If you’re anything like us, you’re likely to fall into some bad habits when life gets busy. Let’s take a look at some common pitfalls of the busy, active woman that may prevent you from seeing the results you're after. 1. EATING TOO LITTLE
Many people often don’t eat enough calories to meet their basic energy needs. When this becomes a habit, over time the body becomes more energy-efficient and you are risking to
slow down your metabolism. If weight loss is a goal, the result of not eating too little is very often right the opposite of what’s expected. 2. NOT EATING ENOUGH PROTEIN
As a person who exercises, you need protein in order to replace the amino acids used during a workout and to support muscle repair and growth after lifting. In general, active people should aim to consume: Women - 0.7-0.9 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight a day. For a 150-pound woman, that’s about 105-135 grams of protein per day. Men - 1-1.1 g per per pound of bodyweight a day. For a 180-pound man, that’s about 180-200 grams of protein per day. 3. DOING TOO MUCH CARDIO
The most often given advice, when the goal is to lose fat (or even improve fitness), has been
to do (more) cardio. Unless you love cardio, there are more effective ways to improve your overall fitness and lose fat. First, researches show that high intensity interval training (Tabata, Metabolic Training) produces better results for body composition improvements - fat loss and muscle gain. That being said even if you like cardio doing some sprint or intervals, even just once a week, is better for your overall fitness and body composition goals than doing hours of steady state cardio. These intervals can vary in length and number, with the goal of putting in some killer work bouts. 4. FASTING BEFORE AND/OR AFTER EXERCISE
Whether you are worried about getting an upset stomach before your workout or you are short on time, it’s easy to fall into the habit of training on an empty stomach. Science shows that eating before your workout can actually help burn fat more efficiently than working out on an empty stomach. If you the type of person who runs from your workout to the next thing on your to-do list without eating, you most likely will end up more sore and tired. Refueling within 30-40 minutes after training will help you recover better and getting the most out of your workout. 5. SUCCUMBING TO THE SCALE
The straightforward reason to break-up with your scale is that it’s not the best indicator of results. Although no matter how often we remind ourselves that the scale doesn’t tell the whole story, it’s hard to resist. As an active person it’s important to know that muscle tissue is greater in density when compared with body fat, and it also holds more water than fat. Not only does muscle weigh more while taking up less space, it also leads to greater scale weight fluctuation. Also, fluid fluctuations in the body will impact the weight changes and this can be caused by a many different reasons including hydration, digestion, workout, and last but not least hormones. That's why my recommendation is to focus on fat loss as your primary not weight loss. The bottom line is the scale can't measure the total picture of your health.
Pro Tip: Instead of daily weigh-ins, I recommend measuring your progress by how your clothes fit, taking measurements and body composition, or again, by how you feel. A daily journal is a great way to track your progress and in your journal you can include the answers to these questions. - How’s your energy?
- How are you sleeping at night?
- How’s your ability to think clear?
- How’s your mood?
- How’s your digestion?
- How’s your skin?
- How do certain foods and meals make you feel? 6. TAKING FOR GRANTED OUR BEAUTIFUL, POWERFUL BODIES
This one isn’t just for busy, active people. It’s for every single one of us. We more often than not have high expectations of ourselves, and strive to be better and there is nothing wrong with that. Although it’s important to stop and acknowledge how amazing you are! Life can often feel like a crazy-busy and we often take things for granted and forget to be grateful for the things we have. That being said it it is important to to take some time every day and think of a few specific things for which you are grateful, physically and emotionally. As active people, we spend a lot of our time working toward our goals - get stronger, feel better, run faster. Even during our busiest times, with shifting priorities, two of our most powerful weapons will always be confidence in our body’s abilities and consistency with our healthy habits. P.S. As with anything in life, knowledge is not useful if it is not applied (it’s only “potential”). If you’re finally ready to take control of your body; how you look, feel and perform and you’d like to discover how a top level results based coaching program can help you – fill out the application form below to get a free strategy session where we will design a road map of training and nutrition to achieve your goals. Apply for a STRATEGY SESSION HERE (no strings attached other than you’re serious and committed to making a change).