By: Hala Serag El-din*
Have you been working your butt off at the gym, religiously committing to your daily 5K run, not skipping any of your spinning or fitness classes, and yet you’re not seeing results ?? We’ve all been there !! But instead of quitting, make sure you aren’t making any of these simple mistakes, they probably are the reason why your results are playing the waiting game with you…
– MONOTONY – When was the last time you revamped your workout? When you do the same workout all the time, your body adjusts and gets so used to it making it so hard to see results. Remember, you need to shock your body to see results.
– FOODIE – Lets be honest here. You can’t expect to workout like an Olympic athlete and then either stuff your face with pizza or starve yourself and expect to see results. Exercise is not a license to binge eat or not eat at all. You definitely can’t exercise out a bad diet. Over-eating or under-eating is going to have a negative effect on your goals.
– REST DAY – Believe it or not, gains are made during the recovery process and not when you are actually doing the work. Your body needs at least one day off from any physical activity for it to recover; to repair the muscle and rebuild it stronger than before.
– GIRL GAINS – Cardio is good for heart health and losing weight, but lifting weights increases bone density, strength, and burns fat. Stop hiding from the weight rack, weights are the only thing that will transform your body into a lean, mean, muscle machine!
– WATER DROUGHT – More often than not, those hunger pangs we get are actually our bodies crying for hydration. Staying hydrated is just as important as eating right. Not only does drinking plenty of water help your digestive system, but also helps keep your appetite suppressed.
– SIP IT ON – Why drink your calories when you can eat them instead ? Scratch the sugar packed sodas, juices, smoothies, flavored teas and coffees, and save those calories for something healthy, nutritious, and more filling.
– SHUFFLE NOT REPEAT – Don’t waste your time by just allowing your body to go through the motions. You have to give your body a challenge for it to give you results. You can always increase speed, intensity, reps, sets, kg…etc. Let your body work harder!
– STRESS HEAD – Cortisol, a hormone released if you are constantly stressing over everything, leading your body to reacting negatively. Blood sugar imbalances, decreased muscle tissue and increased abdominal fat can all result from high levels of stress.
– BED TIME – Just like stress, if your are sleep deprived, again Cortisol levels in your body will rise. Most of us need at least seven quality hours of sleep a night; and by night i mean try to sleep before midnight, it has been proven to have you waking up more refreshed.
– LIES – Do your own research, don’t believe everything you read. and as soon as you see words like “light”, “fat free”, “zero calorie”, RUN and never look back, because some labels claim foods are natural or healthy, but they are actually a chemical nightmare.
Try not to be your own worst critic, small changes are still changes. Don’t let frustration of not seeing results be your undoing. Embrace your body and love it enough to not quit. We all hit plateaus.
*HALA SERAG EL-DIN is an Egyptian Athlete, certified fitness trainer and fitchen ambassador.
A foodie and an X professional Gymnast.
FOLLOW HALA ON INSTAGRAM: @HALA.SERAGELDIN