The Health Kick Mistakes That Are Limiting Your Potential

Whether you’ve slipped into some unhealthy habits and need to detox, or you simply wish to switch up your lifestyle, a health kick will help you achieve your goals.

But whichever route you have opted for your health kick journey, from exercising too much to quickly changing your diet, there are some mistakes that can hinder the process.

Forgetting your pre-workout coffee

Think coffee is a no-go when you’re on a health kick? Think again. It can actually assist you on your fitness journey if you time it correctly.

There’s no need to say your farewells to your daily lemon coffee, as caffeine has advantages for a range of fitness goals. Gaining muscle is made easier, as a cup before your workout will increase muscular strength, endurance, and power to help you lift those heavy weights. Additionally, you’ll notice an increase in aerobic endurance that will come in handy for many activities, from walking to swimming.

Ensure that you enjoy a hot cup of coffee at least 45–60 minutes prior to exercising; without doing so, you’re essentially limiting your body’s energy and not reaching your full potential for your health kick.

Not planning your meals

While it may seem a task to plan ahead your meals for the whole week, it will actually work in your favour. It’s an important step to prevent you from slipping into unhealthy habits.

Planning your meals will make your shopping trips much easier – a quick trip in and out with a list of all your essential ingredients will reduce the need to make another visit to the supermarket. However, not only will efficiency be ticked off the list, but it’s also key to maintaining your health kick. By having a meal prepared, you’re less likely to fall into the trap of opting for an unhealthy takeaway to save yourself from a trip to the shop as well as cooking the meal. Not to mention that you’ll feel less inclined to fork out on a takeaway knowing you’ve already spent the money on ingredients.

That’s not all – planning your meals provides the opportunity to make many servings so that your lunch for the next day is prepared, thus you save time on cooking up something else. Let’s face it, the last thing you want to do after a hectic day at work is cook. Planning is a necessary part of this process. You need to be aware of the required quantities for multiple ingredients to ensure that you get all you need during your shopping trip.

Focusing too much on the scales

When your goal is to lose weight, you may expect to see a decrease when you step on the scales after just a short period of a health kick. But don’t have your expectations too high, as you’ll only feel disappointment – it’s unlikely for anyone to see a huge difference in weight loss after a small amount of time.

Instead, implement some other goals to go alongside this. Perhaps you could combine your weight-loss goal with the aim to discover an exercise that you love. After all, you may try to imitate someone else’s fitness journey by partaking in the same exercises, but perhaps you won’t be seeing the same results. Every health kick journey is different for each person, so it’s important to test the waters to find what you enjoy. Weight loss should never be the sole focus – and finding your own motivation will keep you focused and make it harder to give up when you’re struggling with the exercises.

Taking unrealistic steps

With the potential results of your health kick in mind, you will likely be feeling eager to get going, but don’t make the mistake of overdoing it.

Whether you’re switching up your diet or have planned to exercise more for your health kick, making a sudden, drastic change to your normal routine could lead to burnout. Think of the bigger picture and decide whether the steps you are taking are sustainable in the long term. If you don’t see these in your future, they may be unrealistic and you’ll find it difficult to stick to them.

Difficult exercises on a regular basis may exhaust you to the point where you are not enjoying them, but these activities are a vital part of your journey. Each week, 150 minutes of moderate activity is recommended for adults, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, so start by reaching this goal before you attempt to push yourself further.

Alternatively, you may think you must completely stop eating junk food, like chocolate – but eating food like this in moderation won’t impact your goals, in fact, it will reduce the likelihood of you giving up.

Once you’ve decided to commit to your health kick, it can feel easier to give up if you run into problems, or if you aren’t seeing the results you have wished for. However, if you’re unaware of the common mistakes, it’s likely you’ll experience this during your journey – but our tips are certain to keep it running smoothly.

Sources

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coffee-before-workout#bottom-line

https://www.easypeasyfoodie.com/20-reasons-need-start-meal-planning/#:~:text=Meal%20planning%20saves%20you%20time&text=Plus%20meal%20planning%20also%20meals,can%20save%20some%20serious%20time.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10418941/Personal-trainers-reveal-common-mistakes-people-make-January.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/exercise/faq-20057916

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/avoiding-junk-food#:~:text=Everything%20in%20moderation%20is%20the,avoid%20unhealthy%20preoccupations%20with%20food.