5 Bad Habits That Affect the Quality of Your Workouts

Working out regularly is a healthy habit to get into, but you need to approach your fitness routine mindfully. If you’re not careful about your regular habits, you may find that some of your everyday activities are undoing all those hours of effort.

Missing the Proper Calorie Counts

Image via Flickr by D-Stanley

If you’re consuming too many calories, you’ll weigh yourself down and undo your calorie-burning activities. Calorie control and nutrient tracking are important for weight loss and management, but you need to stay in a healthy zone to fuel your body for your workouts without weighing it down. You can use nutrient-tracking tools to help you maintain proper consumption and stick to a healthy eating plan.

Hitting the Wrong Heart Rate

To get the best results from your exercise routine, you should aim to work out somewhere between 55 and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Strive to maintain this heart rate for 20 to 30 minutes. Your target heart rate is typically about 220 minus your age, but you can get a more accurate number with an online heart rate calculator.

If your heart rate never reaches this target zone, your workout isn’t sufficient to promote weight loss. If your heart rate is too high, slow down to avoid overstraining your body.

Using Improper Form

Proper form is the key to avoiding injury during your workouts. If you’re using the wrong form, you won’t trim and tone the way you’re hoping to. You may end up working the wrong set of muscles for your ultimate fitness goals. You’ll also put yourself at risk for serious injury.

Working with a personal trainer or participating in a fitness class can give you access to the guidance you need to get your form right. If you’re working out alone, try doing it in front of a mirror so that you can keep an eye on your posture.

Skipping Rest Days

You need to get your body moving on a regular basis, but implementing a serious workout regimen without including essential rest days is dangerous. If you’re training too hard, you’ll put excess stress on your body, which causes it to produce too much cortisol. This cortisol production can cause weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and lower immune function. Irritability, insomnia, and digestive problems are all signs of excessive exercise.

Fueling Up With Coffee

A hit of caffeine may feel like a good way to fuel up for a workout, but coffee and other beverages such as soda are detrimental to your fitness routine. Caffeine may give you an initial kick of energy, but it also causes a crash later. Caffeine also causes dehydration, which will put additional strain on your body. Fuel up with water and focus on hydrating a few hours before you hit the gym.

Watch out for bad habits impacting your workouts so that you can get the best possible outcome from your fitness routine. Steering clear of these hazards will help you burn calories, tone, and trim efficiently so that you can get the body type you want.

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