The top 3 health & fitness related mistakes I have made….

The top 3 health & fitness related mistakes I have made….

by FitAmbitiousBlonde

…up until this point anyway!  I wanted to write this post because one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place was to hopefully help someone else who was struggling the same way I was.  I was tired, sick, uncomfortable in my own skin and just generally living a blah life before I decided to embrace getting and staying healthy.  I am hoping that my ups and downs, struggles, mistakes, successes and eventual results can help and inspire other people to never give up on themselves. 

This journey I embarked on about a year ago is one that I have become extremely passionate about and have loved living and sharing since pretty much the day I started.  I wouldn’t be doing justice to my story or the process though if I didn’t talk about a few of the ways I almost derailed myself along the way and how I overcame those obstacles. I am hoping that by sharing the top three mistakes I have made in the past year below that I can help someone else navigate around them and have a slightly easier time of it than me.  Here ya go…

  • The first big one I made was falling into the good ole cardio trap. Somewhere along the way it became beat into my brain that spending endless hours on a cardio machine was the only way to lose weight and I don’t think I am alone in this thinking.  It wasn’t until I hit my first plateau about three months into my journey that I realized what I believed just about all my life was wrong.  I started doing some research into how to effectively get toned up and lose the fat and suddenly my mind was blown.  All the evidence pointed to strength training as the answer!  Since that day, I haven’t looked back!  Now that’s not to say I don’t still incorporate cardio into my routines but I have shifted my focus and fallen in love with lifting weights and my body has responded in ways I didn’t even know it could!  I also credit this as the reason that I haven’t abandoned this journey yet like everyone other one I started and gave up on in the past.  Weight training for me isn’t boring at all (like spending endless hours on a treadmill or pedaling a bike that isn‘t going anywhere)!  I genuinely look forward to getting those weights in my hands and pushing my body to get stronger and fitter…keeps me coming back for more!  It also conveniently leads into my second mistake…img_9691
  • I overtrained. Yep, the dreaded overtrain.  This is really a testament to how much I fell in love with this process, but also a really important lesson I had to learn the hard way about listening to my body.  About four or so months into my new “Get Beth Fit” endeavor, after I had discovered weighs, but before I found the programs I am currently following, I was going to the gym every single day, lifting weights but not really following any sort of planned out routine.  I was winging it I guess you would say.  I wasn’t paying attention to what muscle groups I was training on which days or how often, I really would just walk into the gym and start doing whatever exercises seemed like fun at the moment.  What ended up happening was I was working out too many of the same muscles and neglecting other ones to the point I ended up injuring myself.  And not only did I injure myself but I felt like something was wrong, proceeded to ignore the discomfort, continued working out and ended up in a brace for weeks.  While I would not recommend learning lessons in this manner, I did get a lot out of this particular setback.  I started doing a lot of research into the proper ways to train, found a great program that basically allows me to just show up each day and follow along to make sure I am doing things correctly but I also learned the importance of resting when my body is screaming at me that it needs it.  Pushing yourself is not a bad thing but also allow your body time to rest and recover.  That recovery time is just as important as training is for avoiding injury and building strength and muscle…your body will thank you for it!
  • Taking vitamins/supplements without researching thoroughly! Yikes, this is a big one!  I have become very careful about what I am putting into my body but towards the beginning of me trying to take better care of myself I started buying and popping vitamins/supplements like my life depended on it without doing a whole lot of research into how to do it safely.  I figured if they sold these products in a store where anyone could get their hands on them they must be safe to use, right?  WRONG!  It is so important to know what your body needs before throwing a whole bunch of stuff at it that may be doing more harm than good!  I read casually about some of the vitamins and supplements that might help me get some of the desired results I was chasing after but what I didn’t do was pay attention to the dosage information or even check to see if I was deficient in any particular area before deciding I needed it.  Needless to say, I started having some peculiar and not so pretty side effects (that I will spare you from having to read about) from popping too many unnecessary pills.  I finally got smart, did the research, had a full physical and blood work up and now I only use the vitamins and supplements that I need in the dosages that are correct for my body.  Luckily, I caught on early with this mistake and made the necessary corrections but it sure was a wake-up call to be more careful in the future!  Just because they sell something in a convenience store, grocery store or on the internet doesn’t make it safe to just blindly use.  Do your research, make sure you know your own body and then decide which vitamin or supplement is right for you. img_1554

