fitness faux pas

So many people feel like they're doing all the right things and making little or no progress in achieving their fitness goals. There are some common mistakes you may be making that hinder your progress. 
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1. No rest days. People who don't allow their bodies to rest don't make progress because progress is made when your body heals itself. In fact, depending on what kind of exercise you're doing, you may benefit from two rest days.
2. Cardio only workout. If you're doing only cardio work, meaning you're only running or using the cardio equipment at your gym you're dong yourself a HUGE disservice. Yes, you'll have great cardiorespiratory capacity but you won't do much to increase your lean muscle mass, strength and metabolism. Incorporate some resistance training!
3. Speaking of resistance training, it's a common misconception that if you lift heavy weights you'll have bulky muscles. While this may be true if you're a guy, it's just not true if you're a lady. We lack the testosterone to cause muscle bulk. Sometimes genetics will predispose you to larger muscles than others but in no way will you look like a bodybuilder unless you supplement with metabolic steroids. 
4. You must have an hour for a good workout is another thought that's just not true and keeps people from even beginning their fitness journey. You can get in a good workout in just 20 minutes! Now I wouldn't suggest the high intensity training you need to use for a good workout in 20 minutes to be done every day but you can certainly use that high intensity a couple days a week and get great results!
5. Thinking that you must have some fancy equipment or a personal trainer to workout is also false! All you need for a good home workout is access to you tube, some dumbbells and a stability ball and maybe some bands. You can work every muscle in your body with just that equipment. Look through you tube videos for  how you do exercises or what exercises to do to work certain muscle groups. 

Do you have any other questions about what could be preventing your progress? Comment below or email me at healthcoach@befitforpurpose.com for more infomation.