5 Habits to Break

Working 1:1 with women has taught me a few things over the years- like the most common ways we hold ourselves back. I’m here to share what I’ve found and offer ways to break these top 5 bad habits.

Setting Unrealistic Goals

I used to do this all the time! I would bite off more than I (or literally anyone) could chew and then beat myself when I didn’t get the results I set out for. Some people have amazing willpower and can go from 0-100 consistently. But for the rest of us, this most likely leaves us burnt out before we begin. The best long term achievements are the result of lifestyle changes. Setting smaller attainable goals and increasing them over time will promote sustainable weight loss and muscle gains. If you are someone who is new to fitness and literally has never worked out, I recommend starting with goals that are semi-easily achievable. Like upping your step count by 500-1000 a day and completing 2 workouts a week. That way you have the satisfaction of achieving goals that benefit your health, instead of feeling like sh** when you don’t complete the unrealistic 5 workouts you scheduled this week.

Not Having a Workout Plan

I always ask my clients what their workouts look like for the week. When I check in, I ask when they’re working out, what time of day, and what their workouts will be. I am super thorough because if you don’t have a plan in advance, odds are you won’t do it! When I first started, I didn’t plan. I would do a little bit of this and a little bit of that.. and end up feeling bad about my half assed workout. Once I realized this wasn’t helping me reach my goals, I made the effort to program my workout the night before so I knew what I was in for. Planning your workouts in advance is key!

Feeling Like You Always Have to be Doing Different Workouts

For weight loss or results based goals, you do NOT need to be doing crazy workouts all the time. You really only need 1 good workout for upper body, legs, and full body to see results. Most programs consist of 1 workout routine per muscle group for at least 90 days. Sure, between the start and finish you are adding more reps or higher loads, but the workout is basically the same. This is because, like any other skill, you have to build off of what you know. You’ll have a harder time recognizing progress if you’re jumping from one crazy program to another. I promise you don’t need to balance on a ball and do burpee infested workouts to see results. The basics will do just fine! 

Setting Goals That are Only Scale Related

Don’t do this! Sure the scale can show some progress, but it won’t be an indicator of true progress. You could be getting stronger and fitter, but see absolutely no change on the scale! Or odds are it might go up due to the new muscle mass you’ve gained. Make sure when you do set goals you have ones that have nothing to do with scale or measurements. Examples could be setting protein intake goals, lifting heavier, running longer, or increasing your step count.

Aiming for Perfection

You are not perfect- you are a wonderful human who is flawed like everyone else! You aren’t always gonna have the best workout or get 8 hours of sleep. But if you use every slip up as an opportunity to say, “today might not have gone to plan, but tomorrow is another day to do better!” you’re gonna see more progress down the line than if you gave up and waited for a new week/month to restart! There is no reason to restart your lifestyle the moment it doesn’t go perfectly. You have to be kind to yourself. Acknowledge that it’s not always going to be easy, but get back up and keep going!

Entering the world of fitness can be intimidating- I know first hand. I hope you’ll take my advice as someone who was once a beginner and had to fully “embrace the suck” in order to get to where she is now. Lean into being new at this! You’ll learn so much about health and yourself along the way. You got this!