To enjoy the benefits of keeping your mind and body in tip-top condition, you may find yourself over-compensating and forming habits that can not only compromise your health and fitness goals but over time do lasting damage. Below are some of the bad exercise habits that you might be doing, and why it’s important to stop them.
First, though, let’s start with why exactly it’s important to workout regularly, when done properly. There are mental and physical advantages of doing so.
Thumbs up for exercise
A sharp mind pairs amazingly well with a healthy and well-maintained body. Indeed, there’s a ton of research that regular exercise can keep us at our most observant, and our most creatively fecund while ensuring that our memories function optimally, whatever our age.
As well as ensuring good cerebral function, regular exercise also keeps mental health issues, such as depression and low mood, at bay that are only exacerbated by lethargy. That’s not to detract from the physical benefits either. Regular exercise ensures that our hearts remain healthy, reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as your risk of heart attack, stroke and even diabetes.
And you don’t have to be a dedicated gym bunny to achieve these benefits of regular fitness. But it is important to workout properly, ahem, and avoid these 4 bad exercise habits whenever possible:
1. Overtrain: One of the most common bad exercise habits
It’s not uncommon for women (and men for that matter) to push themselves to the limit and train every day in the pursuit of fitness excellence. Unfortunately, nothing could be more counterproductive.
Overtraining deprives your body of the opportunity to repair muscles damaged in exercise. All of which results not only in less noticeable gains but hugely increased risk of injury.
2. Scrimp on equipment
Nobody wants to be seen as having “all of the gear and no idea,” and a gym bag bursting with expensive equipment does not a fitness enthusiast make, but be sure not to go too far the other way. Under-spending on the gear that will ensure not just your physical gains but your personal safety is the very essence of false economy.
Running, for example, can be an enjoyable and therapeutic exercise but given its high-impact nature it can play hell with your joints if you’re not properly equipped with the right shoes for your foot type or the best insoles for flat feet. Likewise, ladies who like to lift do themselves a disservice if they don’t invest in a weightlifting belt, which can reduce the risk of damage to the lower back in movements such as squats or deadlifts.
3. Coast on the treadmill
Do you ever see those people at the gym who are forever on the treadmill but never seem to so much as work up a sweat? They may be burning calories, sure, but they’re likely doing little to improve their health and fitness.
Jogging away at a leisurely pace is (aside from being boring) counterproductive as your body’s calorie consumption will plateau after a while and it will acclimatize to the change of pace, meaning very little difference in heart rate which in turn means that your exercise has very little point.
A far more effective technique is to mix things up with some high intensity interval training. Thus, you’ll alternate between short intense bursts and more leisurely lulls to recover.
4. No warm up or cool down
We’ve all been guilty of this, especially busy parents and professionals who can barely snatch a few minutes at the gym before or after work. Whatever time constraints you may face, you owe it to your body to take the time to warm up and cool down with stretching and light exercise before and after your workout proper.
Failure to do so runs the risk of muscle and joint stiffness. And that situation can temporarily reduce your mobility and derail your goals or, even worse, do lasting damage.
Great post … I have to confess to not cooling down at the end of a tennis session. I tend to just head towards the coffee bar. I reckon I need to take your advice on this one! Thanks
wow, nice!
Appreciate the feedback!
As a soft tissue specialist, movement analyst and performance coach who runs his own clinic, I commend your honesty and subject matter.
I don’t often say this to many people and am not the type of person to usually comment. Spoken from the heart and you have my respect.
I have a recent post you may enjoy called “I used to be a body builder, before I grew up,” it’s a 6000 word spiel, but it deals more with the clinical element of soft tissue principality, biotensegrity and psychology rather than the generic outlook of “fitness.”
Give it a read some time if you are ever free. If you like it, if you agree with it, then let’s work on some online ideas together? I have a platform through my clinic and I’m looking for more people’s stories to be able to share for motivation, to help others.
If not…then take care and keep doing you!
From reading the comments on this feed you are obviously inspiring people, which inspires me.
Lee
Hi Christy
Thanks for this post. I am currently facing the consequences of wrong and over exercise. Was Suffering severe heel and knee pain for the past two months so much that I couldn’t even blog. Literally cooling my heels and waiting to get better. Totally relate to this post.
Oh goodness I’m sorry to hear of your decline in health recently! I had wondered if you had taken a blogging break. I’m glad you’re back! Hopefully you will be able to ease back into gentle exercises soon.
That’s interesting, Christy. I keep wondering with all these lovely posts — where do you get all the information?
Have a thriving Thursday.
Great points Christy. Sometimes less is more :) xx
Helpful
I used to instruct spinning and certain exercise classes in the gym and I agree wholeheartedly with your list, Christy.
Oh Robbie, I adore spin classes! I’ve had to take a break from them due to shoulder pain though – I’ll be back on the bike when it’s healed. Would you be interested in guest posting about your experience? I could tie in about your book, blog or other project, as you desire. <3
I’m glad you posted about this. Its a lot of help!!! Love you!!!
Great to see you! Sending a hug for your day :)
Hugs back*
Awww <3
:) heart emoji*
My aunt Joan always said: horses sweat, men perspire, ladies glow.
I doubt i will have problems in this area LOL Christy, but thank you so much for sharing them.. :-) My running days are over.. LOL.. But a good work out in the garden does wonders for the muscles and complexion.. :-)
Yes, yes. Sometimes I exercise like I’m 20. I’m not. Not for many many (many) years, and when I get overexercised, I hurt and I need to take a break. On Monday I raced a 10K with 5,000 women in Boston (donations went to women’s health). In the rain. It was fun. I was so stiff after! So I just stretched and planked and down dogged in yoga yesterday. Perfect counter-exercise. :-)
Great tips Christy,
I believe that men can apply them too.Thank you so much
Absolutely regarding men applying them too ~ Thanks Ben for always supporting me :)
Couldn’t have been more timely. My daughter has been complaining about aching legs since she started exercising. She has flat feet. So I probably need to check if she is wearing the right shoes. Thanks Christy.
Oh wow, I’m glad the post is helpful and has led you toward a remedy. Great feedback!
Another great post. Thanks so much 👍🏻
Terrific to have you here, Sabreen!
Oh my gosh, Christy, I needed reminding about all of these; especially the weightlifting belt, and warm up and cool down. Thanks so much for posting this 💕
Hi Christy…
Great advise, I especially like the warm up and cool down. Not doing so will speak to you for days…
Hugs from Alberta
Great to hear and I’m delighted to see you here, Rolly :) Enjoy your weekend xx