Although there are many reasons why we set workout goals for ourselves, the most common reasons for setting these goals often include cardiovascular health, building muscle mass, and weight loss. Whether you are focused on any of the above or simply want to lower your risk for Type 2 Diabetes or perhaps bolster your immune system, your daily habits could be hampering your goals.
Does any of the following pertain to you? If so, there is a fix, believe it or not! Check it out.
1. Lifestyle Lacking in Structure
Do you find your life spinning out of control to the point that you simply don’t have time to stick to a regular workout routine? This is more common than you might imagine. Think, for a moment, about what children need most in their young lives and that would be structure. If you have any hope of sticking to any kind of workout regimen, it’s time to restructure your life. Set times for working out and stick to your schedule. Irregularity can put a hamper on your goals because you often try to make up for lost time. Your muscles get overworked and sore, leaving you unwilling or unable to hit the gym for several days. How does that help you reach your goals?
2. Insufficient Sleep
Not only will insufficient sleep have you dragging your way through the day, but it will sap your energy more quickly than you can imagine. It is a well-known fact that the human body requires no less than six hours sleep a night and if you aren’t getting that, you are probably too drained to expend the energy needed for an effective workout. Do you have sleep apnea or find yourself waking up due to snoring? Snoring is a common cause of poor sleep. Discuss snoring issues with your health care practitioner to insure it is not a health issue.
3. Eating Too Much or Too Little
Sometimes you may think you are getting too few or too many calories for a healthy lifestyle. By trying to correct your issues, you may be eating too little or too much. Remember, you need the calories to fuel the body, but they must be the right kind of calories and in the proper combinations. There is a huge body of literature online regarding healthy eating habits, so take the time to browse through a few articles. You can find a whole host of information on the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Just run a search on their site for “healthy eating” and you will learn what healthy eating habits are.
4. Fatalistic Mindset
Have you found yourself throwing in the towel because the results are slow in coming? To coin an old cliché, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It took years to get that body out of shape, so expect that getting results from your workouts will take a bit of time as well. If you think you can, you can!
5. Drinking Insufficient Amounts of Water
Not only are you threatened by dehydration if you drink insufficient amounts of water daily, but it pays to understand just what dehydration does to your muscles. You may be prone to muscle spasms and that pain could cause you to take a break from your workout regimen. Also, remember that water helps to flush toxins from the body, and this is vital when you are working those muscles. Toxins quickly build up and that is the ultimate cause of pain in many cases.
It might take a bit of soul searching and a bit of change in your lifestyle, but once you get to the root of what is hampering your workout goals, you can fix it. Just be honest with yourself and the rest is easier to correct than you think. Give it a try.
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