8 Mistakes to Avoid when Exercising ...

Alison

8 Mistakes to Avoid when Exercising ...
8 Mistakes to Avoid when Exercising ...

Exercise Mistakes are all too common. We know that for the sake of our health we should include exercise in our routine, but too often exercise is accompanied by exercise mistakes. As important as exercise is, it´s equally important to go about it the right way, so here are some of the exercise mistakes that you should be aware of.

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1. Too Much, Too Soon

If you´re not accustomed to regular exercise, then don´t expect to go from 0-60, so to speak, in no time at all. If you overdo it, at best you will consider exercise too difficult and lose interest, at worst you could hurt yourself. Start gently and gradually build up.

2. Too Focused

Many women dislike one particular body part (of their own, not anyone else´s). A classic exercise mistake is to focus exclusively on that area. Doing hundreds of abdominal crunches or arm exercises won´t eliminate the wobbly bits you dislike. Focus instead on toning and exercising the whole body.

3. Date with the Doc

It might seem ironic, given that exercise is meant to make you healthy and fit, but a new exercise regime should always begin with a visit to your doctor. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they don´t need to bother with this step. Your doctor can advise though regarding exercising with any medical conditions that you have, and anything else that you need to consider.

4. Obsession

A very dangerous exercise mistake is to become too obsessed. Can too much exercise be a good thing? Well, yes – if it starts to consume your whole life and you feel psychologically bothered if you miss out one session. Unless you´re a professional athlete, training and fitness should be part of your life, not your whole reason for existing.

5. Monotony

At the other end of the spectrum, if you don´t enjoy exercise it will become a chore and the chances of giving up are high. So don´t force yourself to do a form of exercise that you don´t like – find something that you are enthusiastic about. Also, practicing a variety of fitness methods is better for you and will stop you getting bored.

6. Gym or Nothing

Yet another common exercise mistake is to assume that going to the gym is the only way of keeping fit. What about swimming, cycling, skating, tennis … there are so many possibilities that don´t involve expensive membership fees or dragging yourself to the gym.

7. Eating before Exercising

It´s definitely not a good idea to eat just before exercising, and especially not a heavy meal! While you need food to fuel a workout, allow at least an hour after eating. The reason is that digesting a meal diverts blood to the stomach and away from other body parts (which is why we feel sleepy after a big meal). Exercise thus interrupts the digestive process.

8. Baby Bonus

I´m sure that our readers are too smart to be heavily influenced by the example of celebrities, who embark upon intensive exercise regimes and lose their baby weight within weeks of the birth. For most women, baby weight can take up to a year to shift, so avoid exercising too hard and instead lose the weight gradually.

Exercise mistakes are all too common, and worrying about them probably deters many people from starting a fitness regime. Yet these exercise mistakes can be avoided with some common sense and a little research. Have you ever made an exercise mistake that actually led to an injury?

Top Photo Credit: pinterest.com

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