You’re working out regularly and watching what you eat but you’re not seeing results. What’s up with that? Little things you think you’re doing right may be sabotaging all the effort you’ve been putting in. The following 5 health and fitness do’s and don’t’s might get you on track to success.
DO: Keep active 3-6 days a week
After you finish exercising, you body continues to burn calories as it recovers. The more often you exercise, the more your body works, improving your metabolism and fitness level.
DON’T: Condense your workout routine
You may think that exercising 3 hours at a time, one or two days a week, is a great way to get fit, fast. Wrong! You will fatigue quickly, work out at a lower intensity and increase your risk of injury.
DO: Eat what you love
Eating healthy isn’t enough. Keep your eye on portions and frequency of treats. Eat slowly, take the time to chew your food, and savour every single bite. Your taste buds will be happy and your body will thank you.
DON’T: Overindulge on your diet-cheat day
Mark my words: It takes one week to lose one pound and just one weekend of decadence to gain it back. Is that really worth it?
DO: Set a bedtime and stick to it
Sleep is essential for your body to recover, repair and rest. For good quality sleep, try to get at least 6-8 consecutive hours per night, and hit your pillow at roughly the same time every night.
DON’T: Pull all-nighters
Even if you have a perfectly valid reason for staying up extra-late — studying, working, or blogging (like me…oops!) — you’ll pay a bigger price than you think, literally, because your weight will suffer. Simply: You’ll eat more to stay awake when you get sleepy, and fall into a vicious cycle of sugar highs and energy crashes.
DO: Drink lots of water
Ah, nature’s balm. Water is free, in both price and in calories! It hydrates and cleanses your body. Spice it up with slices of lemon, oranges, cucumber, strawberries or other fruits or veggies of your choice. Possibly the best part? It helps keep you satiated.
DON’T: Fill up on sugary liquids
Most juices and energy drinks are loaded with sugar. You are much better off eating a fruit, to benefit from the fibre and to keep you feeling fuller, longer.
DO: Challenge your limits
For maximum results, commit to pushing hard in every workout, every time. For shape and tone, include strength training in your routine.
DON’T: Go through the motions
Same old routine and same old resistance equals same old physical plateau. And same old boring snoozefest — which is the beginning of a downward spiral.
Just a few tweaks and adjustments to your routine can make a big difference to your success! Be aware of your options and make smart decisions. Document your food intake and activities for a couple of weeks, and then look for other patterns and areas that could use improvement. Share your discoveries and successes with us here in the Comments!
Katya Mohsen is a personal trainer with over 10 years of experience in fitness and sports training. Catch her practical fitness advice Thursdays on Slice.ca.
