You’ve decided (or your Doctor has recommended) that you will start exercising. Maybe you have been an athlete before and life happened and now you are ready to get back into shape. Perhaps you’ve never exercised and with extra weight, new aches and pains, exercise is jus the thing to make you feel better and even look better. Maybe you’ve set a goal for an upcoming wedding, reunion, or special event. In each of these cases, you want to avoid thinking that (a) more is better, (b) it’s going to happen overnight. Adopt this thought instead: “slow and steady wins the race”. The idea is to create a sustainable plan with realistic goals and exercise plans. Let’s take a look at a few common mistakes.
Mistake 1: Going “too hard, too fast”
You may have experienced this before. You head to the gym with the idea that you can do the exact same workout you did in high school or college, which happened to be a couple of decades ago. This is a common mistake. Or, you are brand new and feel you have to “tough it out” because you don’t want to quit. The resulting stress on your muscles can cause you to be so sore that you can hardly move the next day (or days) and you may very well not be able to safely workout the rest of the week. Not only will your body not be able to recover properly, but the thought of working out may become discouraging and you stop before you really get started. Consistency is key. Make it a goal to move your body most days of the week. Enjoy the process! If you lose your motivation before you even start, you will never achieve your goal. Also, if your body is not ready for that level of difficulty, injury can occur. This can set you back, discourage you, and even cause you to quit altogether. Make sure you ease into any fitness journey. You can start by focusing on more bodyweight exercises, shorter durations of cardio, flexibility and mobility. Then work your way into weighted exercises and longer durations of cardio. Find a reputable Personal Trainer to help get you started or check out some online programs that you find appropriate for your level of fitness.

Mistake 2: Not working on flexibility and mobility
Not working on flexibility and mobility is another big mistake. Flexibility is the ability of the muscles to stretch, while mobility incorporates everything that affects the joints’ mechanics and range of motion. It doesn’t seem like stretching and mobility exercises will help you lose weight or gain muscle, but they do help with the ability to continue to exercise while reducing the chance of injury. Again, consistency is key. If you can’t get into position or hold correct form without any weight, you sure can’t do it with weight. If you have some form of tightness that causes you to compensate while exercising, walking or running, this will lead to improper mechanics and eventually injury. A proper warm up and incorporated flexibility and mobility work are necessary for any fitness plan.
Mistake 3: Changing your diet too much and too quickly
A common mistake is changing your diet too much and too quickly. There are a few who have been able to pull off a total overhaul of their diet overnight, but it’s more common for people to cut too many calories when trying to lose weight or add too many calories when trying to add muscle. A better way would be to find out how many calories you are eating right now and track your weight. Find a calorie amount where your weight stays consistent. Once you find a calorie level where your weight is stable, start to substitute healthier choices for any junk food or processed food. Make a gradual transition. We call this “crowding out”. Eat the healthier choices more consistently and you will “crowd out” the less healthy choices. You want something sustainable, healthy lifestyle choices. Just as you don’t want to start working out too hard, you want to avoid eating in a way that is impossible to maintain. Avoid over restricting your calories, and remember fad diets aren’t a lifestyle!
Mistake 4: Making sweating and soreness your main goal
Avoid making sweating and soreness your main goal! A little soreness may be ok, but you should never want to experience pain as a result of working out. Don’t think that you need to be sore to be making progress. You can add muscle without being sore and you can burn calories without being drenched in sweat. You are the best judge of how your body reacts to exercise. The main goal during exercise is to be able to hold correct form, progressing a little each week.
Read more health and wellness articles: On-The-Go-Fitness: Staying Fit While Traveling, 10 Safety Tips For Exercising in the Heat