If there is anything I’ve learned in the 15 years I’ve been a professional personal trainer, it’s that people make a lot of the same mistakes. Unfortunately, these mistakes stunt progress toward results. Other times, these mistakes cause longer-term damage that can be harder to come back from.
I’ve even seen mistakes cause people to quit entirely (sometimes for years)!
If you’re a woman who is trying to lose weight, get in shape, and fit better into your clothes, here are 3 mistakes you might be making.
MISTAKE 1 – INCONSISTENCY IN YOUR ROUTINE
Time + Responsibilities
There is no doubt that if you have a career, a family, and other responsibilities that time can make everything a challenge. And I do mean everything.
Unfortunately, a focus on yourself is one of those things that can just disappear.
Nobody said focusing on yourself was going to be easy.
Nobody also said you had to workout for 90 minutes each time you exercise for weight loss either. This could be 5 to 6 hours per week you don’t feel like you have!
Sometimes the best workout is the one you can get done in 15 to 20 minutes: it’s quick, it’s effective, it challenges your entire body, and you might not even have to leave your house to do it!
Your Relationship With Exercise
The all or nothing mentality is a terrible way of thinking about things: “I can’t exercise how I want and as often as I want. I might as well just stop trying.”
Again, keep things quick, simple, and [most importantly] consistent.
If you’re consistent, you’ll also avoid the, “I can’t sit on the toilet” level of soreness!
A Point on Consistency
You are constantly voting for the person you want to be or not. If you want to be fit and healthy but miss a workout: chalk a vote up for that other person.
Miss one workout? It hurts your psyche.
Miss two workouts? It hurts a little less.
Miss too many and eventually you don’t miss a thing. Say goodbye to your goals!
But if you get a 10 minute, high intensity, workout in: chalk a vote up for the person you want to be.
Your goal, then? Stack the “weight loss” odds in your favor and vote for the better, stronger, fitter, and healthy version of you as much as you can. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be.
MISTAKE 2 – UNDERESTIMATING THE VALUE YOUR NUTRITION PLAYS
Eat Less + Workout More
This is probably the most common, insidious, and pervasive theory on weight loss that I see. You might not even know you’re making this mistake!
Eating less food and working out more.
Don’t do it this way.
I repeat: DO NOT USE THIS TO TRY TO TRY AND LOSE WEIGHT.
You are likely to experience some early success, but early success will be the only positive thing you experience. You can damage your metabolism, you can create an unhealthy relationship with food, you can gain the weight back [and then some], and you can seriously deteriorate your overall health.
Hardly seems worth it. But if that isn’t the way to go, what is?
More often than not the answer is eat more and workout more. How you workout is a different question entirely but you certainly should eat more.
“But wait, if I eat more, won’t I gain weight?” This is probably a conversation you should have with your nutrition coach but understand that food choices and quality of food matter.
And so does exercise! You can still be at a caloric deficit and eat more food, by the way.
Doing All The Right Things & Still Not Able to Lose Weight?
Sometimes having a conversation with your Nutrition Coach or Personal Trainer makes all the difference in the world. Sometimes, though, it is a much deeper seeded issue that requires a different intervention entirely.
Eating right and exercising appropriately with no changes? It may be time to get some lab work done to see if there is something else you need to be doing to garner results.
For Example: in some form of adrenal fatigue or adrenal shut down? Doing long duration cardio is probably the exact opposite thing you want to be doing to lose weight.
Weird, right?!
MISTAKE 3 – OVER-RELIANCE ON CARDIO FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Walk into any corporate-owned big box gym and you will find rows and rows of cardio machines. They’re easy to use, they require little thinking, and you will experience some weight loss.
Depending on the time of day, you will find you couldn’t get on one of those machines if you tried because they’re all being used!
Doing cardio is great for building aerobic endurance, improving your heart health, and it can help you with weight loss (as underwhelming as it may be). Emphasis on the “underwhelming” part of that weight loss.
However, concerned about bone density? Cardio isn’t going to make a huge difference here.
Looking to build muscle tone? You may want to steer a different direction than cardio.
Finding that you’re not as flexible and can’t move like you used to move? Cardio might be the culprit, surprisingly enough!
“What Do I Do, Then?”
Don’t take this as me sh*tting all over cardio. I think cardio is great but I also think it is only one piece to the “getting results” puzzle.
ENTER — WEIGHT TRAINING
In recent years, it seems more and more women are starting to lift weights. This is so amazing and so necessary!
Here are some simple things you should keep in mind when it comes to lifting weights:
- You need to move well — this might constitute getting yourself a Personal Trainer [even for a little bit]
- You need to lift heavy — after you’ve developed a ‘language’ and understanding of lifting weights, you need to lift heavy. Yes, you!
- You need to lift most days of the week — 3 to 4 days per week seems to be sufficient in getting results
- Less machines, more free weights — machines can be useful and have their place. Nothing replaces utilizing free weights, though
- The K.I.S.S. principle — keep it simple, stupid. It works for me, it works for my clients, it will work for you
- There is really no need to do some fancy flip over the Bosu ball, stand on one leg, do a pistol squat, grab a dumbbell, and do a light weight clean and jerk
- Instead, learn how to deadlift and deadlift heavy
Moral of the weight lifting story?
Lift well. Lift heavy. Keep things simple.
DON’T MAKE IT HARDER ON YOURSELF
If you’re making any one, or all, of these mistakes, now is the time to make a detour. A much better and a much more effective detour.
Have some fun, learn from professionals, and get the results you’re looking for!
Are you a woman who is struggling with weight loss? Make an appointment with one of our amazing trainers and we’ll help you brainstorm the best path for you! Check that out HERE.
