Hi, I’m Jess Underhill the writer behind Fit Chick in the City. I am a fitness expert with over 12 years of experience in the industry. I have a MS in Exercise Science and Health Promotion as well as a BS in Business Administration
The goal of FCITC is to connect everyone from the “gym rat” to the “couch potato” with the best workouts and fitness products available, while providing a healthy dose of motivation and expertise along the way.
Five Things That Can Sabotage Your Workout
You may not be getting the results you want from your workouts if you’re making any of these common mistakes. Learn to make the most of every workout and you’ll learn how to push your limits.
#1) Doing exercises that don’t utilize your time efficiently. Twenty to thirty minutes is all you need for a strength training routine. Include exercises like the renegade row with a push-up. This exercise allows you to work your chest, shoulders, triceps, the muscles of your upper back (i.e. rhomboids & lats) as well as your core muscles.
#2) Cheating yourself by not using heavy enough weights. Here’s my rule: If you don’t know if your weights are heavy enough, then they probably are not.
#3)Getting too comfortable. Can you go faster during your sprints in spin class? Can you take that chair position in barre class one inch lower? The answer is almost always ‘YES!” Now stop being a wimp by learning to push your limits. Become comfortable with being uncomfortable.
#4) Doing it wrong (see #1). No one does every form of exercise correctly. Not even a professional. 😉 No matter what type of exercise whether it’s running, pilates, using the elliptical or power walking you should research proper form. This is where I get to be a real stickler for rules. If you aren’t using the right muscles or doing the exercise correctly than you are not getting the most out of your workout.
#5) Improper Fueling: This can go two ways eating too little or eating too much. If you aren’t eating enough your body won’t have the energy you need to get through high intensity workouts. It may also be preventing you from losing any extra weight.
On the flip side, I often hear people say “thank goodness I worked out today, so I don’t have to worry about all the crap I’ve been eating.” Just because you are working out doesn’t mean you should ignore your healthy eating habits.
FCITC has appeared in The New York Times, Shape.com, Fitness.com, AOL’s Lemondrop, Special K’s Gain Tour 2011, Vital Juice NYC’s Healthy About Town, Athleta, Health.com, WomansDay.com and Yahoo! Shine. FCITC is also an Opposing Views contributor.
Good job, Gina! Way to stick with the workout. I find it's hard to get through DVDs sometimes.
Great post, Jess!!! I almost sabotaged my own workout today by stopping before the video was finished. I felt like I had worked hard enough, but there were only 5 minutes left…how lame of me to think it would be ok to quite at that point!!