy.