What’s up #fitfam?! Welcome back and thank you for reading. Today we’re going to be discussing gym fails…but not the type of fails you may be thinking of. These gym fails are those times when you make the most amazing workout plan, gym membership included, and you completely fall off a cliff after a few days or couple of weeks. It is totally human to have unfinished tasks or come up short sometimes, but it can be absolutely frustrating to start a fitness journey and quickly lose all momentum. I find it important to explore the things that are most likely to lead to a false start or fail.
Over-committing to a workout schedule is the most common factor in fitness fails. This includes signing up for a gym membership too soon or expecting to workout for too long or too many days per week. These items are problematic be in general they are setup as either a response to a temporary emotion or as an extreme challenge to ‘get in shape’. The biggest issue with extreme changes is that the idea of performing a lifestyle 180 is noble but the execution requires such significant changes that it becomes difficult to maintain the actions that are required to produce results. For a person who has been stalled in a sedentary lifestyle, committing to working out 5 days per week and fasting for 12 hours per day can prove to be very hard to sustain beyond a few days or weeks. The uncomplicated truth is that the average person cannot sustain extreme changes. Just like the significant other who promises to change to make the relationship better, the over-committed fitness program has great intentions but is bound to fail because the response is too extreme. As I have stated in numerous articles, it is better to make incremental changes to your lifestyle that can be integrated with ease and will prove to be sustainable.
Fad dieting is also high on the list of fitness fails. This is different than extreme diet changes because of structure. Basically fad diets are the latest diet trend that is intended to produce an extreme result but more often than not lead to temporary success and yoyo-ing weight. The plans also can prove harmful at times because they often require that a person deprive themselves of something. Think of the Atkins and Keto diets which reduce carbs but are not ideal restrictions for the average person. It is better to sync with a nutritionist or dietitian who create a custom plan based on your specific health situation and lifestyle.
We have all experienced a fitness fail at some point but the best response is to evaluate what went wrong and create a better plan of action. It is advisable to work hard at overcoming the feelings of failure and instead use it as fuel to truly commit to a reasonable schedule and meal plan that will produce long-term, healthy results.
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You must be reading my mind as I am guilty of over-committing!
Hi Stephanie, the unfortunate truth is we’re all guilty of it in some capacity. I have had quite a few new clients commit to a schedule that they could not actually maintain.
Such an uplifting post. It’s so important to learn from our failures and form proper action plans to do better the next time. Thank you for this strong reminder.
Akansha, I love your business-like approach to the idea of responding to a fail. Form an action plan and follow through!
I am now in my 50s but have always been a runner. My issue is once I let myself slip, I tend to think I can pick right back up and run 5 miles as a first run…WRONG! Major fitness fail! I am quickly learning that over commitment is not good!
Hi Michelle! Stopping and starting is so tricky because on one hand you don’t want to limit your possibilities but on the other, its hard not to try to just keep it going from where you left off. A fitness journal is the way to go if starts and stops are common for you. Basically if you track your activity, when its time to restart, you can do so at 50%-65% of where you were so you can be sure you’re putting in work, while also avoiding the fail of overdoing it. Thank you for reading
I resonate with this so much. Especially around new years we all want to get back on track. I’ve fallen victim to fad dieting and biting off way more than I can chew with fitness. I love this post! Very inspiring 👏
Hi Jessica, thanks for your feedback! I’ll share a trainer secret, we kind of love and hate New Year’s resolution season or as we call it ‘new year, new me’…We love the injection of fresh clientele but it hurts that a good 80% will tap out by March. We also hate the overcrowded gyms but love the success stories that come from the survivors. I hope that my articles can help in keeping you informed and motivated.
This is so so so me. I just signed up for cycling and then I run. So yes, I do ebb and flow with my workouts. Thanks for the information!
Hi Marcie, fortunately you’re not alone in the ebb and flow.
I too, am guilty of overcommitment and burnout. Even now, I have a gym member that i haven’t used in 2 years. Think it’s time to work my way back into it.
Oh wow, 2 years with no gym? Its definitely time to dust off the gym shoes!
I’m currently feeling like I’ve failed was doing so good with my workout plan and now i feel discouraged and have stopped telling myself i need a bit of a break but once i stop its hard to restart.
Hi Tianna, I hate to hear that you fell off your workout plan but be encouraged that its never too late to restart. Start small, twice a week, 15 minutes.