It’s hard to know what to do and what not to when it comes to reaching our fitness goals, but there are a few golden PT rules that many of us are still breaking out of habit. And unfortuantely for us, without even realising are sabotaging our efforts. Personal trainer, nutrition & lifestyle coach and IsoWhey Sports ambassador, Alexa Towersey, tells us the things that she wishes we would stop doing to help us reach our full fitness potential.
1. Setting Unrealistic Goals
Stop setting unrealistic goals and aim for a realistic objective. Training to lose weight is different to training to put on lean muscle and different again to training for sports performance. If you don’t know what your end goal is, how do you expect to make a smart plan of attack?
Remember, everyone is different; we all have different genetics, hormones and lifestyles so we all respond differently to exercise. What works best for your mate may not work for you. Think about what you want to achieve, and in how long, and trust your PT’s advice. If you need to adapt as you go along then don’t worry, you’re just finding out what works best for you.
2. Skipping Meals
A common misconception is that missing meals will help you lose weight. It won’t. You can’t have a huge lunch and then nothing for dinner and expect to see the best results. Good nutrition is not rocket science – when in doubt, stick to lean protein options and plenty of fresh, leafy green vegetables with every meal.
Eating “real” food allows you to regulate your appetite naturally so there is no need to calorie count, which I often find makes food a stressor. As a guideline for females, aim for a palm sized portion of protein, a thumb size portion of good fats, and as many green veggies as your heart desires! If you’re training to build muscle or to get toned, it’s important that you get a lot of protein and also eat foods that will help your endurance in the gym. Skipping meals means you’ll lack fuel and will struggle with stamina.
3. Avoid Weight Training
Only weight training has the ability to truly change the shape of your body and the benefits of weight training are not limited to the aesthetic. For me as a trainer, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing women become empowered in the weights room, and then watching as this translates into their attitude towards weights training for the rest of their lives.
Switching from cardio to weight training can be challenging as it’s a whole different ball game, but if it’s a fit and toned, strong and curvy body that you want, then it’s worth switching the treadmill for the weights room. It’s not diamonds that will be your best friend, it's deadlifting.
4. Being Afraid of Supplements
If you want to get the best results from your training experience, it’s important to learn more about supplements that can help you. When used in conjunction with healthy eating and an exercise regime, a good quality whey protein, such as the scientifically formulated IsoWhey Ultra-Lean Protein Powders, can help nourish the body and manage a healthy weight when combined with regular exercise and weight training.
There is also a common misconception that protein is laden with fats and a high amount of carbohydrates. In some situations this fear can be valid as there are some protein shakes that are created as ‘gainers’ which are high in calories to help provide the extra energy that individuals need to gain extra muscle, but these shakes are not designed for the general population who are simply looking to increase their intake of quality proteins or support exercise and weight loss.
There is an array of protein shakes designed for a variety of people with different goals. The key is to choose the product that best suits your lifestyle, and your PT can help you choose the best one for your needs.
5. Skipping Recovery Days
Pushing your body to its limits means that you also need time to rest so that your muscles can recover and repair. Over-working them can cause more damage than it will enhance results. I liken recovery to your bank balance. Every training session is a withdrawal and every recovery session is a deposit. If you are always training and making withdrawals, and rarely recovering and sling deposits, you will end up overdrawn and injured.
6.Giving Up
This is linked to setting realistic goals – it’s common that when people don’t see immediate resultsthey give up. It’s important to keep your motivation up and remember that results only come with hard work. Don’t give up the second your start to sweat. Learn to enjoy the adrenaline first, and then appreciate the physical changes when they start to happen. It’s an exciting, often challenging, journey and long-lasting results take time.
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