Working out can be great fun and it’s one of the best ways to achieve your health goals. Not only does it help in maintaining a good lifestyle, but it also helps in decreasing the risk of developing common diseases.
While working out is highly recommended, one should always make sure to do things correctly to avoid injuries and reap maximum benefits out of their workout.
Here are some mistakes you must avoid
Improper pre-workout meal
Before any workout session, it’s advisable to eat food that can boost your results. A pre-workout meal should be low in fat, moderate in protein, and a mix of simple and complex carbs.
This type of meal provides bursts of energy for a resistance workout and spares your muscles from breaking down. Even for such food, one should not eat them in high quantities. This might make you feel bloated.
Eating food high in fat, spicy food, and carbonated drinks should be avoided before a workout.
Eating just before a workout
One should eat at least 30 mins before a workout. This helps your body to get enough time to start extracting nutrients from that food. Eating just before a workout can also make you feel bloated. You can also read our article on pre-workout meals.
Not warming up
Warming up prevents injury and really helps to prepare you for workouts to follow. Also, make sure you are performing the right warm-up exercise as per your workout to follow.
Not applying variations to your workout
Performing the same exercises with the same weights and pattern can make you hit a plateau. While performing any exercises make sure you increase the weight over time and add variations to that workout. Even if you like running, for example, then you can try variations with the timing or the length you cover.
Not taking proper breaks during the workout
For a workout to be effective over the long haul, make sure you take sufficient rest in between. The more intense your workout, the greater your recovery needs are to maximize your workout gains.
Not taking proper fluids during a workout
Make your you are hydrated by taking water or any other electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. Being dehydrated can impact your performance.
At the same time, Also make you don’t intake too many fluids that make you feel bloated.
Not stretching post-workout
Stretching is as important as the warm-up. Stretching makes sure to relax your body parts post-workout and also improves circulation and enhances muscle elasticity.[Research]
Overtraining /Not taking proper rest
You always need to have rest day/s planned for you in your workout schedule. This really helps your body, mind, and muscles to recover. If you don’t take proper rest and start overtraining, it can cause more harm to the body instead of improvements. You can read our articles on the importance of rest for exercise for more details on this topic.
Disclaimer: This content provides our option. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical or specialist opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information.
