The 10 Fitness Mistakes You are Making

This is the time of year where you are raring to make BIG CHANGES . As someone who has been in the fitness business a long time and I see a lot of fitness mistakes. Now I am not here to call anyone out, I just want to bring these mistakes to your attention and talk to you ladies about what are the top things that tend to keep people stuck. What keeps people chasing their tail when it comes to fitness’ And it’s not just 1 thing, it’s a combination of nutrition, mindset, and it’s about habits. ALL of this is a culprit of keeping us stuck!

We are all chasing weight loss. that the number one place weight loss comes from consistency! But as we know too well, in this world, it can be very difficult to find that! People will say, lose 10 pounds in 10 minutes if you follow this strict protocol! But that is not reality. It can be soooo challenging at times because you are getting information from each direction and don’t know how to put it together! How do you take all this info into your brain and how do you apply it to your life”

As you read through this blog, I don’t want you to take it personally! What I want you to do is hear it, agree you have been doing this, and NOW you can fix it! This is not about feeling bad, it’s about finding that challenge, and then how are you are going to incorporate something new into that challenge!

People set goals too big!
Nowhere in school do they teach us how to set goals! We hear about smart goals, right’ But what I always hear when I talk to someone who wants to work with me are squishy goals. “Tone up, lose weight…” These aren’t measurable goals.. A goal has to be measured! How do you know you will get there if you don’t have an endpoint”

Then on top of this…. I also hear a lot of people say, “I want to go hard.” Hard will get them the goal. Yes.. BUT how you get to your goal is how you will keep your goal!!! At some point, you are going to get sick of going hard all the time and HARD is not sustainable!
So how do I scale it back, so it becomes a habit’ How does it become a lifestyle’ Because here’s the thing.. Failure isn’t fun! That is the one reason why people don’t want to start a diet because they always feel like they have to be deprived!

Instead of chasing, what if you said I am done.. I am done chasing hard! I am done chasing failure! What is the better approach’ What can you do to get to where you want’ Because I am telling you it doesn’t have to be extreme! Imagine setting smaller goals. Achievable goals. That you will actually hit! And when you hit them, they will motivate you to do more! The action comes to spur the motivation to move the ball forward. For example… add vegetables to each meal. Focus on this for 30 days. Give me 6 months to lose 30 pounds. And I am going to focus on vegetables for 30 days. That is it. Then we move on to the next thing to move that dial. Break down our goal into realistic, manageable steps!

Not Knowing your WHY!
If you don’t know why you want to lose weight, how are you going to be motivated to lose the weight’ THE WHY is part of the motivation. It is the action. Why do I want this’ Why am I going to eat and workout to the best of my ability’ What is going to motivate me to do that’ Think about spending time with that goal! What is your reason”’

If you say why… you have to think about what is that motivation that is going to have you get up for 15 minutes to move. Or do a 1-mile run you don’t bale 3 steps in. There is no right answer to this, everyone is going to be different. But you have to decide WHY.
Spend some time thinking about what in the past, when you have been successful, what has helped you to stay motivated’ What are the actions you took’ Turn that motivation into inspiration. What are you going to do when the obstacles appear’ This brings us into the next one.. ACCOUNTABILITY..

Accountability
Accountability is an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility, or to account for one’s actions! How do I hold myself accountable’ People just don’t think about accountability like they should. I ask what does accountability look, and they can’t articulate what it looks like for them!

For me, I define it by how we start to define these habits. Most fitness routines are easy to do and easy not to do. So, this means it can be difficult to stay motivated… So, what are the ways to help you stay accountable’ What makes you accountable’ For me, it’s texting a friend and saying what I am doing this week! Put a calendar up and write down that you are doing it daily!

Not finding a fitness program that you find enjoyable.
I see it over and over again, so many people think that fitness has to be unpleasant, and you have to struggle! Or it has to be a chore… if you hate it, whatever exercise you choose, YOU WILL NOT DO IT!! You will do it for a certain amount of time, then YOU WILL STOP! This will become more about being productive if you are doing something you enjoy! Trust me!

Don’t run because someone lost weight running 10 miles a day! Don’t hop on the Peloton if you hate riding a bike! Swimming, hiking, dancing, martial arts, lifting weights’
There are so many amazing ways to achieve fitness these days! So, find something that you love and start there.

Once I start getting into the vibe of exercise, it is really easy to start to add on layers. But when I start with something I hate, adding on a layer is not going to be fun or I am just not going to be happy!

Not exercising often enough.
I see it all the time, you get busy, and life happens. What was once 5 times a week turns into 0 times a week workout. And this happens because a lot of us think workouts have to be a certain amount of time! How often do you exercise’ How many days a week do you set those days in the calendar’

The average person works out 3 times a week. I give 3 workouts, that way you feel successful and my whole goal is to help you feel successful! 3 days a week is the sweet spot! ACSM recommends 150 minutes of working out each week! That is it! { I did a whole podcast of exercise and what makes a great workout so check that out HERE!}.

We are trying to create habits so that you can exercise consistently so it becomes part of your everyday life, and you don’t think about it. You just do it…

You receive the benefits of this exercise when you repeatedly do it! I feel great in my clothes, I look good naked, but it also boosts our blood flow, boosts our metabolism and releases feel-good endorphins!! There are sooooo many good benefits when it comes to consistent exercise!

Thinking more is better.
As you know, fitness advice runs the gamut! When I first started it was all about aerobics classes! Then it moved to cardio machines, then boot camps, CrossFit, Soul Cycle, etc!

So, let’s figure out what you are trying to achieve! Is your workout going to help you achieve it’ Your workout should be a nice thing to have, but I don’t care how hard you work out, if you are working out more than you are eating, your body is only going to get hungrier, and I see THIS SOO MUCH!

