I’ve been living the health-nut life for quite some time now, whether I’m teaching group fitness, running with friends, or lifting weights on my own. From this I’ve noticed some serious struggles from my fellow gym goers. Often these struggles are experienced by the newbies, those of us just starting on our fitness journey. But also quite often, I see veteran fitness fanatics making the same mistakes. Health and fitness is a life-long journey. No matter who you are or where you are on your journey, there will be challenges. I’ve complied a list below of my favorite, and most frequent,  fitness fails and a “fix” on how to overcome them.

 

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

 

1. GETTING SIDETRACKED

This is a huge struggle for pretty much everyone who has ever started a fitness plan or attempted a new goal. And, I’m raising my hand over here, because I might be the queen of this Fail. Hi, hi, hello…

So here’s the standard story, you decide to make a change to your fitness routine (or maybe begin a fitness routine for the first time). You join the gym, take the tour, meet some gym staff, and begin working out. When you walked in the door that first day, you felt slightly (super) intimidated by all the other gym goes. But hey! It’s been 2 weeks and so far you’ve completed your goal of showing up 3 times a week. Then maybe a few more weeks go by. You’re feeling 75% more confident about this whole “working out” thing. YOU GOT THIS!

AND THEN (cue dramatic music :::dun, dun, dunnnn::: ) your boss asks you to work late one day and miss your normal Tuesday sweat-session. “No big deal,” you think, one day will not ruin me. But then, your best out-of-state friend is in town briefly and you can’t miss meeting up for drinks. Another miss. Ok. Then it rains and you can’t seem to pull yourself off the couch and miss the opportunity to re-watch Scandal on Netflix for the 10^th time. Oops. You catch a cold and you’re out for a week. Ugh. You start seeing someone new and gym-time turns to cuddle-time. (Can you feel yourself spiraling off your plan?) The seasons change and you’d rather be at the beach (hello summer!) or on the couch underneath a pile of blankets (hello winter!). Aunt Flo comes to town and hitting the gym seems out of the question (ladies, I know you hear me!). And so on and so on, blah, blah, blah…

THE FIX

Life happens, let it. You’ll get sidetracked by unexpected things, whether they are good or bad. And so, SO often we let these life-happenings throw us off our game. We get discouraged when we can’t stick to our plan 100% and we eventually think “what’s the point of continuing?” or “I suck at this” and we quit.

So what do we do when life gets in the way? Roll with it. Make the needed adjustments. Don’t let life squash your momentum. If you’re sick and can’t function for a week, so what? You just hit the gym when you’re feeling better. It’s raining? Ok, well ,eventually the rain will stop. It’s so simple, yet in the moment I know it feels so hard. But just because you miss a day, or a week, or even a month, there is NO reason you can’t circle back and begin again.

2. NOT SPEAKING UP WHEN YOU HAVE QUESTIONS

As a group fitness instructor, I LOVE when participants approach me with questions. For me, as for many instructors, group fitness and fitness in general is a huge passion and I love sharing my knowledge with others. I especially love it when new participants ask me questions after class on literally any topic. I often hear questions related to technique (Am I doing this right?), recommendations on what to bring/where to class, even questions on other classes on the gym schedule.

You are not doing yourself any favors by staying quiet and never finding answers to your questions. In fact, if you are unsure about what you are doing at the gym and you never ask those burning questions, you are more likely to hurt yourself with poor technique or even quit altogether. Don’t be intimidated!

THE FIX

If you’re shy, it’s ok. I’m shy too. If you feel silly speaking up, don’t. Know that everyone starts somewhere. No one is born with the innate knowledge of how to use every piece of equipment in the gym.

Start small. Start by saying hello to your instructors or even just the front desk staff at the gym. Introduce yourself if you’re new, or even if you’ve been attending for a while. Bring a friend for strength in numbers. Do what you need to get comfortable. Also, know that there are no dumb questions. In fact, most of the questions you have are questions that EVERYONE has had at some point. And ultimately, just let’er rip! Bite the bullet! Ask away!

