…Three Reasons Why You’re Not Seeing Results From Your Workouts…

Are you currently on a fitness journey? If so, congratulations! You’ll be joining millions of people all over the world who have taken the incentive to turn their lives around by changing their diet and their attitude towards health and fitness. Getting fit is about so much more than simply eating more fruit and losing weight – it can give you a new found confidence and can transform the way you think about yourself. But if you are new to the game, one thing you may have noticed is that you’re just not seeing results. This is something that plagues many fitness newcomers when they first start out and can be difficult to overcome – as seeing changes and results in ourselves is often what motivates us to keep going. When you can’t do something or you feel the same as you did before you started, it can be very tempting to just pack it all in and revert back to your old ways. But before you do that, stop and remember why you started in the first place! Plus, remember that there is always a way – what works for your friend in terms of fitness, for example, may not necessarily work for you. Everyone’s bodies are different, so it’s important you find a routine that fits you like a glove. If you’re not where you want to be in your fitness journey currently, here are the top things which could be stopping you and how you can turn it around.

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The wrong diet

The word ‘diet’ is a contentious one in the fitness world, as it implies restricting yourself of certain foods, or restricting the quantity of food you consume. Most health and fitness professionals would tell you instead of dieting, you should change your lifestyle as a whole. But that said, it is very easy to get caught up in fad diets. Many of them promise hugely wild results that play on the desires we have for our bodies, whether you are wanting to lose weight or to gain muscle. But sometimes, following these to the tee can do more harm than good. For example, you may have heard that cutting out wheat and gluten will help you shift the pounds, or that you need to stop eating carbs and instead replace them with proteins. While some of this might be true and might work for certain individuals, don’t go into a fitness plan like this blindly thinking it will work for you. Always speak to your doctor and a health professional first before making any drastic changes to your diet. Generally speaking, you should be eating from all major food groups in order to maintain a healthy diet and weight, and certainly don’t deprive your body of the nutrients it needs – after all, where’s the fun in that?!

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Physical boundaries

When we are feeling inspired, we often head to the gym and try to push our bodies as far as they can go. But usually, we leave feeling disheartened if we can’t achieve what we thought we were capable of. Many people forget about the fragility of their bodies – although they are amazing machines and can do so much for us, we also need to take care of them in return. Trying to push through an injury just to get the results you want isn’t going to do you or your body any favors – you could end up doing yourself serious damage. Don’t just brush off any pain you get when working out – get it sorted as soon as possible!  Pay attention to the warnings on gym machines too – if you do feel light-headed or out of breath, stop immediately. Everyone has to start somewhere, so don’t ever be embarrassed if you can only do 10 minutes on the treadmill at first. If you do end up getting hurt, you might need to visit a physiotherapist or chiropractor who specializes in certain sporting injuries.  That doesn’t mean to say that you can’t still hit the gym after an injury – but just be mindful of the type of exercises you do. If you have suffered with an injury like shin splints, maybe trade the treadmill in for the pool if you have such facilities at your disposal.

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Expecting too much

One fatal error many people make when they have decided to get fit is expecting to achieve their goals in barely any time at all. This is why a lot of people, especially women, DO end up going on so called ‘crash diets’ – because they do offer quick, short term results. What most people don’t taken into account is that as soon as the diet is finished, the weight piles back on. Plus these kind of ‘quick fixes’ can be very dangerous for your metabolism and can even be a leading cause behind other, more serious health issues. Social media also has a distinct role to play in distorting people’s opinions and expectations of what certain fitness regimes can do for you. The general public used to be obsessed with film stars and singers – now, some of the most famous people on Instagram are personal trainers and ‘fitness gurus‘. These people can amass millions of followers who hang onto their every word, and, through their online accounts, make getting that 6 pack look easy. It is important to remember that these accounts only show the good workout days – not the ones where the person in question was too busy to fit in a gym session and ended up just ordering a Dominos when they got home. While many of these accounts are great for getting you inspired, be wary of some of them, as they can actually do more harm than good. Weight loss, muscle gain and improving general fitness are not things that happen overnight. They take time, dedication and a total lifestyle overhaul, so keep at it and in the end, you WILL see the results you want.