Instead of thinking about the duration, step back and say what are your goals” Your goals should determine what your workouts would look like! More exercise isn’t necessarily better to help you achieve those goals. Overtraining will beat you and punch you in the face. Exercise smarter, not harder!

Add in acts of daily living to your goals.. 10,000 steps! That is, it! Let’s break it down a little bit about the type of energy expenditures you have throughout your day so you can better visualize this!

Your total daily energy expenditures.
? 60% of your total daily energy expenditures comes from basal metabolic rate; Breathing, digesting food, blinking your eyes, etc.
? 20% of your day comes from non-exercise activity thermogenesis. fidgeting, 10,000 steps, standing, vacuuming, gardening, playing with kids!
? 10% comes from the Thermal effect of food. Eating very fibrous meals and protein takes my body a little while to grind up the food!
? 10% is exercise thermogenesis!

So, the key here after looking at that 20% is how can I add more movement into my day’

Strength training.
Some people strength train, others not so much. This one kills me! I will see women walk right by the weight rack to hit the treadmill and elliptical and that is all they do! I wish more women would start to strength train because cardio makes you skinny fat!
Want to be leaner and tighter’ Boost metabolism’ Strength training is where it’s out!!

A super easy type of strength training that you can do anywhere is bodyweight training! There are so many benefits, and you don’t need all the clunky gym equipment! It will make you strong, improve your posture, and like I said, requires NO equipment! Some of these include pushups, sit-ups, squats, pullups, lunges, and hip bridges.
If you are ready to give this a try. Follow me on Instagram and look for fat-burning Fridays (add that same #fatburningfridays) I give workouts in 15 minutes or less with little to no equipment!

No Rest day.
You think that in order to get results, you have to go hard all the time.. But have you fully considered that your body needs downtime’ It needs time to rest and recover adequately. That is where the change happens in your physique. Take a break from all of those classes and relax for a day! Rest days are important, and your body needs them to get to where you want to go. If you neeeddd to move, try something light, like an easy walk, or hike! Revisit your approach to exercise!

Exercising for food.
If I run this mile, I can have a piece of cake. Ummmm NO! A lot of people use this for motivation and exercising for food is a mindset mistake! “I had too much wine or bread, so I have to go to the gym and burn it off or not eat lunch today.” I said find something that motivates you into action or exercise, but for food… that is a mistake!

Find a different motivation because you are NOT a dog! Dogs work for treats, and you DO NOT! Instead, just try to eat the best quality foods you can and no more white knuckling! Allow a few treats a week and make it a lifestyle so it’s not about deprivation! Having treats helps you from binging on crap. Keeps you from the yo -yo dieting game and helps you to stop sabotaging your weight loss goals!

Quitting too soon.
So many people quit and give up before you get a chance to see the results. We think our bodies are amazon prime and it should happen in 2 days! BUT exercise and nutrition is cumulative. It takes 4 weeks for you to get your habit ingrained. Then another 8 weeks before someone other than you see it. THEN another 8 weeks until you look in the mirror and are like heyyyy girl HEYYY!!!

We tend to get to that 6–8-week period and we get squirrely and that is when we quit, go heavier, or slash all together.

It is important for you to find a program you like and a way of eating for your life. Find a pattern to help you with consistency because it’s the consistent effort that determines your results. When we quit too soon.. We miss out on more energy we are going to feel, improved confidence all around, better sleep, better sex, weight loss, strengthening your immune system and so many other benefits if you just kept going!!! Come back to why.. Why am I doing this’

Postponement of your start date.
Starting Monday, January first, Labor Day, when work is over, kids schedule settles. You wait for exercise because you are waiting for the perfect day. The perfect day is today.. TODAY is the best day! Whatever your next meal is, whatever your next action is. Today is the day to move towards your weight loss goal!!!

The biggest thing I see a lot is not asking for help…
It’s tough to go in alone.. BUT you are NOT a failure if you ask for help!!!! We all think we can handle it on our own, but if you are looking for a way to stop repeating the mistakes over and over again, exhilarate your results, or gain a new perspective, ask for help!
I need support too and I’ve been in this industry for a long time!

If you don’t know how to ask for help.. Learn because I had to learn how to do it for myself! I run a free Facebook group where I share tons of stuff!! This may be a GREAT PLACE to start, so if you want to hop in there and get some advice feel free!

Just because you hire someone doesn’t mean you have to hire them forever! They can be there just to help get you started and give you another point of view! So when we tell ourselves, “I can do this on my own”… We’re missing out on expert tips, we’re missing out on the motivation, the accountability, for improvements, and a structured workout that you don’t have to create yourself. Because when you work with a fitness professional, you are going to be gaining all of these benefits that you alone can’t provide to yourself, and you’re going to push yourself a little harder!

It can help you take you from where you are now to the next level and identify ways to help you transform that workout! Something that could be a game-changer for you!

What are some mistakes you have found you are making” Let me know in the comments! I would like to be able to know so I can expand on them, if this has to become a whole other episode on itself!

And one last thing… Forgive yourself…. It is ok! No one is perfect. And now that you know.. Now is the time to start making those changes! Mistakes happen, but don’t let these mistakes set you back from achieving the fitness that you deserve!

LINKS

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kimbarnesjeffersoncoach

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitgirlmagic/

Website: https://kimbarnesjefferson.com/

Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-girl-magic-healthy-living-for-women-over-40/id1476883661

Nutrition Reboot is a simple plan designed to help people learn how their bodies work, what foods will make them feel great (and which ones won’t), and how to create sustainable habits for life.
https://kimbarnesjefferson.lpages.co/reboot-nutrition_waitlist/

What makes a great workout for women over 40 podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-makes-a-great-workout-for-women-over-40/id1476883661’i=1000540598705