3 Big Mistakes That Could Be Hurting Your Workout

Working Out Like Crazy But No Results? It Could be These 3 Culprits. Read to Find Out More.

3. No Rest

When you've got the energy to go throughout the day, it's hard to wind down. That might be especially true if you're focused on getting in shape, packing on more muscle, or dropping those pounds, all while you're working at a full time job. It's incredibly easy to miss out on getting the proper amount of sleep. On average, American adults tend to sleep for six hours or less, with some getting as little as four hours of sleep every night.

That number may seem industrious, but the truth is that a lack of sleep hurts your brain's ability to retain and process information, and it hurts any progress that you're making when you work out. Proper sleep cycles help your body to regulate important hormonal exchanges, including melatonin and serotonin, as well as your digestion and insulin sensitivity. A lack of proper sleep ups your odds for becoming diabetic, among other things, and it can make your body's recovery times from exercise less fruitful. It's never a good idea to skip out on a good night's rest.

2. Eating Too Little

For those that want to put on mass, there's a fairly large challenge in getting enough calories throughout the day. Some exercise routines for power lifters can demand over 5,000 calories in a day's worth of eating. Considering that an entire pizza can be 1,500 calories, it's easy to see how it can become both expensive and frustrating to keep to your caloric requirements.

You don't need to be a weight lifter to have a heightened calorie wall, however. If you're attempting to lose weight, you may still want to eat up to a certain amount of calories a day to help better regulate your blood sugar levels. Don't take the “one size fits all” approach to a diet if the goal is weight loss. Calories are an important guide, but exercise can change the playing field. Your activity levels can actually increase your caloric requirements quite a bit, as added muscle has higher calorie requirements.

1. Playing it By Ear

If you aren't recording your process, checking your weight on a regular basis, and making realistic goals, it can be a recipe for frustration. With the multitude of smartphone apps now available to do exactly those tasks, it's become even easier to keep track of your progress, and to set goals for yourself throughout the week. Goals are important for keeping to consistent exercise routines and habits, but they should also be realistic. Losing two pounds a week is definitely something that you can achieve. Losing ten pounds a week isn't very likely, or safe.