I am nowhere near the end of my journey, frankly because there is no end when you are talking about living a healthy lifestyle, but I have come a long way and learned a few valuable lessons through making those mistakes above. Just like I celebrate my successes I also celebrate these setbacks because they were invaluable in leading me to where I am today…happier, healthier and so much more knowledgeable about the right ways to take care of myself.  If you take anything away from this post its that mistakes and setbacks are bound to happen. The real choice you have to make is if you are going to let them derail you have you throwing in the towel on the whole process or if you are going to embrace them and use them to make you even stronger. 

Let’s keep growing, challenging ourselves and loving this process mistakes and all, because after all perfect would be a little boring, don’t you think?

Xoxoxo,

Beth

73 thoughts on “The top 3 health & fitness related mistakes I have made….”

  1. I think you’re spot-on with the need for doing research on supplements and vitamins. I recently had a great doctor appointment and went through my list, and some were WAY wrong for me! I was also taking some at the wrong time, which made them worse. Really good advice, hope people really take your thoughts into consideration.

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  6. I’ve been doing all cardio and seeing no change…I guess now I know why😉 Would you be willing to share where you found your great programme for weight training as it sounds like the ideal way to go….? Thanks for all the honest advice – always an interesting read😍

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    1. Haha glad to help! So if you take a look under the Workouts part of my blog you can see the two programs I have done/am in the process of doing. The first one, LIIFT4 was AMAZINGGGGG! It is an 8 week program but I loved it so much I have done it twice now. It really leaned me out and gave me muscles I didn’t know I had. The link below is to a free trial workout…give is a shot and if you like it let me know and we talk more about the other programs as well:

      https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/programs/liift4/workouts?referringRepID=1646250

      Basically if you like the workout and want to sign up you get ALL the workout programs along with it as well as a meal plan, coaching support (that would be me 😊) and a workout routine that you don’t have to think about. This is honestly what I use and I love it because you can it from anywhere, anytime. Let me know if you have any questions!

      xoxoxo – Beth

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      1. That’s what we are all here for.

        My other jobs are a fitness trainer and a swim coach. A couple of years ago, I was pushing myself so hard that i did not see the damage I was doing to myself as well. I am still recuperating. I also see it all the time with our swimmers. There is a good reason why we taper. We have to listen to our bodies! 🙂

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      2. Oh wow….I swam for about 15 years competitively and it is truly my favorite sport! I am sorry to hear about your injury though…sounds like it was a serious one! I hope you are on your way to a full recovery!! 😊

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      3. The swimming injuries weren’t that bad. Some shoulder stuff, but after a few weeks, they were fine. The hards to come back from are ACL reconstruction and a total knee replacement on the other knee. Both are fine now, almost 100%, but they kept me out of the pool for quite awhile. I couldn’t even do flip turns. Now I just need to get back in and swim. 🙂

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  8. The caution you made about vitamins and supplements is very good, especially so if you are on any medications. Some supplements can have serious side effect with prescription medications. Even without medications, sometimes too much of a good thing can be a very bad thing!

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  9. Pingback: The top 3 health & fitness related mistakes I have made…. – Life…Take 2 – Fitness/Wellbeing!

  10. I enjoyed your post .. I can relate to what you’ve said .. I think keeping fit is a never ending process .. and if you listen to your body it will keep you right, your pointers are spot on and will I’m sure help people .. stay fit stay healthy …
    Steve

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  12. I haven’t started taking vitamin pills or something like that yet. I am on a journey to the perfect body as well. I liked you blog and follow you regularly but shall comment on this one. Better late than never !

    You really need to learn more about planning workouts and meals. More importantly, supplementation to the meals. Catch up on IG may be in case you need some help for the same. !