3. SETTING UNATTAINABLE GOALS

Truth time: reaching your fitness goals is hard, even if you’re setting your goals correctly. When setting goals, it is important to be realistic. Just because “that person on the Internet” lost 200lbs in 2 weeks (exaggeration for dramatic effect) does not mean that the same work out/meal plan/etc. will work for you. Sorry to say, you’re not going to qualify for American Ninja Warrior after two weeks of lifting weights. Only Gisele can look like Gisele, people! It is the unfortunate truth that too many people get overwhelmed or discouraged when they don’t see the results they expected.

THE FIX

Begin with smaller, realistic goals like attending that yoga class twice a week or running 3 times a week. These are just examples of clear, concise goals that you can literally check off your to-do list and feel a sense of accomplishment. Let’s say your dream is to one day run a marathon (26.2 miles for my non-runner friends) and you’re current personal best is running to your car from a building when its raining. You’ve got a bit of work to do to, right? So a more achievable goal in this case would be to run a 5K (3.1 miles). Depending on your level of fitness, it may take you several weeks or months to get there. But you CAN get there. And once this goal is achieved, it is so much easier to grow your goals. Before long, you’re running 10Ks and half marathons. Fitness is a journey, not a destination. Achieving all the seemingly little goals will add up over time and one day, without realizing it, you are buying pants in a smaller size.

 

 

4. INVESTING IN GIMMICKS AND FADS

Two words: SHAKE WEIGHT. Step away from the TV, close your Internet browser. What. Are. You. Doing?! If joining a gym is not your thing and you prefer to work out at home, there are some very legit items you can purchase to assist in your fitness journey. Most of what you see in Internet ads and TV infomercials is only going to make your wallet more skinny, not your bod.

THE FIX

Invest in yourself and get information from professionals. Purchase some free weights, a yoga mat, or a decent pair of running shoes instead of those gimmicks. Do your own research and find the science behind strength training different muscle groups, yoga and its effects on the body and stress, or find a legit running plan.

And most importantly, talk to your doctor before starting any fitness plan. Every BODY is different. Enlist the help of a personal trainer, running coach, or knowledgeable instructor. Trust the pros with your health, not celebrity-endorsed products.

 

5. NOT COMMITTING 100%

This point kind of encompasses everything. But it is so important that I think it deserves is own bullet point. Too often we begin a fitness plan only to lose focus a few weeks in. Maybe life gets in the way; maybe you weren’t in it for the right reasons or your goals were too broad.

THE FIX

Fitness is a lifestyle. You’ve got to find activity that you LOVE and can incorporate into your everyday life. Whether it’s attending your favorite group fitness classes, getting outside with your dog, or playing a pick up game with friends. If you LOVE what you’re doing, you won’t think of it as work, it won’t become something you have to talk yourself into, or something you dread and avoid. You may need to try many different activities before you find your niche, and that’s ok. Actually, that is expected. Maybe Zumba is your thing, maybe its power lifting – you won’t know until you try.

Think about what types of healthy activities you already enjoy and expand on those. Do you love being outside? Try hiking through a local state park. Were you a dancer in your younger years? I bet you’ll still love it, try yoga, Zumba, or Barre. Start with what you already know, and then work on trying something new. It is much easier to commit to walking your dog everyday, because you LOVE bonding with your puppers, right?! Try setting a goal of longer walks, or multiple walks a day, to challenge yourself.

Once you figure out a base activity, it becomes easier to expand. If you try new things and don’t like them, go back to what you love. From here, set some attainable goals and hold yourself accountable to reach them. Don’t let life sidetrack you from doing things you already know you love. Make the time and stay focused.

 

Do you have any tips for staying on track? Have you fallen victim to any of these fails? (No shame in raising your hands too!)

 

Looking for more fitness-inspiration? Check out 10 Ways to Hit the Gym with Confidence!