Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2008 | Page 90
life
FASHION, HEALTH & BEAUTY
TOP TIPS
9 common mistakes
made when dieting
If you are on a fitness or dieting
program, you know how hard it
is NOT to drop out of it. In fact,
most people drop out of it after
a few sessions. Why is this so?
There are a ton of excuses if you
ask them.
While we are all human
and given to laziness and
temptations, there are certain
things we can watch out for
which will help us stay the
course.
Here are 9 common mistakes
people commit when trying
to lose weight. Make sure you
don't make the same mistakes...
1) Failure to plan ahead
If you fail to plan, you are
planning to fail. Having no
target or vague target in mind
when going to the gym can
only lead to failure. How can
you know if you have reached
your objectives if you only have
a vague target? You can ask a
doctor about your ideal weight
and make that your goal or
target. Or think of a specific,
reasonable goal yourself.
2) Succumbing to
distractions
There is always the TV & other
"interesting" things to distract
you so it is crucial to allocate the
time for gym. When something
crops up at the last moment you
can reschedule your gym session
into another time slot if you
have a good planning schedule.
3) Working out too little
Some people lift two dumb-bells
a couple of times a day and
think they are done. You need
way more that that. Do spend
some time coming up with a
sound training program. Get
help from a gym trainer or a
veteran bodybuilder to set up
your program.
4) Working out too much
Your body needs enough
time to burn off the fats and
grow muscles in between your
workouts. Training on rest days
will simply make you more tired
without any additional benefits.
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5) Comparing yourse lf with
others
There is always someone who is
smarter, richer or slimmer than
you. Everyone has his/her own
unique genetic make-up which
affects how we gain weight, lose
weight and respond to training
etc. Comparing yourself to
others is totally futile.
6) Not varying your routine
Doing the same exercises in the
same order over and over again
is not only boring but it causes
you to lose motivation. Try to
juggle around the exercises that
form your routine and replace
them with new ones every now
and then. Find variations to each
classic exercise and try them out
to make your routine interesting
all the time.
7) Wasting your gains
If you tend to go to the pub
after the gym, then you are
just negating what you have
achieved. Note that alcohol
contains a lot of calories that
are metabolized as fat very fast.
Don't waste all your hard work
at the gym.
8) Not watching your food
intake
Try to avoid fast food and
snacks and forget about those
soft drinks. On the other hand,
don't starve yourself . Extremes
are no good. Strike a balance
and provide your body with the
nourishment it needs.
9) Looking for a miracle
cure
It takes some effort to lose
weight. Going to the gym is not
a one time affair. There is no
miracle cure for weight loss (or
for anything). You need to put in
some time and effort but it need
not be a chore. Enjoy it and
stop thinking of a miracle cure
somewhere. There just isn't any!
So there you have it, the 9
common mistakes people make
when trying to lose weight and
stay slim. Keep this handy guide
around you as a reminder!
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