Gym Sins
Posted
Gluttony and sloth aren’t the only ‘deadly sins’ for anyone who wants to get fit. Some of the sins women commit while exercising at the gym are:
1. Doing the same exercises over and over
If you keep doing the same exercise over and over again, your body will stop responding. Variety is essential to getting good, ongoing results. You can vary the type of exercise you do or the intensity. One thing is for sure, if you don’t mix it up, you’ll hit a plateau.
2. Skipping your warm-up or cool-down
These are both vital if you want to make the most of your workout, and avoid any pulls and tears to muscles and ligaments. Warm-up for 10-15 minutes. The length of your cool-down will depend on how long you’ve been exercising and should include stretching to help your muscles and tendons relax, and prevent stiffness later.
3. Skipping weights training
Come on girls. There’s too much evidence about the importance of weight training for women to skip it. And remember, heavy weights are the way to go – it should feel heavy with the last couple of repetitions quite difficult to complete.
4. Wearing the wrong bra
Research at the University of Wollongong, NSW, found that a specialist sports bra reduces pain and movement in the breasts by 50 per cent, compared with crop tops and regular bras. Not wearing the correct bra can affect breathing, posture and workout technique, and lead to sagging.
5. Setting unrealistic goals
You’re more likely to stick with the gym if you set yourself small, achievable targets. It’s good to combine short, medium and long-term goals – long-term for direction and short-term for motivation. Research shows that specific goals are far more beneficial than vague or distant ones.
6. Making unfair comparisons
Forget Hollywood and reality TV shows. If you are working or a mum, you have limited time so aim for consistency and healthy weight loss.
7. Reading magazines
If you can read a magazine while on the bike, you’re probably just cruising. That’s okay if you are just grabbing some ‘me-time,’ but if you want results, dump the mag and pump up the level and make the time worth it. It’s okay to sweat at Fernwood!