In my early 20’s I would spend an hour and a half at the gym, 7 days a week. I would work hard and sweat like crazy just to make sure I got a good workout in. I saw some changes, but they were not fast enough nor was I getting the body I was working so hard to get. This got to be very frustrating and I would repeat this cycle for the next 7 years.
At age 27 I decided that in order for me to get the actual changes I wanted, something had to change. I hired a fitness coach and started taking care of my nutrition. My coach pointed out these three things that were sabotaging my fitness results. Here is what I learned from them.
Not taking nutrition seriously
Since I worked out I believe that it was okay to eat anything I wanted since I needed the calories for it. I would go get fast food every other day, I wouldn’t eat vegetables, and pizza was my best friend. Being part of the clean plate club was something I was always proud of, but that was no longer serving me. Pizza and fast food are still in my nutrition, but they are more controlled now. I started eating leaner meats, more veggies, and making my own meals.
Not getting enough sleep/rest
Your body doesn’t change during your workout, it changes after, and typically what we do after our training sessions should be considered resting. Our muscles grow in size while we rest, this way they can recover and be ready to be used again the next day. If we are tearing bodies down every day while getting 4-6 hours of sleep a night, then we aren’t really recovering. I changed my training schedule to a 45 to 60-minute workout, and increased my sleep to get 7-8 hours a night.
Not drinking enough water
Do you want to curve endless snacking? Start drinking more water right now. There were times when I thought I was hungry and needed a snack, so I would go get chips and eat an entire bag. My coach advised me to increase my water especially around the times where I might think I’m hungry but actually I was bored. When I would get a craving, instead of going for the chips, I went for a glass of water and it helped me feel fuller. If I was still hungry 20 minutes after my cup of water then I would go get a protein bar or some veggies.
Learn from young William and don’t make the same mistakes.
