5 common fitness habits that do more harm than good

Jenna Rizzo, a women's weight loss coach from Georgia, shares five common fitness habits she found unhelpful for her body and mind.

"When I began my fitness journey, I had zero knowledge about fitness. I looked to social media for advice," Rizzo told her 77,300 TikTok followers in a recent clip.

"I've learned many healthy habits over the years, but some did more harm than good. Here they are so you can progress faster than I did."

Rizzo advises against going too hard in the gym, assigning rules to food, trying to look like someone else, using shame as motivation, and not prioritizing sleep.

Overexerting in the Gym

"You don’t need to push yourself to the extreme at the gym multiple times a week," Rizzo explained.

"It won’t change your body the way you think, and you might burn out quickly. Now, I tell my clients we aim to stimulate, not annihilate."

A 2021 study found that excessive exercise can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat.

Excessive exercise is also linked to rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition of severe muscle breakdown. Symptoms include muscle aches, swelling, weakness, fatigue, and dark or reduced urine output.

"Exertional rhabdomyolysis can result from strenuous exercise and high-intensity workouts where muscles are overused," explained Dr. Niloofar Nobakht, a nephrology professor at UCLA.

Experts from UCLA recommend scheduling rest days, varying workout intensity and duration, maintaining a balanced diet, staying hydrated, and getting good sleep to optimize fitness.

Assigning Rules to Food

Rizzo cautions against rigid food rules. "Saying 'I can’t eat this because it’s bad,' or 'I didn’t work out today,' or 'I can only eat carbs in the morning' is harmful to your relationship with food," she said.

"This led me to a binge-and-restrict cycle that took a long time to break. No food is inherently good or bad; some are just more nutritious than others. Approach food with that mindset."

While there's no universal healthy eating plan, experts agree on the importance of a varied diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and dairy or fortified soy alternatives.

Trying to Look Like Someone Else

"You won’t look exactly like someone else, no matter how much you admire their physique," Rizzo said.

"You can follow their diet and training exactly, but you won’t look like them. Focus on becoming the best version of yourself."

Using Shame as Motivation

"I used to be really hard on myself for eating something I 'shouldn’t' or missing a workout," Rizzo recalled. "This led to a negative perception of myself, fitness, and healthy eating."

Instead, adopt the mindset that "any movement is worth it, and everything counts," suggested Dr. Michelle Segar, a sustainable-change researcher at the University of Michigan and author of "The Joy Choice."

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two days of muscle strengthening each week.

This can include activities like brisk walking or yard work, not just gym workouts.

Not Prioritizing Sleep

Adults should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and poor mental health.

"You don’t need to work out seven days a week; three to four days is fine," Rizzo said.

"And you can’t expect great progress on just six to seven hours of sleep per night."

Take Rizzo’s advice to heart and avoid these common pitfalls to make your fitness journey more effective and enjoyable.

Source: nypost

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.