Arch Nemeses of Your Fitness Results
Why you aren’t seeing progress even though you go all in at the gym
Ever felt like you’re giving it your best, your all, toiling away those long, sweaty hours in the gym or some other temple of exercise of choice, yet, to your despair, you’re nowhere near achieving the results you yearn for? Being somewhat of a fitness enthusiast (read: addict), I am all too familiar with the many expectations and disappointments that go hand in hand when your fitness journey is in question.
Down below we’ll list some of the most common blunders both inexperienced and seasoned fitness aficionados are prone to making, that prevent you from getting that sculpted physique. Hopefully, this will help pinpoint what your greatest hindrance is so you can get rid of that bad boy and victoriously ride into the sunset of your desired goals.
1. You’re not pushing yourself hard enough
When at the gym you play with your phone more than you play with the barbells. When working out you tend to stop as soon as things get too sweaty and heavy, as the very thought of sore muscles abhors you. When going for a jog in the park, you more often than not stop and chat with fellow joggers or senior citizens that are walking about.
Any of these sound familiar? If so, chances are you won’t be seeing much progress (although there is a possibility of improving your social skills in scenario #3) not now, nor ever. If you’re serious about getting fit, you have to drive yourself far more than you think. Pushing your limits, testing your boundaries and competing against yourself all the time is key to seeing actual progress.
Lift harder, sprint faster and forget about dilly-dallying when workout’s in progress.
2. You’re pushing yourself far too hard
Yes, there is that other end of the spectrum which can prove to be just as disastrous for your fitness journey as is going too easy on yourself.
Not taking any rest days ever? Exercising even though you’re still sore as hell from that last grueling workout? Hitting the gym even when you’re sick? Punishing yourself by not eating enough and obsessing about ‘losing gains’ if you are forced to take a rest day off schedule, or — god forbid — take several rest days in a row?
If any of these statements apply to you, you need to stop that right now. Seriously. Take. That. Damn. Rest. Day. You won’t get fat, you won’t lose muscle, nothing bad is going to happen. On the contrary. Muscles actually need rest so they can grow. Not to mention that your tendons and joints need some precious recovering as well.
Have in mind that rest days don’t necessarily mean you have to stay in bed and do absolutely nothing all day. You can opt for an ‘active rest’ and go swimming, biking, dancing, or go for a walk, a hike with a friend, or you can just curl up with a book and a cup of hot cocoa. Do whatever you feel like doing at that given moment. Both your body and your mind are going to thank you.
3. Inconsistency
Working out one day and then skipping the next three, or constantly switching routines will, again, get you nowhere.
Consistency is crucial if you’re intent about being half-decent at anything really, not to mention if you actually aim to excel.
The solution for this one? Make an exercise routine you can actually stick to for a longer period of time. The first step is adjusting to your work or school schedule or any other commitments you have. You can workout ‘only’ three times a week? No problem, just make those sessions really count and you’ll see positive change in no time. You can make anything work with proper time management, organizing and good will.
4. You eat bird food
If you thought that eating ‘clean’ means eating solely fruits and veggies and anything labelled ‘low-fat’ you were grievously mistaken, my friend. One of the traps that most of us easily slip into is exactly that — under-eating while being absolutely convinced we’re completely on track with living the healthiest lifestyle ever.
First things first: you cannot have a real good workout session if your body isn’t properly fueled. Dizziness, fatigue and shortness of breath are just some of the nasty things that could happen mid-training if you fall prey to this one.
Secondly: you cannot grow muscle without protein. Period. You need animal or plant based protein if you really want to see those gains and improve overall fitness.
Exercise and malnourishment do not really go well together, to say the least. Some of the major issues you may face — which are far more serious than mere unsatisfactory aesthetics — are hypothalamic amenorrhea in women, as well as a plethora of other problems in both men and women, such as poor sleep, heart disorders, low libido, gut upsets, etc. Pretty scary, right?
So before you decide to pick up those dumbbells, go eat something nourishing first.
5. You eat junk
In a picture-perfect world you’d be able to eat whatever you want and then happily burn it off in the gym. Sadly, that’s not how any of this works.
Eating highly processed foods is not only detrimental to your fitness progress, but to your overall health. And if something isn’t that great for your body as such, you cannot really expect it to be all that helpful in attaining a ripped physique.
That being said, you don’t really have to cut every single processed food from your diet forever. Strict and heavy restrictions lead to overwhelming discontent inevitably followed by binge eating which is in turn succeeded by immense self-loathing. Applying the 80/20 rule, practising intuitive eating, or simply giving yourself more freedom with and around food, like eating that piece of that extra triple dip chocolate cake you adore every once in a while will not only help you get results but sustain them in the long run as well.
Talk about having your cake and eating it too, eh?
6. You have rather unrealistic expectations
“In three months’ time, I am going to look like Schwarzenegger!”
No, you’re not would be the plain, simple and somewhat harsh truth. If reaching outstanding results were all that easy, we would all be strutting our divine-like bodies around.
Should you be one of those poor unfortunate souls who believe that they’re going to get a Kim K bubble-butt after a couple of rather sloppy months in the gym, you are in need of a reality check (not to mention that you couldn’t get your posterior looking like that with no amount of workout, ’cause that piece is as fake as it gets — you don’t need weights, you’d need a surgeon).
Do not let the fitness and fashion industries convince you you’re not good enough and that you need to look in a certain way to love yourself. If you set your standards sky-high from the very beginning, disappointment is sure to come creeping about sooner than later. And that can lead only one way — to giving up altogether, as you become firmly planted in the belief that you simply cannot do it.
Change begins with small steps rather than strides
What you need to do here is actually give yourself time, be kind to yourself and enjoy the process. Take pleasure in those small and subtle changes that are sure to come. Revel in the shirt that has become slightly tighter across the chest, or those leggings that are getting quite snug around your behind. Relish that you can lift heavier weights, run faster, or do that one exercise you never thought you could pull off.
Change begins with small steps rather than strides, so be patient and remember to have fun. Working out isn’t supposed to be a terrible chore that hangs over your neck like a blunt blade, it’s supposed to give you joy. So go get those endorphins pumping through your veins and the ever-so-desired change in your figure is sure to follow.
Found this helpful at least a little? Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences down below, as I’d love to hear from you.
https://betterhumans.pub/orthorexia-when-eating-healthy-becomes-an-obsession-part-i-999b1714cb47
