3 common mistakes when people are trying to get in shape.
Summer is officially here as of June 21st. My inquiries increase and the number of people that want to get in shape is at its peak. Why? Maybe they tried on those shorts, swimsuit, pants, shirt, or just looked at a photo of them and said “Oh $hit it’s time to get my a$$ back in the gym. Happens to most people unless they got a head start. Those people still show up to the gym to maintain what they have worked hard for. I figured I could at least help people from sabotaging themselves too bad when it’s crunch time and you want to get maximum results in the least amount of time.
Creating Unrealistic Expectations. I get plenty of people that tell me their friend lost 23 or 19 lbs in 2 weeks blah blah blah. I’m sorry, but I’ve been doing this too long and I see right through the B.S. miracle cleanse approach. If that person did lose that much weight that fast, they either had a serious backup, got really dehydrated, or starved for 2 weeks. Sometimes all 3 come into play and now we have the cleanse trifecta. “Susan lost 19 lbs in 10 days!” Awesome. However, Susan will gain that right back and then some. Susan cannot beat nature, I’m so sorry, (I feel like I’m the spoiler telling kids about Santa sometimes), but if you get crazy and drop weight that fast your body is going to hold onto it SO hard when it comes back. Saying you’re never going to gain any weight back is a very naive theory. 2 lbs of fat loss a week is not fancy, sexy, or mind blowing, but over time it adds up and you will destroy Susan in due time if you do the right workouts and eat the right foods.
Going too HAMF. Trust me. I am all for getting on a program and getting the work in, head down and let’s go. However, nobody is getting any younger. The days of 2 workouts a day and time to hit the hot tub or sauna, then watch a movie and take a nap, etc. are gone. Some of us have kids now and even if you don’t, you most likely have pets or jobs or side hustles that will suffer if you’re putting in 120 mins of exercise a day. After 45-60 minutes, the amount of actual beneficial work is minimal. Diminishing returns. Beating a dead horse. More benefit will come from proper nutrition, recovery, and active rest like walking or biking, playing with the kiddos, pets, etc. Going too hard can make the end seem too difficult and unobtainable. Get 4-5 days of exercise 30-60 min per day and maybe ramp up your steps to 15,000-20,000. Get good sleep. Eat real food. The bigger the label the less it does for you. Go.
Making it too complicated. It’s really hilarious actually when you think of all the different types of exercise programs are available. You can wake up and do a silk ribbon class where you’re inverted on a silk rope swinging around. Maybe hop into a cycle class with an instructor that screams into a headset.(Not for me). You can also do a more chill yoga class or get amped up and do 100 snatches in a CrossFit class.(not my idea of fun) Either way there’s bound to be something that you fall in love with. Boom. That is the kicker. Adherence is the biggest proponent of a successful exercise routine. What can you do 3-5 times a week and not want to walk out mid-class, if they tell you they are uncreatively making people do snatches and burpees again. Find that program and go. Even in the CF world people will get way too complicated and use 92.3% of their 1RM snatch to work on doubles for 30 minutes so they can blah blah blah. If that works for them, awesome, but that doesn’t make them more fit. They are spending an absurd amount of time on a very obscure and not functional lift that they have decided to master. If you’re just trying to get in shape. Keep it simple. Squats, push-ups, planks, jog, Rows, maybe a KB or DB in there and the combinations will make your head spin. Keep it simple and work on the movements that matter to you!
