By: Sarah Rogue
It’s not uncommon that I meet with clients that are feeling frustrated with their progress. For most it’s simply dialing in your nutrition, consistency in the gym & having a coach to keep you accountable – a professional that can help guide you & remind you of the goals you’ve set for yourself. Below are some common everyday habits may be slowing your results.
Here are some of the Habits that may be preventing your results:
- Not eating enough protein
- Doing too much cardio
- Judging workouts based on sweat
- Not lifting weights often enough
- Sleeping 6 or less hours a night
Are you eating enough protein?
Protein is an essential part of your daily intake. Consuming too little protein can cause muscle loss, hormone issues, fatigue & slow down your metabolism. The best way to combat this & boost your fat burning capabilities is to ensure you are getting the proper amount of daily protein intake. Your daily protein intake should be based on your body type, activity level & goals.
Do you do too much cardio?
If your goal is to lose fat & gain muscle… aka: improve your body composition. You need to be incorporating weightlifting with only a couple high intensity training sessions each week – much like the workout programming at OC. Thoughtfully programmed weight training combined with a couple high intensity workouts a week has a greater impact on fat loss & muscle preservation than multiple sessions of intense long duration cardio 5-7 days a week.
Do you judge your workouts based on how much you sweat?
Many people judge their workout on the amount of sweat they produced. However, this is not a good indicator of an effective workout. Sweat is purely your body’s response to temperature – you can sweat the same amount doing an hour long cardio class as you can by sitting on your back deck in the sun. On the contrary you might not sweat during a long workout or run because it’s cold – that again is your body’s natural response to keep you regulated. Bottom line is that you don’t necessarily need to sweat to make gains. In fact, focusing on this bad habit may be slowing your results.
Do you lift weights often enough?
Another question I ask when someone comes to me frustrated is “How often are you weightlifting – and are you being consistent?”… Many of those that are frustrated are attending 3 or less days a week. Most are not consistent week to week with their attendance. For the majority, doing 3-6 months of weight training inconsistently is not going to undo & fix the years of unhealthy habits &/or lack of physical training. While 1-2 days of weight training is better than none, 3-5 days a week consistently weightlifting is optimal – especially if you’re looking for a significant transformation.
Do you sleep 6 or less hours a night?
And last but not least, poor sleep happens to be one of the most common habits I encounter with clients. Those that are not getting 7 or more hours of quality sleep each night tend to lack the results they are after. Sleep is imperative for restoration. Beating yourself up in the gym & then sleeping 6 or less hours a night significantly stresses your body… sabotaging all your hard work. Research also shows that sleeping less than 6 hours a night increases your risk of diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular & heart disease. Yikes! So if you’re not seeing the results you’re hoping for – let’s start with sleep first & aim to get 7+ hours of quality sleep per night!
Are you struggling or feeling frustrated?
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