It’s a new year and for many of us, achieving a new level of health and fitness is on the top of our New Year's resolutions. You may exercise regularly, but for some reason you’re not seeing the results you want. Here are three reasons why you may not be achieving your fitness goals.
Not Valuing Recovery
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, rest and recovery are just as important as the workout. Rest is the key element that is often overlooked. Without adequate recovery, your body isn’t able to repair the muscles and restore glycogen levels to fuel your next workout. This is what helps those muscles become stronger and improve your overall performance. Lastly, recovery also prevents overuse injuries which will definitely put your fitness goals on hold.
Being Mindful
We’ve all been there, you are at the gym or on a run and your mind is elsewhere. You are just going through the motions. Being present and in-tune with your body, especially while you are working out, will ensure that you are paying attention to your form. Proper form is essential for ensuring the exercise is done correctly and to prevent unnecessary injuries. Furthermore, mindfulness while you are exercising also helps you to really focus on fully activating the right muscles in order to get the most out of your exercise.
Challenge Yourself
While consistency is important, simply doing the same workout or running the same route day in and day out is not going to help you achieve your fitness goals and it is also really boring. Make sure you challenge yourself with a variety of different workouts or activities to keep things fresh. Not only will you feel more motivated, but your fitness will improve because you are continuously challenging your body.