Regular exercise is good for a number of health benefits like preventing heart disease and diabetes, to promoting a longer life. But exercising the wrong way can be detrimental to both your fitness goals and your healthy. To prevent injuries and setbacks, we recommend that you watch out for the following 8 Fitness Mistakes.
- Not stretching. Stretching both before and after your workout actually helps you throughout your entire workout. As opposed to most weightlifting exercises, stretching can elongate your muscles, making them appear leaner.
- Focusing on one thing. Your workouts should a variety of exercises, including the following training components: flexibility, core, balance, agility, quickness, resistance and cardiovascular.
- Exercising too hard. Extremely intense exercise is actually less effective than sustaining a moderate workout for a longer period of time. The proper level of exercise should produce a light sweat and get your heart beating in your target zone.
- Not drinking, or drinking too little. Just because you don’t feel thirsty during your workout doesn’t mean you should drink! Don’t wait until you’re thirsty because at that point you’re probably already dehydrated. Drink water during your workout to stay hydrated.
- Not warming up. Start your workout slowly and then gradually increase your intensity. Muscles need time to adjust to the demands of aerobic activity, otherwise it could lead to cramping or injury.
- Not cooling down. Cool downs should include 5-10 minutes of light cardiovascular training and stretching. This gives your body a smooth transition from exercise to a state of rest. It also helps lower blood pressure and minimizes soreness.
- Lifting too much weight. Lifting more weight than you can handle will result in injury. If you find yourself jerking or bouncing to lift weights, you’re putting unnecessary stress on your joints and muscles. This can lead to sprains, muscle spams and back injuries. Start out light and increase weight as your strength increases.
- Misunderstanding soreness. Many people believe that chemical imbalances (lactic acid, lack of iron, etc.) cause you to be sore after a workouts. Soreness is actually caused by small tears in the muscle and connective tissue. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and it’s very common after an intense workout.
