Why You Aren’t Meeting Your Fitness Goals

By All American Fitness

Setting fitness goals is the first step when you want to get healthy or intensify your workout routine. However, after setting your goals, what happens if you don’t meet them? Problems with your methods could be holding you back from achieving success. Check out these common fitness mistakes that could be stunting your progress.

YOU DON’T VARY YOUR WORKOUTS

You may have one type of workout that you prefer over others, but this could be one of your problems. If you stick exclusively to a single type of workout, you won’t see the best results. Doing the same workout without adding in others for variety will cause your progress to plateau quickly. You’ll feel as if you are constantly exercising but not making any real improvements. It’s possible to build new muscle in different groups when you try new workouts. When you embrace variety, you will also be less likely to suffer an injury because of overusing a particular muscle. You’ll feel more motivated to work out when you try new things because a challenge fights off boredom.

YOU KEEP SNACKING

Working out may make you feel that you have a right to snack when you please. However, reaching for processed foods and snacking frequently are mistakes. You could be filling your body with empty calories that keep you from reaching your fitness goals. According to Nutrithority, a lot of snacking impulses happen on a subconscious level, so it can be difficult to adjust your habits. One way to try is to practice mindful eating. Eat only when you are sitting down and conscious of what you are putting in your mouth. Ask yourself if you are hungry before you eat, and take the time to taste your food instead of just inhaling it on the run. This will help you notice when you are snacking out of boredom or as a response to stress.

YOU AREN’T GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP

Sleep is essential if you want to reach your fitness goals. According to SleepPhones, if you aren’t getting quality sleep for a certain number of hours each night, you aren’t going to perform your best when working out. This will compromise your progress. Lack of sleep can also mess with your diet. It causes cravings and increased appetite during waking hours, and you may not have the impulse control to resist your urges. In addition, proper rest is critical to recovery. You won’t make any progress if you don’t give your body and mind the right amount of downtime.

There are a lot of absent-minded decisions we make that negatively impact our physical health. Don’t let simple mistakes get in the way of your fitness goals. Keep the big picture in mind and make some adjustments.