6 things you may be doing that are sabotaging your workouts!
Making the time to exercise and put your body under stress is key for weight loss and/or muscle gain, but certain foods or activities in the lead up to your workouts might be affecting your output, results and performance.
Self-sabotage with negative talk.
Combat self-sabotage with mindfulness!
There is nothing worse when you are lacking the motivation to get
out of bed, or walk into your PT session than telling yourself you
"I don't want to train". The mind is the most powerful facet we
have and what you tell yourself is what you believe, so if you are
filling your head with negative things like "I can't be bothered
training today", then you are going to end up on struggle
street.
So on the days you don't actually feel like training, remind
yourself how good you feel AFTER you have completed that PT session
or group class. Another little trick is to arrive 15 minutes early
and do some light cardio or dynamic stretching to get your body
moving so your body starts to let those endorphins kick in before
you train. You will be amazed at how much better you start to feel
once the heart starts pumping those happy endorphins around the
body!
The next time that self-sabotage occurs and you are thinking of
skipping that exercise session or eating that burger and fries -
ask yourself one simple question:
When you gave in previously, did the outcome ever leave you BETTER
off than before? Or do you feel worse off after? The answer
is probably the latter. Remember: the only work out we regret is
the one we missed!
Not consuming enough energy from food
The timing of your pre-and post-workout meals matter!
Most people don't know this but (depending on your health and
fitness goal) that what you eat the day before and day of your
workout can affect your energy and performance?
If you are going for a long run then it's not recommended that you
head out on an empty stomach, like you would for fasted cardio if
you were working towards a weight loss goal.
In fact, you will need a high carbohydrate snack around 30-45
minutes before your run as it provides two very important
functions:
1. It gives you some blood sugar which means your muscles have
glucose in them for energy.
2. Having food in your body helps to keep your GI system in working
order during the run, which in turn recruits blood flow for
digestion meaning your body will be able to retain blood flow when
the shunting process from running occurs.
Getting up early and eating about one to two hours before the run
is always a good idea as well.
Great snacks pre-run are: a banana, dates, watermelon, and
pineapple as they have a high GI. As a general rule, low fat
and low-fibre foods are the safer choices for avid runners.
Similarly, the same rule applies after a heavy weight session, your
body needs amino acids found in protein for muscle recovery. You
will often hear the term the "anabolic window" which is the period
of time after your workout. This leads to the best recovery
as the primary goal is to provide your body with an immediate fuel
source to prevent it from breaking down your muscle tissue for
energy. This time frame usually ranges from 45 - 1 hour post
workout which is why it is recommended that you consume a high
protein snack after a heavy weight session.
Quick and easy protein choices: A Vision Whey Protein Powder Shake,
an omelette or eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, lean chicken or
salmon, or a handful of nuts.
Exercising on a full stomach
Ever noticed right before you exercise if you feel lean and light,
you tend to want to train harder, as opposed to feeling full, heavy
and sluggish? That is because while you exercise your body is
working hard to circulate blood to your organs and muscles. Bodily
functions like digestion and urination slows down when you exercise
as blood flow is restricted to these organs, so if you have ever
suffered from feeling sick or a stitch this could be why.
Subsequently you want to avoid a big heavy meal right before a
workout and opt for a light and easily digestible snack like an
apple or banana!
Running or hard cardio before weights
Your weight sessions are designed to overload your muscles so they
become stronger and in turn help to build your metabolism so you
can burn more fat, so when you smash yourself for 30 minutes with
hard cardio before your weight session it can actually undo your
training because you have already pre-exhausted your muscles. Your
energy will already be decreased which means your output with
lifting a heavier weight will be limited.
Instead, try a light warm up of 2 mins on some cardio equipment
followed by some dynamic movement or mobility.
Not getting enough recovery
Factoring in a "rest day" into your week is equally as important as
following your training plan as our bodies require rest to build
strength, endurance and muscle.
Resistance training breaks your body tissue down so having rest
days are important as they allow your body time to rebuild those
muscles, nerves, bones and connective tissue.
Exercise is putting your body under stress so if you continually
pound the pavement or hit the weights without giving your body the
time it needs to recover, eventually your immune system can't play
catch up and you will inevitably become sick or injured.
Five signs you need a rest day:
1. Your body is always sore
Depending on the muscle group, you should always give your muscles
24-48 hours to recover between training sessions. If you are still
sore you may be over training.
2. You are constantly tired or moody
Moodiness or feeling low and fatigued are also signs you might be
over training. Exercise releases endorphins that make us feel
happy but if over training can also increase the stress hormone
Cortisol. If cortisol levels remain high for extended periods it
can take a toll on mental health.
3. You heart rate is abnormal
One of the best ways to gauge if you are overtraining is to check
your heart rate when you wake up in the morning. If it is above
your normal beats per minute, then your body is not fully recovered
enough to undertake another hard work out.
4. You are sore and stiff all the time
If your body doesn't have proper mobility or feels sore and
restricted and you continue to repeat the same movement pattern
(i.e. running or lifting weights) then this will cause dysfunction
in your movement pattern and will eventually cause injury.
5. Your urine is a dark yellow colour
Good hydration is key to good health but did you know you actually
cannot rehydrate your body during exercise? It takes up to 45
minutes after your session for your body to recover from even mild
hydration. Have you ever had a bad headache after a sweat session -
it's probably because your body needs water!
Not tracking your food
The saying is true… "you cannot out run a bad diet"!
It will not matter how much cardio you do, for a weight loss goal
the formula for weight loss is simple - INPUT VS OUTPUT. If you
overconsume poor quality foods with low nutritional value and do
not exercise, you will gain weight.
If you need that accountability to hitting your macronutrient goals
and you are not tracking your food then the onus is on you. What
gets measured, gets managed!
If you want to manage your weight or lose weight then you need to
also measure the 2 factors that control or influence your weight -
your eating and exercise habits!
Generally speaking, when people track their food intake they
usually eat less and in-turn lose weight. The same goes for
tracking exercise, when people track their exercise habits, they
exercise more and tend to enjoy it more.
Tracking your food and exercise will give you immediate feedback on
your progress towards your goals.
We are all time poor and want the biggest bang for our buck when it
comes to our workouts, so acknowledging and actioning any of the
above could just be the difference being able to smash out that
last set or reps in your next weight session, achieving that bigger
loss on the scales or simply the result (or lack of) that you are
seeing in the mirror.
Make every training session count and make it effective!
Alicia Jovcevski
Studio Owner
