1. You're not using the heavy weights:
It
can be intimidating to venture out onto the weight room floor, especially when it's full
of bodybuilding types throwing weights around. But you aren't doing yourself
any favors by staying in the corner with those little pink dumbbells!
"You have two types of muscle fibers:
slow and fast. If you don't use heavier weights, you neglect an entire set of
muscle fibers, namely the fast fibers, which are important for moving quickly,
lifting weighty objects (your heavy purse, grocery bag, suitcase), and for
spine and hip stability," says Michele Olson, Ph.D., professor of exercise science
at Auburn University Montgomery and creator of the Perfect Legs,
Glutes & Abs DVD.
And if you're worried that you'll bulk up,
don't be. "Women cannot add much size to their muscles to begin with since
we have low concentrations of the male hormone testosterone, which is necessary
to enlarge muscle to any noticeable degree," Olson says.
2. You don't have a plan:
Do
you want to lose 10 pounds, run a 5K, or become more flexible? "There
are special workout
plans for each of the above, and they are not
interchangeable-there is no "one exercise-fits-all" program,"
Olson says. "If you do not have a plan to address your greatest fitness
needs and desires, you can stall results and actually create changes you do not
need or that might not even be appropriate for you."
Your primary objective (weight loss,
endurance, strength) should influence the volume (amount you do), intensity
(how light or hard/heavy) and the mode (cardio, resistance exercises,
stretching programs) of every workout, which is why Olson says it's so
important to take the time to meet with a qualified trainer at your gym for an
assessment and to help create your goal-specific program.
3. You don't "pound" enough to
protect your bones:
You already know that it's important
to do weight-bearing exercise to help protect your bones, but you may not
realize just how much loading you need to do in order to reap the bone density
benefits. "While treadmill walking is sufficient to keep the spinal bones
strong, your hip bones need more loading," Olson says. "To do this,
think "steep," or "stomp." If you want to stick to walking,
increase the incline on the treadmill to seven percent for 3 minutes, followed
by 5 minutes on level ground, alternating five times during a 40-minute
workout.
Other options: Take a step class, use that
machine with the revolving stairs, or walk the stairs in your gym. This extra
impact is not too heavy but at a level that is much more effective at getting
your hip bones to take up more calcium and become more dense.
4. You don't push yourself hard enough:
You
may have just spent 2 hours at the gym, but how much of that time were you
intensely exercising? Yes, fitness should be fun, but if your set routine
involves reading a magazine on a card machine followed by the same weight machine
circuit, chances are you aren't seeing the results you want.
"In the beginning exercise can feel
unruly and even excruciating-which is clearly not fun-but once your body learns
how to do various exercise movements and your strength and stamina improve,
it's time to upgrade your program," Olson says. "Time and again research
has shown that increasing to more vigorous levels of activity bring about
greater healthbenefits and
noticeably improved fitness and appearance."
And you don't have to spend more time at
the gym. In fact, if you focus on the quality of your workout,
you may actually spend less time there. "This is why
interval training has become so popular," Olsen says. Experts recommend a
range of intensity levels, but many interval workouts go up to 85 percent or your
max heart rate. "If you can learn to push yourself appropriately, you can
also land the benefit of a higher metabolism following exercise-that means you
are rewarded for your extra effort following exercise with an extra energy
burn!"
5. You don't take advantage of experts:
"If
your club has trainers, movement specialists, physical therapists,
nutritionists, or registered dietitians, use them!" Olson says. "They
are skilled to determine some needs you may have that are not obvious but could
prevent you from making progress or possibly be causing you injury."
This is especially important if your goal
is weight loss. If you're trying to lose weight, what you eat is incredibly
important, especially if you're regularly exercising.
"A trained expert can speed up your
progress and results as well as prevent you from burning out, under-eating, or
over-doing," Olsen says.
Sources: Shape, Yahoo, Healthy Living
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