Entering into a fitness lifestyle is not an easy decision. There is a lot of knowledge to learn, workouts to try, and foods to avoid. But, above all, there are many habits to begin to master from day 1.
The big problem is when fitness becomes routine and not enough attention is paid to what we could be doing wrong without knowing it.
Certainly, under the fitness label there are many habits that are not only counterproductive for your physical training, but also your health.
Learn about the fitness habits that you should stay away from in order to continue living healthily in this physically and mentally positive lifestyle.
Negative fitness habits that you should change from today
1. Not planning your exercise routines
Being fitness necessarily implies exercising. It is one of the fundamental keys to maintaining a healthy body and mind, and sometimes it is not planned with the necessary seriousness.
Many people sin by staying in the same exercise routine forever, a major failure that not only prevents gains in your body, but could lead to joint injuries.
2. Not wearing appropriate footwear
This simple fact could make the difference between a satisfying routine and a serious injury. The selection of footwear must be in accordance with the type of exercise to be performed.
To the extent that the exercise requires more flexibility and agility, the shoes must accommodate this particularity. Now, if you need sturdy shoes to traverse difficult terrain, you can’t make the same choice.
3. Being distracted during exercise
One of the most serious mistakes when doing a physical activity is not being attentive to the exercise that is being carried out. Not only can you sustain a serious injury, you may not even train with the energy to overcome yourself.
Put the phone, messages, news and obligations aside. While exercising, focus on what you are doing and relax your mind of all the worries that you surely have.
4. Not trying hard enough or trying too hard
Intensity during physical training is key to seeing results . It is imperative to find a suitable level of intensity at which you feel comfortable and, at the same time, uncomfortable enough to tire the muscle.
A big drawback for many people is not being used to the slight feeling of discomfort that exercise brings. This discomfort should not be too much, but enough to generate muscle wasting. Therefore, it is advisable to work on improving this resistance to discomfort at least 3 days a week.
5. Hold your breath
One of the habits that go unnoticed the most. Many athletes hold their breath inadvertently when training with very heavy weights or learning a new movement.
Breathing throughout exercise not only helps you keep your blood pressure under control, it even has the ability to improve your endurance and strength. Many studies have shown that, if you accompany the most difficult moment of the exercise or the final repetition with an exhale, you can empower your body to finish the movement.
6. Skip the warm-up and final stretches
Both the warm-up and the final stretching are very important phases to ensure the correct functioning of the body. The first is more than necessary to prepare the muscle for physical effort.
Especially, the cooling down or stretching that goes after physical exercise is essential, since it is an opportunity to improve the flexibility of your joints, lower the heart rate and reduce stress.
7. Spend the rest of the day inactive
After exercising, rest is very important, but there are those who take it very seriously. Interestingly, resting sedentary throughout the day after a workout could be causing more damage than you think.
In this case, active recovery is the right decision. For example, taking a walk around the neighborhood, dancing or riding a bike are wonderful for burning extra calories, adding even more oxygen to your muscles, and speeding up the recovery process.