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  13. Thank you so much for sharing this, honestly I can really relate to a lot of these things, particularly not following any sort of plan and just kinda doing whatever I feel like in the gym. I would love to know what kind of plan/program you follow in terms of cardio & strength training a week, as I’m a bit stuck on how to plan a program incorporating those two things! Loved this post so much, thanks for sharing!! xx

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    1. Hi Molly! So if you take a look under the Workouts part of my blog you can see the two programs I have done/am in the process of doing. The first one, LIIFT4 was AMAZINGGGGG! It is an 8 week program but I loved it so much I have done it twice now. It really leaned me out and gave me muscles I didn’t know I had. The link below is to a free trial workout…give is a shot and if you like it let me know and we talk more about the other programs as well:

      https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/programs/liift4/workouts?referringRepID=1646250

      Basically if you like the workout and want to sign up you get ALL the workout programs along with it as well as a meal plan, coaching support (that would be me 😊) and a workout routine that you don’t have to think about. This is honestly what I use and I love it because you can it from anywhere, anytime. Let me know if you have any questions!

      xoxoxo – Beth

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Desire to enhance our selves is always good! Let me tell you that almost all supplements are useless. These products are in cystalline form and it’s not absorbable by human body. Is like drinking milk to get calcium and forcing the body to metabolize it weakening bones. Beacuse it what happens. With supplements, similar problems… 🙂

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  20. I can relate so much about the workout part. I used to be running marathons when I was much younger and naively thought I should do as many miles as possible to get myself ready and ignored the strength part. I ran up to 80km per week but was still fat. Now I go on the treadmill only for an hour a week for speedwalking, on other days I do only 10-15 minutes of HIIT. Now everybody said I shouldn’t lose any more weight.

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  21. Amen to this “beat into my brain that spending endless hours on a cardio machine was the only way to lose weight and I don’t think I am alone in this thinking.” And while I KNOW THIS I don’t feel accomplished ‘while’ I’m doing weight training. I know it helps and works and all but if I’m not doing cardio, I don’t think I’m doing anything. It’s STOOPID of me but I am working to make weight training a part of my day. Thank YOU!

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    1. I still even a year later catch myself thinking I need to hop on the treadmill today but I have resited doing cardio to about two days a week and I have gotten results that I never in a million years thought I would focusing on strength trainig! Its a hard mindset to break for sure but the results don’t lie! Let me know how your journey goes and thanks for stopping by and reading!! 🙂

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      1. Sheesh! I have everything I need to make this happen…. My mindset is my enemy but you have inspirited me, as usual. I have the weights, TRX, resistance bands, a weight bench; in pieces under my bed that needs to be put together. I have kettle bells and resistance bands. I.just.need.to.get.down.to.business 🙂

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  23. Hi and thank you for this post. I too have recently discovered the pitfalls of too much cardio and over training. I thought if I just kept working harder, my body would stop hurting and I would get more energy. Not so! I would love to learn more about your weight training routine. Thanks so much for your helpful blog! I look forward to reading more.

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  24. I enjoyed reading your post. I keep putting off going to the gym because I’m not sure where to start from. But, I know I want to loose weight. Will definitely check out your workout tips.

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  25. Wow!! I had no idea that doing strength training was much better than cardio, not that cardio isn’t important, but that the strength training helps much more. I’ll have to readjust my workout routines a bit I think. Excellent post and great tips!!

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  28. This is a good article. So often people underestimate the power of supplements and take them with abandon. Many are medicinal in nature and have far reaching effects throughout the body. This article may alert some to these possible negative effects.

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  32. This article is so damn spot on. I myself have felt a huge difference after switching to strength training. It transforms your body and the metabolism while only cardio is just going to lower your maintainence calories in the long run. Great read.

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  34. Yeah, the supplement piece is huge. It’s so easy to buy into the hype on these products. Only thing I use now are multivitamins, a decent protein powder I drink now and again, and a good pre-workout with Creatine. That’s about it. All the rest is crap that has not demonstrated any reasonable effect in legitimate studies.

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